Children's home run by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 2759142 1 Registered provider: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority owns and manages this home. It provides care on an emergency basis for an initial agreement of 28 days for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties and who may have a learning disability.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

During this inspection period, six children have moved into the home, and five children have moved out. One child was living at the home at the time of this inspection. They were spoken to by the inspector.

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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: 15 January 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: 2759142 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/01/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2759142 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are welcomed into the home in a planned and sensitive way. Staff are prepared for a child moving into the home, and this helps them to provide personalised care from the beginning. Equally, when a child moves out of the home, the staff spend time planning and supporting this move in line with the child’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff speak positively and proudly about the children and their achievements. This contributes to a nurturing and supportive environment, helping children feel genuinely cared for. Children speak positively about their experiences of living in the home. They say that they feel settled and well supported by staff. This reflects the relationships children have with staff and the sense of security that the home provides.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain regular school attendance. When children are not in school, staff support them with home-based learning activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s individual interests are actively encouraged. They are provided with opportunities to participate in activities that they enjoy as well as community events, for example visits to a wildlife park. One child has pursued their interest in football and now attends a local training club. As a result, children are supported to enjoy meaningful and enriching experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers advocate proactively on behalf of children to support timely decision- making. One child wanted to move out of the home due to negative connections in the community. Managers and staff recognised the emotional impact that this was having on the child, and they supported a timely move, helping the child through the period of change.

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

Staff know the children well and meet their needs appropriately. Children’s care plans and risk assessments are detailed, clear and regularly updated. This provides staff with the information they need to understand how to meet each child’s needs.

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

The registered manager and staff understand the importance of safeguarding and are proactive in keeping up to date with relevant training and safeguarding procedures.

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

Staff focus on rewarding the children for positive behaviour and making positive choices. The children’s achievements are celebrated. This helps the children understand how their behaviours impact on themselves and others. As a result, staff can keep children calm and have not had to physically hold or guide children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2759142 4 Staff do their utmost to keep children safe, and children said that they feel safe in the home. Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and risks. Furthermore, staff help the children to understand how to keep themselves safe. Staff have planned and unplanned conversations with the children on issues such as road safety and appropriate boundaries. As a result, risks to children have reduced and there have been no significant behaviour incidents.

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

Incidents of children going missing from the home are rare, and when one child left the home, staff took appropriate action to ensure the child’s safe return. Staff work with the child to explore their feelings and understand the reasons why they left the home. These actions help to minimise risks while the child is missing and ensure that incidents are understood. This helps to reduce the likelihood of reoccurrence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the staff have worked hard to improve the care and support that they provide for children. The manager and staff are strong advocates for the children, and they have high aspirations for them. The staff are complimentary of the manager. The staff say that they work well together and feel empowered as leaders give them responsibilities in different areas.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager regularly reviews staff training needs and ensures that staff continue to learn and stay up to date with good practice. Senior staff have played a key role in mentoring and modelling good practice for new staff. The manager has good oversight of the children’s experiences and is aware of the strengths and areas of development. The independent person visits on a monthly basis, and the manager uses their recommendations to make improvements to the quality of care provided to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly. They are informative, and there is a clear agenda. The registered manager has a plan to develop the home and the staff team. There is a detailed workforce development plan, which has a solid focus on improving the quality of care that the children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that Ofsted is notified of any significant events as required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager follows safer recruitment processes. This helps to ensure that only suitable people are employed to work with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No requirements or recommendations were raised following this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2759142 5

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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: 2759142 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Rachael Lewis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2759142 7 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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