Children's Home run by Vcare - 24 Limited in East Riding of Yorkshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2591499 1 Registered provider: Vcare - 24 Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered in 2020 and is owned and operated by a private provider. It offers care for up to two children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since October 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2591499 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/06/2024 Full Good 05/03/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/07/2022 Full Good 17/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2591499 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the inspection, the inspector spoke with the child living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the child’s needs well and have a positive relationship with them. Staff enjoy spending time with the child and talking to them using kind language. The child can be heard laughing and having fun with staff members, demonstrating the positive relationships. The child enjoys specific activities with each member of staff, including sensory activities. Staff think of new places to visit, aligned with the child’s interests. The child has been on holiday and enjoyed days out with staff. This means that the child can broaden their range of experiences with the support of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand and promote the child’s health needs. The child has received prompt routine medical treatment when required. Staff follow medication plans for the child and offer them support to understand the reasons why medication is important. As a result, the child is better able to understand their health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s education is prioritised and encouraged. Their achievements are recognised and celebrated by staff. The child can be reluctant to attend school, and staff offer encouragement at these times to help them attend. When staff recognised that the transition from the car to the classroom was difficult for the child, they worked with the school to find a positive solution. Staff support the child’s learning in the home and read to them as part of their nighttime routine. This means that the child can access education and the associated social opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively promote family time. Family members visit the child at the home, where they feel welcome. Family members recognise the positive communication provided by the registered manager. This means that the child maintains relationships with people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Renovations have been carried out to improve the home’s conditions. The child’s bedroom has been painted the colour they chose, demonstrating that they are listened to. The new furnishings balance safety and comfort for the child. There remains some damage to the home that requires repair including the walls and radiator cover. There are some areas that need additional cleaning including bathroom areas to maintain a hygienic living environment.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There are detailed risk assessments and behaviour plans in place that help staff know how to respond to the child. The child’s voice is seen in these plans, and the responses are tailored to the child’s needs. The child, while unable to articulate their feelings of safety, can name staff who they like, and this has resulted in a significant reduction in incidents, indicating that the child feels settled, safe and cared for in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2591499 4 Physical interventions are used as a last resort to ensure the child’s safety. Staff are skilled in de-escalation, meaning that the use of physical intervention is rare. When physical intervention is used, the child receives a debrief, and staff engage in lessons- learned exercises.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Positive behaviour is promoted at the home using reward tokens. The child receives praise and tokens daily, which they can spend in an on-site tuck shop each week. Staff help the child reflect on their day when they discuss their tokens, which encourages positive behaviour. Consequences are not used in the home. Following incidents, staff hold meaningful conversations with the child to help them understand the impact of their actions. The positive approach to behaviour management avoids shame and helps increase the child’s confidence.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Systems are in place to ensure that any concerns about staff are managed effectively. The local authority designated officer (LADO) commented that the registered manager and responsible individual are proactive in terms of chasing updates and sharing information. To safeguard the child, the registered manager has shared concerns about adults outside the home with the LADO. The registered manager has worked with plans and advice from the LADO to ensure the child’s safety.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

When the child makes allegations, staff respond appropriately to help them feel safe. Managers have oversight of allegations and ensure that enquiries are undertaken and lessons learned are cascaded to the staff. ’The child is offered the opportunity to discuss allegations in a non-judgemental way, and steps are taken to investigate them accordingly. Plans have been implemented and reviewed with the social worker and LADO to manage any allegations. The agreements ensure that the child’s voice is heard and concerns are acted on appropriately to keep the child safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There has been a period of staff instability, meaning that new members of staff have been recruited to work at the home. The safer recruitment process has not been robust in relation to some of the checks required. Therefore, the registered manager has not received assurances about the suitability of all staff working in the home, as required by regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home frequently uses agency staff. There are procedures in place to assure the manager that agency workers are subject to safer recruitment checks by their agency. Agency workers receive a brief introduction to the home and the child’s plans. The frequent use of agency workers has reduced’’ the continuity of care that the child requires. On occasion, agency staff have comprised more than half of the staff team on shift.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager communicates with the child’s wider care team. The manager has expressed concerns to stakeholders over the prolonged absence of essential documentation necessary for the child’s effective care. The escalation process to receive Inspection report for children’s home: 2591499 5 the documents was unsuccessful as despite challenge and requests for key documents, these were still not received. The escalation process and partnership agreements require strengthening to ensure that the staff have plans available to inform their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff feel supported by the registered manager and receive regular, reflective supervision. Staff have received training that is relevant to their role, and learning is encouraged in team meetings. The core team of staff are unqualified, and over half have not completed their qualification within the necessary period. This has an impact on the child, as they are being cared for or supported by staff who, due to a lack of qualifications, may not possess the necessary knowledge to provide high-quality care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A registered manager, who knows the child well, leads the home. The registered manager has a presence in the home, meaning that they are available for the child and staff to offer support and guidance. The child enjoys spending time with the registered manager, who talks passionately about the progress the child has made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager maintains an overview of the home through their review and monitoring systems. They oversee all key-work sessions and significant incidents. A newly appointed quality assurance manager is in post, which adds an additional layer of oversight to the running of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2591499 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d)) 31 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the home is clean and provides an environment that is homely and not institutionalised. This specifically relates to ensuring that repair works are carried out in a timely fashion and to a good standard. 30 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— 30 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2591499 7 seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that key documents relating to children’s care are on file. An effective escalation process must be implemented if they have not been received.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children to aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, managers must ensure that staff attain the required qualification within the appropriate period. 15 December 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that no more than half the staff on duty at any one time, day or night, are from an external agency. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.17)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2591499 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 10, Halifax Way, Pocklington Industrial Estate, Pocklington, York YO42 1NP

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Inspector

Ali Owens, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2591499 9 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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