Children's Home run by Rite Directions Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2616704 1 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Registered provider: Rite Directions Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to three children who may require support with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children lived at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2616704 2 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/10/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/08/2023 Full Good 11/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2616704 3 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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inadequate

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home. Inspectors spent time with two children. The third child was not seen as they were at school and seeing family.

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inadequate

There are serious shortfalls in respect of the help and protection of children and the leadership and management of the home. Ineffective leadership and management of the home have significantly undermined the quality of care provided. Despite this, some children have positive experiences and are progressing, for instance in education.

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inadequate

The health and complex personal care needs of children have not been met. Children have significant health and personal care needs that impact on their emotional and physical well-being. Plans to support this at the home are ineffective. Staff are not provided with detailed and clear guidance to support children. When monitoring systems and records have been in place, these have not been completed by staff.

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inadequate

Children are living in poor conditions. Several areas of the home are unclean. There are numerous areas of the home that require maintenance. One child’s bedroom was extremely untidy and unsanitary. Bathrooms had broken cabinets. Several walls are marked and chipped. Many of these areas pose a hygiene risk to the children. This does not result in a well-maintained and decorated home that is tailored to meet children’s needs.

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inadequate

Children participate in activities, including activities that help them develop their independence and self-esteem. One of the children helps to make dinner, and another is being supported to explore their identity at home and in the community. The same child is providing peer support to younger children at school in English. To support children’s success, children have incentives; however, these do not always align with their areas of development. Staff were observed to interact with children positively and children enjoyed speaking with them.

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inadequate

Children engage well in their education, and most have high attendance at school. Staff ensure that children are prepared for their school day. When children require constant monitoring to keep safe, the home supports the school in providing extra staff at key times. When children are not in school, alternative appropriate interim activities are sought.

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inadequate

When it is assessed and appropriate to do so, children are supported to see people who matter to them. Staff are flexible and practical in this regard, and families value this. Inspection report for children’s home: 2616704 4 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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

There are significant shortfalls in relation to leaders’, managers’ and staff’s responses in ensuring that children live in a home that is hygienic and free from health and safety concerns. Managers have not ensured that staff have clear plans that direct them in how to help children.

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

Staff are not confident to keep children safe. One child is recorded as opening a restricted cupboard with a screw. This was not challenged by the staff, and children therefore accessed an area of the home that is usually locked.

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

Children’s individualised care plans and risk assessments do not provide adequate detail and guidance for staff. These records do not capture the specific needs and vulnerabilities of each child. Essential records that contain information about children’s health and complex personal care needs have not been completed, and therefore they are ineffective.

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

Staff have not always ensured that children are appropriately supervised in accordance with their agreed plans. As a result, on one occasion, a child was transported in a car with one staff when the risk assessment shows that two staff should travel with them.

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

The medication administration procedure is not clear. Although staff receive training and are observed administering medication, staff are unsure what to do if a mistake is made. Staff do not have access to unambiguous records of when to give children medication. The home’s own administration procedures are not being followed. Together, these have the potential to cause harm to children in the home.

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

Complaints and allegations are escalated and investigated appropriately. When children make a complaint, managers ensure that children receive a response. Managers ensure that allegations are investigated and shared with stakeholders, including the local authority designated officer. However, leaders and managers were not clear about the number of allegations since the last inspection.

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

Leaders and managers have ensured that safer recruitment procedures for staff are followed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are widespread failures in respect of leadership and management. Leaders and managers have not been effective at identifying and prioritising all the necessary improvements since the last inspection. There has been a poor response to previous requirements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Internal quality assurance systems have not been effective in providing a detailed analysis of the operation of the home. This means that leaders and managers do not Inspection report for children’s home: 2616704 5 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

have a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. Firm plans are not in place to drive continual improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders’ and managers’ monitoring of the environment has not identified and addressed potential hazards. Unsanitary conditions and broken furnishings pose a risk to children. The environment does not show respect towards the children who live here. Managers took immediate action to respond to some of these concerns during the inspection, but other identified areas of concern remained the same. The previous inspection identified some of these shortfalls, but they have not progressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff say they feel supported by leaders in the home. Managers have ensured that staff have regular supervision and training opportunities. This process should allow for staff’s competence and knowledge of children to be reviewed. However, training records were not easily accessible to show that all staff have undertaken training to meet the needs of all children, and that the provider has agreed that staff’s existing qualifications are equivalent to the required qualification for their care role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the last inspection the home has successfully appointed a registered manager. The home is adequately staffed, and recruitment for vacant posts is being advertised. However, the home’s statement of purpose does not fully reflect the care that staff provide and needs to be updated, as required by regulation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Parental feedback is mixed. One family member was highly positive about the experiences and care provided to their child. However, another parent has raised some concerns about staff practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2616704 6 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff not having access to up-to-date and robust plans and monitoring systems to help a child with their health and complex personal care needs effectively. 18 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

*The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to children living in an environment that is of poor quality and has health and safety concerns. 18 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

*The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. 18 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2616704 7 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff not following current risk assessments for transporting children in a vehicle.

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff allowing children to access areas of the home that may have caused harm.

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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 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to leaders and managers not having an effective monitoring system for the home’s environment.

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Requirement Due date

This relates to practice not being consistent with the home’s statement of purpose. 18 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they support staff to be ambitious for every child in the home and to gain skills and experience that enable them to actively support each child to achieve their potential. They should ensure that staff can understand and meet each child’s needs. The registered person themselves will need to have a high level of understanding of the needs of the children in their Inspection report for children’s home: 2616704 8 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Recommendations

care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5)  The registered person should ensure that regulations in relation to qualifications will be a judgement for the registered person based on whether the content of any qualifications held by the individual closely corresponds with the qualifications set out in regulation 28(2)(c) (for managers) or regulation 32(4) (for those in a care role). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.13)

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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: 2616704 9 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Rite Directions Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Tan Y Marian, Constitution Hill, Penmaenmawr LL34 6BA

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Inspector

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2616704 10 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Inspector

and inspects to 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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