Children's Home run by Rite Directions Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2616704 1 Registered provider: Rite Directions Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately run and provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a manager who has been registered with Ofsted since April 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/06/2025 Full Inadequate 08/10/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/08/2023 Full Good 11/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2616704 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there have been some improvements to the physical environment of the home. However, despite these efforts, the standard of cleanliness and maintenance remains inconsistent. When the inspector arrived, the home was unclean, with visible dirt on the floors, and one child’s bedroom was particularly untidy. Although staff addressed this during the inspection, this shortfall had been raised previously and therefore remains an area where improvement is still required.

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improvement to be good

Children say that generally, they feel happy and safe living at the home. They have lived in the home for some time and appear settled. Children describe positive relationships with staff and say that they feel well cared for. These consistent relationships contribute to their sense of belonging and stability.

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improvement to be good

There has been progress in securing an education placement for one child. The manager has actively advocated for this and followed up with relevant agencies. While this is a positive step forward, the child has not yet started education and has been without a formal provision since February 2025. During this period, the child has spent significant amounts of time playing electronic games from early morning onwards. Staff acknowledge that it is difficult to engage the child in alternative activities once access to electronic devices is given. This lack of educational structure and stimulation limits the child’s opportunities to develop and make progress.

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improvement to be good

On one occasion, a child was prevented from attending a support group as a consequence for not keeping their bedroom tidy. This decision was made despite the child previously identifying, in a support session, that they needed help with maintaining their room. The responsible individual acknowledged that this was an error, and that the consequence should not have been applied, particularly in the absence of the registered manager. The child said that they felt upset about this decision. This incident demonstrates that staff responses to children’s needs and behaviour are not always considered or proportionate.

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improvement to be good

Children’s plans require improvement. Although ‘My Plans’ are written in the voice of the child, they are not always written in a child-friendly way. Some content is inappropriate and could be distressing for children to read. This limits their usefulness as tools to help children understand their own care and progress.

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improvement to be good

One child is subject to a deprivation of liberty order. The registered manager does not hold a copy of this order within the home. The child has been subject to these restrictions for over 12 months without incident. However, the child told the inspector that they feel different from their peers because of the restrictions. Staff have a limited understanding of the reasons for the order and the associated risks. This lack of clarity Inspection report for children’s home: 2616704 4 reduces their ability to fully support the child’s needs and ensure the restrictions are applied and reviewed appropriately.

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improvement to be good

There have been no safeguarding incidents in the home since the last inspection. While this demonstrates a calm and stable environment where children appear settled, it also means there has been limited opportunity to observe or assess how effectively staff recognise, respond to, and record safeguarding concerns in practice.

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improvement to be good

Children spoken to during the inspection said that they feel safe living at the home. They have developed positive, trusting relationships with the staff team and said there are adults they can go to if they feel worried, anxious or upset. This demonstrates that children feel secure and confident that staff will listen to them and take their concerns seriously.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager has introduced a new health and safety audit tool to improve monitoring of the home’s environment and daily practice. However, this tool lacks sufficient detail and does not include consideration of some specific risks. For example, there is no information about the additional checks required for a child who has health needs, which, if not managed carefully, could present a health and safety concern. As a result, not all potential hazards are identified or addressed in a systematic way.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments require improvement. Although they are reviewed regularly, some documents contain outdated or inconsistent information. In several cases, the content of risk assessments does not correspond with other plans for the child, such as behaviour management or care plans. This inconsistency means that staff do not always have access to clear, up-to-date information to guide their practice. Additionally, some language used in the assessments is not child focused and would not be helpful for a child to read. This does not support a culture of respect or child-centred care.

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improvement to be good

During the inspection, some staff were unable to clearly articulate the individual risks associated with the children they care for or explain the strategies in place to reduce these risks. This lack of detailed understanding reduces confidence that all staff can respond effectively should an incident or safeguarding concern arise. It also highlights the need for further training, supervision and reflective discussion to strengthen staff knowledge and practice.

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improvement to be good

Although there are no current safeguarding concerns, the weaknesses in documentation and staff understanding mean that risks are not always managed as well as they could be. The registered manager recognises these shortfalls and has plans in place to strengthen the quality of risk management and oversight. Inspection report for children’s home: 2616704 5

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

The registered manager has been in post for less than a year. He has faced a period of significant challenge in attempting to stabilise the home following a time of disruption and change. The manager is committed and demonstrates commitment to the children and the home. He has introduced new systems and processes aimed at improving practice and outcomes for children. However, these developments are still at an early stage and are not yet embedded in day-to-day practice.

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

Leadership arrangements in the home are not yet fully established. The manager does not have a consistent or structured leadership team in place to support him in the running of the home. A deputy manager has only recently been appointed, and senior staff positions remain vacant. As a result, there is limited management oversight or accountability when the manager is not present. This has contributed to occasions when standards in the home have not been maintained and decision-making has lacked consistency, particularly during periods of the manager’s absence.

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

The manager has begun to introduce audit and monitoring systems to strengthen oversight of the home. However, these are not yet being used consistently or effectively to identify and address shortfalls. As a result, improvements have been made but remain in their infancy and are not yet sustained.

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

Feedback from one external professional was positive, stating that they have no concerns about the home and that the child in their care is being well supported. This reflects the caring ethos within the staff team and their commitment to the children.

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

Staff say that they feel well supported by the manager and that supervision is taking place regularly. These structured support systems are helping to build staff confidence and improve morale following a period of instability.

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

At an organisational level, there has been a lack of clarity about who the directors of the company are and the roles they play in overseeing the home. This has now been clarified, although changes in directorship were not formally notified at the time, which indicates some weaknesses in governance and regulatory compliance.

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

The manager and responsible individual are aware of the development needs of the staff team and have plans in place to provide further training and professional development opportunities. However, until these plans are fully implemented and the leadership structure is strengthened, the capacity to drive and sustain improvement remains limited. Inspection report for children’s home: 2616704 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 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 (1) 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that risk assessments are updated and contain the relevant information about children’s individual risks, and ensuring that risk assessments are consistent with the plans to support children. It also relates to ensuring that staff have an appropriate understanding of the needs of the children in their care. 24 December 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— 24 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2616704 7 understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iv)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the plans in place for children are useful and supportive for children. It also relates to ensuring that the decisions made about children’s care are in their best interests and based on a clear understanding of their needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must give notice in writing to HMCI, as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so, if any of the following events take place or are expected by the registered person to take place—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered provider is an organisation—

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Requirement Due date

any change of director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the organisation.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the organisation is clear about who is involved in the home and that any changes are notified in a timely manner. 24 December 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2616704 8 (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home’s care. Everyone working at the home must understand their roles and responsibilities and what they are authorised to decide on their own initiative. There should be clear lines of accountability. The home must have clear arrangements in place to maintain effective

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Recommendations

management when the manager is absent, off duty or on leave. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)

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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

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Rite Directions Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Lauren Barwell, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2616704 10 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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