Ofsted Social Care Update - Children’s Homes Need Strong Leadership and a Stable Workforce

1. Ofsted Social Care Update: Children’s Homes Need Strong Leadership and a Stable Workforce

2. Strong leadership and a stable workforce are crucial to the survival of a children’s home. Ofsted is aware that there are many good leaders and staff delivering excellent care across children’s residential care. However, they know that high levels of staff turnover and not enough experienced staff continue to be a real problem, meaning some of the most vulnerable children aren't always getting the level of care they need. Ofsted has recently been concerned about the impact of high staff turnover, particularly that of registered managers, on the care delivered in recently opened children’s homes.

3. The early days of a new home can be challenging as staff settle into new roles, teams establish themselves and children live in the new home. With this in mind, Ofsted has decided to strengthen its oversight by asking new homes to inform them when children will start to live there, so they can time their inspections appropriately. With some new homes, Ofsted has also noticed changes to the manager and Responsible Individuals soon after registration. This can leave the home fragile without consistent leadership. For that reason, Ofsted may bring forward inspections whenever a registered manager leaves a new home within the first six months of registration so they can quickly establish that children’s care is getting the oversight and attention it needs.

4. All prospective leaders should be in communication with the local children’s social care leaders, so they understand the local workforce supply and availability of services for children. This includes special schools, along with health and mental health services. Considering these things at the beginning will help new homes provide the high-quality continuity of care that children need. More broadly, Ofsted's research and inspection activities tell them that providers of good and outstanding homes regard their staff as their most valuable asset. They recognize the importance of safe recruitment and retention, pay employees well and invest in their development through effective training and regular supervision. They create work/life balance cultures where employees come to work feeling valued and confident to carry out their duties.

5. Ofsted’s top tips blog is an excellent resource for anyone applying to register a children’s home. This is a useful resource that will help you better understand the required preparation and commitment.

6. If you’re considering setting up a children’s home, our children’s homes policiesand management forms offer thorough and well-written, comprehensive and ready-to-use documentation to help your service meet Ofsted regulatory requirements, maintain an excellent service standard, and potentially achieve the highest possible ratings. For more information about how ClouDoc'sCQC Policies and Procedures for Domiciliary Care can help you, call us today at 0330 808 0050.