Children's home run by Rockhopper Children’s Services Limited

Inspection report children's home: 2645688 1 Registered provider: Rockhopper Children's Services 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

This home is owned by a private provider and cares for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The registered manager position has been vacant since September 2025.

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Information about this children's home

The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual, and we are currently checking this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, four 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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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: 17 February 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2645688 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/02/2025 Full Outstanding 12/03/2024 Full Outstanding 14/03/2023 Full Outstanding 24/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2645688 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff create a warm, welcoming and nurturing environment for children. It is evident that children live here with their presence reflected throughout. Children's artwork is displayed, which helps to promote a sense of pride and belonging. Children's bedrooms are personalised to reflect their individual tastes and interests, supporting them to feel comfortable in their living space. This contributes to a homely atmosphere where children are encouraged to express their identity and develop a sense of ownership over their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to move on in a planned and positive way. Staff work with children to help them prepare for moving on, ensuring their needs and feelings about the move are considered. For one child, who had previously presented with some challenging behaviours, staff provided consistent support and guidance to help them manage the move successfully. As a result, the child moved on in a positive way and continues to maintain contact with the staff through phone calls. This demonstrates the strength of the relationships built and the lasting impact of the support from staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage and support children to express their views, wishes and feelings. Children are supported to understand their rights and to challenge decisions when they feel their views have not been fully considered. For example, one child who is unhappy with the local authority's proposed move on plan when they turn 18 has been supported to seek further advice and advocacy. As a result, the child has contacted the Children's Commissioner for England to raise their concerns. This demonstrates that staff promote children's independence and empower them to have their voices heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children present as happy and settled. One child spoken to had lived at the home for four years and said that they feel happy and safe. The child is preparing to move on and spoke positively about the support they have received from the staff during their time here. Other children were observed interacting positively with staff and appeared relaxed and playful, indicating warm and trusting relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is prioritised. Staff demonstrate commitment to ensuring children access learning opportunities that meet their needs. One child who had previously struggled to engage in education is now accessing learning at home. Staff have taken proactive steps to explore suitable education provisions in the local area to ensure children can re- engage in education when ready. This reflects the team’s focus on promoting children’s educational progress and ensuring they have the best possible opportunities to succeed.

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

Risk assessments are generally detailed and are reviewed and updated regularly. They contain a considerable amount of relevant information which demonstrates that staff are considering potential risks and how to mitigate them. Inspection report children's home: 2645688 4 However, in some instances, key risk information is either unclear or missing. This limits staff's ability to fully understand the nature of specific risks and how they should be managed in practice. As a result, there is a potential for inconsistency in staff responses and decision making.

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

Allegations are investigated and safeguarding processes are followed including informing LADO. However, actions and learning from investigations into allegations are not always completed in a timely manner. On one occasion, a notification was not sent to Ofsted despite an allegation being made against a member of staff by a child.

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

Children know how to complain. The acting manager acknowledges complaints in a timely manner and provides an initial response. However, the outcome of complaints is not consistently shared with children. As a result, children are not always kept informed about the actions taken to address their concerns. In addition, children’s views on the outcome of complaints are not recorded. This limits opportunities for children to reflect on whether they feel their concerns have been appropriately addressed.

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

There are gaps in the recording of physical interventions, which means that not all incidents have been fully or accurately documented. This limits the ability to effectively review practice, identify patterns, and ensure that all interventions are appropriately monitored and evaluated. The acting manager is aware of these shortfalls and has identified this as an area for improvement. Plans are in place to strengthen recording practice and oversight to ensure that all physical interventions are consistently and accurately recorded.

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

Incidents of children going missing from care are generally managed appropriately by staff and in line with established protocols. Staff take prompt action to locate children and follow required procedures to promote their safety and wellbeing. However, on one occasion, a child reported that they had consumed alcohol while missing, and medical advice was not sought. This represents a missed opportunity to fully assess and respond to potential health risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The acting manager is new to the role and took up post during a period of instability within the service. Despite this, she has quickly developed a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for further development in the home. The acting manager demonstrated an openness to feedback and a reflective approach to practice. She shows a commitment to improving the quality of care provided to children and is taking appropriate steps to drive improvement across the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The responsible individual is also new to the service and was present during the inspection. She provides appropriate support and oversight to the acting manager as she establishes herself in the role. The responsible individual demonstrates a reflective approach and is receptive to feedback, recognising where practice can continue to develop and strengthen. Inspection report children's home: 2645688 5 Feedback from staff is positive. Staff report that they feel supported in their roles and value the guidance provided by the acting manager. They speak positively about the children and demonstrate good understanding of their individual needs, personalities and interests. This helps staff provide consistent care and develop positive, nurturing relationships with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals is positive. Professionals report good communication from the manager and staff and say that they are kept informed about the children's progress and experiences. They report that children are making progress in their care. One social worker commented that when visiting, it feels like a family home, which reflects the nurturing relationships between staff and children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff training is generally up to date and supports staff to meet the needs of the children. However, following incidents of concern, restraint training was not refreshed in a timely way for all staff. This resulted in delay in ensuring that staff had the opportunity to revisit and strengthen their knowledge and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Oversight of staff practice has improved since the acting manager took over. Previously supervision was not taking place consistently. Supervision sessions are now occurring more regularly, giving staff greater opportunity to reflect on their work and the needs of the children. Team meetings have also become more reflective and child focused. Inspection report children's home: 2645688 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring risk assessments are clear and reflect current risks for children, and that when risks to children are identified, such as being under the influence of substances, that safety measures are put in place. This also relates to ensuring that outcomes are shared with children following complaints or allegation investigations. 12 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the child; 12 June 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2645688 7 details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring any form of physical intervention with a child is recorded as such and that the child is spoken to about their views on the intervention used within the correct timescale.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. 12 June 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2645688 8 (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular this relates to ensuring any allegations made against staff members are notified to Ofsted, and that the registered person assesses the seriousness or incidents in the home and reports them to Ofsted if they are deemed to be serious.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must 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. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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 children's home: 2645688 9

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Rockhopper Children's Services Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Unit 7, Brook Business Centre, Cowley Mill Road, Cowley, Uxbridge UB8 2FX

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Inspector

Lauren Barwell, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2645688 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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Inspector

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