Children's home run by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 2812398 1 Registered provider: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties, and who may have learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This was the home’s the first inspection since the home was registered with Ofsted in January 2025. The manager also registered in January 2025.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There were two children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2812398 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in all areas of their lives. Children benefit from receiving well-planned, individualised care that meets their needs effectively. One professional said: ’[Name of child] is the happiest that I have seen them.’

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good relationships with staff and describe them as being ‘nice’ and ‘helpful’, and say that staff ‘help us to do fun things.’ The strength of these relationships means that children have trusted adults that they can talk to. In addition, the quality of the relationships between the children and staff enables children to enjoy different experiences and learn new skills. For example, one child is being supported by staff to prepare for a camping holiday, and the other child continues to improve their baking skills.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to make progress with their education. Where children are struggling, the manager is proactive in working with the child’s education provision to ensure that the right support is in place for the child to assist them with their learning. Equally, staff ensure that children are in good health by ensuring that they have access to health services and by supporting them to attend all health appointments. If children are ill, staff promptly seek medical advice.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children being able to keep in touch with their family and friends. Both children said that staff help them to see people who matter to them. In addition, one social worker spoke about how the staff supported the child to attend an important family event.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have positive relationships with children’s family members, their social workers, school and other professionals. This helps make sure that children get the best all-round support and make progress from their starting points. One social worker said that they are ‘impressed with how staff have cared for [name of child].’

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are welcomed into the home in a considered and well-planned way. Support and planning by the manager and staff are a strength of this home and are led by the needs of the child. The manager ensures that staff are given important information about the child, which helps staff to meet the needs of the child from the point of them moving in. Children settle in quickly.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is warm and welcoming. Children are encouraged to make the home their own by personalising their bedrooms and the communal areas. The home is furnished and decorated to a high standard, and both the staff and the children proudly take responsibility for keeping the home clean and tidy. The hallway is adorned with pictures of the children and the activities that they have been on. The home looks and feels like a family home for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2812398 3

p.2

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

Children feel safe in the home. They have trusted relationships with staff whom they can talk to if they have any worries. One child said that they can ‘talk to staff and they keep me safe.’ Children are aware of their rights and entitlements and know how to make a complaint if they are dissatisfied with any aspect of the care that they receive. Following feedback from an external professional, the manager and staff have introduced a suggestions box which allows children to share their views and any complaints they may have in a confidential manner.

p.3

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

Staff have a good understanding of each child’s individual risks and vulnerabilities, and they work hard to keep children safe. The children’s bespoke risk management plans are robust and explicitly state what actions staff must take to safeguard children. In addition, staff have regular conversations with each child to help them understand risk and make safer decisions.

p.3

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

Children very rarely go missing from home. On one occasion when a child did go missing, staff worked in close partnership with family members and external professionals to secure the child’s quick and safe return home.

p.3

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

Staff ensure that the care each child receives is sensitive to their specific needs and provides children with clear, consistent boundaries. As a result, there have been no instances where staff have had to hold a child to ensure the safety of the child or others since the home opened. Support plans do consider this, and staff are suitably trained, which ensures that staff know what action to take if needed.

p.3

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

All staff are employed in line with safer recruitment processes. This reduces the risk of unsuitable adults working in the home.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A suitably qualified and experienced registered manager leads this home. She is highly committed to meeting the needs of the children and closely monitors the progress that each child is making. She is supported by an equally committed and enthusiastic deputy manager. Both the manager and deputy manager have confidence in the staff and speak about them with pride.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are ambitious for what children can achieve and have a good oversight of the home and the care delivered by staff. They have an excellent understanding of the strengths of the service and areas for development. Leaders and managers value feedback from children, staff and external professionals and use this to learn and make improvements to the quality of care that children receive.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a good understanding of what children need to make progress. They make child-centred decisions about welcoming children into the home. The manager is firmly committed to ensuring that prior to a child moving into the home, Inspection report for children’s home: 2812398 4 relevant information about the child’s needs is gathered from a range of sources and that the staff have the relevant skills and experience to meet the needs of the child.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is good, and staff feel supported in their roles through ongoing support, professional supervision and good-quality training. Staff report working cohesively as a team and have confidence in leaders and managers. The commitment of the staff to helping children to make progress means that children receive good-quality care, support and guidance from adults who genuinely care about them.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s case records are of good quality and are well organised, up to date and detailed. They are written with care and sensitivity and support children to understand their time in the home and how staff have helped them. Staff help the children to build memories through taking photos and compiling memory books.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No requirements or recommendations have been made as a result of this inspection.

p.4

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: 2812398 5

p.4

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Riverside House, Main Street, Rotherham S60 1AE

p.5

Inspector

Shirin Khan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2812398 6 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.

p.5

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.6

Inspector

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.6

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.6

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.6