Children's home run by Restorative Social Care Services Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2528634 1 Registered provider: Restorative Social Care Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private company. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living in the home at the time of this inspection. All the children were spoken with.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2022.

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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 good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 18 February 2025

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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: 2528634 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/02/2025 Full Good 21/11/2023 Full Good 02/11/2022 Full Good 02/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2528634 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff and are happy living in the home. Children are relaxed throughout the home and spend time laughing with staff. Staff talk fondly of children, and children feel cared for. One child said, ‘I like the staff; they are nice to me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care and support is specific to their own needs, and their individuality is celebrated. Children feel able to explore their gender identity and understand who they truly are. One child has made significant progress in all aspects of their life, including confidence, independence and keeping themselves safe. They feel that their progress is because they feel able to be themselves; they said, ‘I am now ‘me’ and I am happy.’ Staff accept children for who they are and support them to express themselves and their identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote education in creative ways. Children have made progress with education since living in the home. One child has developed their social skills and friendships in their education setting. Another child is attending school every day following a long period of non-attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the importance of family and friends to children. Staff support children to have relationships with people who are important to them. One child has developed their relationships and has the autonomy to have time alone with their family and build safe connections. The child is happier and has more stable relationships because of this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences when living in the home. They access day-to-day activities that they like and choose to do. They have opportunities that they would otherwise not have had. One child has experienced a holiday to Paris where they attended Paris Pride.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment reflects that of a family home with modern decor and new furniture. Children choose how they decorate their bedrooms. Some children have very personalised bedrooms, others are exploring ideas on how they want their bedrooms to look. Once identified, repairs are carried out quickly; however, these are not always routinely identified.

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

Staff use professional curiosity to keep children safe. They explore information through talking with children when incidents occur. This is done in a calm and subtle manner to maintain positive relationships and trust between children and staff. Staff escalate any concerns about the safety of children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2528634 4 Clear boundaries and routines have been implemented for children. This provides children with expectations and familiarity, resulting in a reduction in incidents of violence and property damage.

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

Risk assessments are detailed and are regularly updated. They highlight children’s current risks and provide staff with strategies and procedures to follow, helping staff to reduce the risk of harm for children.

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

Staff actively search for children and try to establish communication when they are missing from home. Staff know children well and are in tune with their emotions. Staff’s knowledge of the children helps them to find children quickly and return them home safely. Safety measures are implemented to reduce the risk of children going missing from the home and to keep children safe.

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

When there are concerns regarding staff practice, action is taken to ensure the immediate safety and well-being of children. Concerns are addressed with staff, and measures are put in place to ensure children’s safety and maintain the quality of care.

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

Self-harm incidents are taken seriously. Children feel safe and secure in the home due to staff’s calm response to these. Appropriate medical attention is provided, and children are supported to understand their own risks of self-harm. There has been a reduction in children experiencing self-harm.

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

Concerns have been raised about children vaping, highlighting a potential risk to their health and well-being. Staff are providing children with education and guidance, but the work that is currently being carried out is ineffective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders’ and managers’ practice is child focused. They have the well-being of the child and their future at the forefront of all their decision-making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff have strong relationships with external agencies. Communication with all professionals is a strength, supporting the multi-agency decision- making and care of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff work well together, and there is a positive morale throughout the home. Staff praise the support they receive from the registered manager and senior managers, who create a positive work environment. Multiple members of staff said that they love working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have recently received training regarding a care framework. This training is evident throughout staff practice and the care of children. Reflection tools have been embedded in the recording of direct work with children to promote staff’s reflection on their practice and the implementation of the framework. This process has resulted in positive development in staff practice and the daily care of children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2528634 5 Following significant incidents, the registered manager carries out her review and reflection on the incident, including her decision-making. She can identify factors that inform her decisions and how this would differ depending on individual children and their presenting risks. However, there has been a missed opportunity to routinely develop staff practice through learning from the manager’s reviews. Inspection report for children’s home: 2528634 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff take reasonable precautions when a child takes a particular risk. Staff should assist children to understand their risks, specifically around vaping, and manage this risk-taking behaviour to keep themselves and others safe. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 42, paragraph 9.7)  The registered person should ensure that they lead and manage the home in a way that delivers the ethos, outcomes and approach set out in the home’s statement of purpose. This includes taking learning from incidents and working with staff to identify actions or plans that would mitigate any future incidents. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 52, paragraph 10.4)  The registered person should ensure that they oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement. This includes oversight of the home

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Recommendations

environment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 54, paragraph 10.23)

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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: 2528634 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Restorative Social Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 69a Saddleworth Road, Greetland, Halifax HX4 8AG

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Inspector

Sarah McGow, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2528634 8 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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