Children's Home run by RBR CARE LTD in Sheffield

Inspection report for children’s home: 2770431 1 Registered provider: RBR CARE LTD Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by a private provider. It provides care for up to six children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in May 2024. The manager recently left their post in June 2025. There is an acting manager overseeing the home.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living 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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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 12 February 2025

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2770431 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/02/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2770431 3

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improvement to be good

Not all children have experienced a nurturing and supportive environment that meets their needs. This is because staff do not demonstrate the necessary understanding or relational skills to support all children. As a result, staff have been unable to build positive relationships with every child. Children feel unsupported and are at risk of further disengagement. Some children have struggled to make the expected progress from their starting points.

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improvement to be good

Children’s bedrooms are not kept clean and tidy. The plans in place to support children to clean their bedrooms are not effective. This means children are not being equipped with the independence skills needed to maintain their environment.

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improvement to be good

Children are not making progress in education. Children have had significant periods of time without attending school. There are established lines of communication between staff and the children’s schools, but this is having little impact on helping children to overcome their barriers to education. This means that they are not achieving academically, and it may impact on their future aspirations.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not ensured that all children’s health needs are met. One child has not received their necessary immunisations. Staff have not escalated this concern, resulting in a delay in the child accessing essential healthcare. Staff have supported one child with their health needs, and they have made progress. The child is now able to manage their own medication as a result.

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improvement to be good

Staff actively provide a wide range of activities tailored to children’s individual interests. While not all children choose to participate, staff consistently encourage engagement. This means every child has access to meaningful opportunities, including holidays and personalised experiences.

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improvement to be good

Families speak highly of the staff. One parent said that the communication with staff is ‘great’. One family member said, ‘I can speak to whoever is there; they are all really helpful.’ The relationships that staff have developed with children’s family members have in turn helped to improve the children’s relationships with their families.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments do not provide staff with clear strategies to reduce risk and support children. There is no management oversight of these plans. Furthermore, plans are not updated after incidents. This increases the children’s level of vulnerability. Inspection report for children’s home: 2770431 4 There are no effective plans or systems to safeguard children when using the internet. Leaders and staff have not identified the risks for children associated with online activity. No proactive measures have been taken to educate children about keeping themselves safe or to monitor this.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers recruit staff safely to work in the home. However, there is no clear process to regularly check the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks of those staff already employed. Any potential new risks posed by staff would not be monitored effectively, leaving children vulnerable.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not fully demonstrate an understanding of risk. Concerns are not recognised or communicated effectively in the team or with relevant professionals. This lack of professional curiosity and clarity about roles and responsibilities increases the risk of harm to children, because concerns are not escalated appropriately. As a result, safeguarding practice is inconsistent, and children may be exposed to avoidable risk.

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improvement to be good

Children are helped to raise concerns when they are worried about staff practice. However, leaders and managers do not ensure that allegation management procedures are followed in line with statutory guidance and internal protocols, delaying children getting the support that they need.

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improvement to be good

One child has developed safer behaviours when away from the home, leading to safeguarding restrictions being lifted. This is positive progress for this child.

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

Concerns were raised about leadership and management practices prior to the manager leaving the home. The acting manager has been in post only for a short period of time and has yet to fully take on their delegated roles and responsibilities. Since the registered manager left, there has been minimal oversight of the home by leaders and managers. This has left staff unsupported and lacking guidance in their roles, leading to poor decision-making.

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

There have been significant periods of time where staff have not received practice-related supervision. This limits the opportunity for staff to reflect, develop and learn. Furthermore, there is a lack of focus on staff well-being, meaning staff are not fully supported in their roles.

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

Leaders and managers do not take sufficient action to escalate concerns when children do not have the help they need. One child was left without an education placement for a significant period. When investigations involving the police occur, leaders and managers do not advocate for children effectively. Delays in ongoing investigations are not challenged. This has meant that they have been ongoing for long periods and that children do not get closure.

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

Leaders and managers have not completed the quality of care review. As a result, Ofsted has not been kept informed about the provider’s evaluation of the home’s effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2770431 5 over time or how improvements will be made. Additionally, external scrutiny of the home is poor. The independent visitor’s reports do not identify or challenge poor practice effectively. As a result, issues in the home are not sufficiently scrutinised or escalated. This further demonstrates poor monitoring and oversight of the home.

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

Staff training is aligned to the children’s needs and improves staff knowledge and skills. However, gaps in leadership have not helped staff’s practice flourish. Support and guidance for staff have not developed staff’s skills to address or manage unwanted behaviour effectively. Staff are hopeful about what the new management arrangements will bring. Inspection report for children’s home: 2770431 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 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 requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(vi)(vii)) 1 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(v)) 1 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months. 1 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2770431 7 In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4) (b)(c)) 1 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2770431 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a welcoming, homely and domestic environment that meets the needs of children. In particular, there should be a system to manage the upkeep and cleanliness of the children’s bedrooms. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the capacity and competence to build constructive, warm relationships with children that actively promote positive behaviour and provide the foundations for managing any negative behaviour. Staff should have the skills to respond to each child’s individual behaviour. Where

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Recommendations

necessary, they should manage conflict, maintain constructive dialogue and react appropriately if challenged by a child in their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.14)  The registered person should ensure that they maintain good employment practice. In particular, they should have a system to ensure they have oversight of all employed staff’s Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 2770431 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 92-98 Queen Street, Sheffield S1 2DW

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Inspector

Gary Smithson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2770431 10 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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