Children's Home run by ROC Northwest Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1244287 1 Registered provider: ROC Northwest Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is one of several owned and managed by a private company. It provides care for up to 5 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 5 children were living in the home. The inspectors spoke with 4 children during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 24 April 2024.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1244287 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/04/2025 Full Outstanding 16/04/2024 Full Outstanding 31/05/2023 Full Outstanding 05/04/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1244287 3

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Summary of findings

Five children live in the home. One child chose not to speak with the inspectors but was observed interacting positively with staff. Children who spoke with the inspectors said they feel safe and are generally settled. Some children feel ready to move on and develop greater independence. Children benefit from positive experiences and are making good progress from their starting points. They enjoy respectful relationships with each other and generally have positive relationships with staff, although some children occasionally raise concerns about their care. Staff know the children well and understand their individual needs and vulnerabilities. They generally respond appropriately to changing risks and work to help keep children safe. Overall, children receive consistent care that promotes their safety, wellbeing and development.

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Summary of findings

An experienced and suitably qualified manager leads the home.

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Summary of findings

Several shortfalls were identified at this inspection. Staff do not always respond appropriately to concerns about children’s welfare when they are absent from the home, and allegation management processes are not consistently followed. Children’s plans from placing authorities are not always obtained, and some risk assessments do not provide staff with clear strategies to manage known risks. The quality of direct work is variable and does not consistently reflect the positive care children receive. Staff do not consistently receive supervision and appraisals in line with the home’s procedures, and development plans are not regularly reviewed or outcome focused. In addition, managerial oversight of consequences is not always evident. Collectively, these shortfalls weaken monitoring and oversight arrangements, reducing opportunities to drive consistent improvements in practice and outcomes for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 3 children have moved out of the home and 3 have moved in. Moves into the home have been planned and managed in a child-centred way. In most cases, children can meet staff and visit the home before moving in. This helps to lessen children’s anxieties and worries.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move out of the home, they are well prepared for the transition to their next home. This includes, where appropriate, support for their future carers, helping to ensure that children’s needs continue to be met in a consistent manner. As children approach adulthood, the manager works with other services to ensure that any ongoing support children may require is in place. However, the manager has not ensured that the most up-to-date care plan has been obtained for all children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is valued in the home. When children are not in education, the manager works with education professionals to identify suitable provision. Educational opportunities are sought for children that align with their interests and abilities. Inspection report for children’s home: 1244287 4 Staff support children with their health needs. Specialist referrals are made when needed, and children are encouraged to attend health appointments. Staff speak to children about health-related issues, such as the importance of dental treatment and the risks associated with vaping. The provider employs a therapy team that offers advice and guidance to staff on the most effective ways to work with children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can spend time with those who are important to them. The manager has formed positive relationships with family members. While some children live a considerable distance from their family, staff and the manager have ensured that strong familial links remain.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff care about the children and know them well. When there are challenges, staff advocate for the children. However, some written records do not fully reflect the positive regard that staff have for children and do not consistently use child-centred language.

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

Children say they feel safe and are generally settled in the home. Risks are identified and monitored, and staff understand children’s individual vulnerabilities and experiences. Effective support, direct work and partnership working have helped reduce risks for some children, particularly those who are vulnerable to exploitation. However, some risk management plans are not sufficiently detailed or aligned with local authority plans and do not always provide staff with clear guidance to manage known risks.

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

When children go missing from home, staff generally take appropriate action to locate them, monitor their welfare and work with relevant professionals to support their safe return. Staff use direct work to help children understand the risks associated with going missing. However, on one occasion, staff did not carry out a welfare check on a child who was believed to be under the influence of alcohol while absent overnight. Subsequent direct work lacked professional curiosity and did not fully explore the child’s experiences or understanding of risk.

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

Staff respond appropriately to concerns relating to substance misuse, including the use of cannabis and ketamine. In such cases, incident management is effective. Staff carry out welfare checks, room searches, key-work sessions and liaise with social workers and other professionals. Direct work helps children explore triggers for their behaviour and develop safer coping strategies.

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

Children benefit from positive relationships with staff who know them well. Staff work alongside placing authorities to respond to situations in which children make allegations about staff or their care. However, allegation management processes are not consistently followed, which means that children are not always offered an opportunity to speak with an independent person or informed of the outcome of their concerns.

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

Staff use effective de-escalation techniques, and physical intervention is only used when necessary to protect children and others from harm. Records are detailed, children’s Inspection report for children’s home: 1244287 5 views are sought, and incidents are reviewed by managers to promote learning and improve practice. When it is necessary to impose consequences, they are reasonable, proportionate and necessary. The manager evaluates staff practice but has not consistently recorded their oversight.

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

Managers respond appropriately to medication errors and ensure that learning is implemented. Suitable procedures are in place for the safe storage, administration and recording of medication.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and suitably qualified. She knows the children well and speaks positively about their progress and achievements. She is a strong advocate for children and is committed to improving their experiences and outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective monitoring and oversight systems in place. These are used effectively to identify strengths, address shortfalls and drive improvements in practice. The manager has a clear vision for the home and the development of the staff team. However, development plans are not reviewed regularly and do not always contain specific, measurable actions to demonstrate progress towards identified goals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager actively promotes equality, diversity and inclusion. Staff respond appropriately to incidents of discrimination and take prompt action to address issues of a racial nature, helping children to feel respected and valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from a stable team of staff who work well together. Staff know the children well and provide consistent care that promotes their safety, emotional wellbeing and stability. Staff receive a wide range of training to meet children’s needs, and new staff are supported through a structured induction programme.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about the support they receive from managers, and they value the focus on their wellbeing and professional development. Team meetings are held regularly and provide opportunities to share information and reflect on children’s progress. However, staff do not consistently receive supervision and annual appraisals in line with the home’s procedures, limiting opportunities for reflective practice and professional development. Inspection report for children’s home: 1244287 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 (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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

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

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

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that, where staff suspect a child is under the influence of substances, they carry out a face-to-face welfare check. Furthermore, staff must strongly encourage children to return to the home and ensure that their processes do not create unnecessary barriers to children doing so.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure that the children's individual risk management plans provide staff with clear strategies to manage and reduce risk. 18 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 1244287 7 Additionally, the registered person must ensure that correct processes are followed when allegations or complaints are made against staff.

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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.

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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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff receive regular supervision in accordance with what is set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure that appraisals are carried out once every year. 18 September 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they obtain the most up-to-date care plan for each child from the local authority. It is essential that staff understand what is required of them to meet each child’s needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5)  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 about 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)  The registered person should ensure that all negative consequences are reviewed and

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Recommendations

evaluated to determine whether they are fair and effective. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person should make the best use of information from internal monitoring, including the quality of care review. Development plans should contain all necessary information to support continuous improvement. Actions should be specific and measurable. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24) Inspection report for children’s home: 1244287 8

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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: 1244287 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: ROC Northwest Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4th Floor, Parkview, 82 Oxford Road, Uxbridge UB8 1UX

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Inspectors

Samantha Cooper, Social Care Inspector Eve Ostridge, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1244287 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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