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ROC Support Network

Overall: Outstanding read more about inspection ratings

Hope House, Burnhope, Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, DL5 7ER

Provided and run by:
ROC Support Ltd

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about ROC Support Network on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.

This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.

If you have concerns about ROC Support Network, you can give feedback on this service.

23 September 2021

During a routine inspection

About the service

ROC Support Network provides short breaks for children and young people with disabilities, and their parents and carers. The service is delivered in people’s homes, in the community or at an indoor centre. At the time of our inspection the service was being delivered to 23 children.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

ROC Support Network continued to provide an outstanding service. There was an exceptionally strong culture of care led by a passionate provider and managers which ran through the service. Staff felt cared for by the managers which motivated them to provide the best care for people. Parents also felt cared about and recognised the trust they had in staff which afforded them opportunities to do the essential tasks in their daily lives such as go shopping, have time with their children or take their dog for a walk.

Children, young people and their families and carers were assisted by a committed, well supported staff team. Staff worked with families to achieve individual goals with children and young people. Their achievements were well documented using photographs put together in scrapbooks so memories could be shared and revisited.

Families were supported by staff who understood how to protect children and young people from harm. Professionals were greatly appreciative of the ability of staff to form working relationships with families which prevented children and young people being subject to child protection procedures and/or requiring foster care. The behaviour of children and young people as described by their parents and carers when the staff arrived, showed they looked forward to their time with the staff and clearly felt very safe with them.

People's assessed needs were effectively met by well-trained staff. Risks to children and young people associated with their care and support had been assessed in great detail. Staff members understood these risks and negotiated with parents around new activities for their children, to enable children and young people to take positive risks, grow and develop.

Children and young people were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive ways possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this approach.

People's privacy and dignity was always supported. Staff ensured children and young people were listened to and their wishes promoted. The service had recently been awarded the Investors In Children gold award. The award is for organisations which support and encourage children and young people to participate in the decisions which affected them. The voices of children and young people were listened to and acted upon.

Staff showed people true compassion and great empathy for families who found themselves in lockdown with autistic children and young people requiring structure and education at home. Parents were supported to provide the essential routine and structure for their children whilst staff ensured children and young people continued with their learning. Parents described staff as going the extra mile and not being able to function through the pandemic without the staff.

Staff took a person-centred approach to infection, prevention and control by working with families to meet their unique circumstances. Staff were tested in line with government guidance and provided with the required personal protective equipment (PPE).

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

Right support:

• Care and support was negotiated in detail with families according to their needs, wishes and personal choices. The support was adapted as needs changed. Parents, carers and siblings of children and young people with autism and learning disabilities derived significant benefits from the service.

Right care:

• The well-being of children, young people, their parents and carers was enhanced by the service. Staff went the extra mile to meet people's needs. The service recognised and promoted the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children and young people were afforded their human rights.

Right culture:

• The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the provider, the managers and care staff ensured children and young were empowered to learn and grow in confidence. Parents, children and families were empowered to achieve their goals.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

The service was exceptionally well-led by managers who were very proactive in addressing the needs of staff and the people who used the service. They ensured staff were well supported and competent to carry out their roles. Staff echoed the comments made by one member of staff who said, “I have never worked somewhere that is so passionate about the families they support and the workers.” Support of the staff team was of the utmost importance to the managers, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when they had been asked to put themselves at risk.

Governance systems were highly effective. The provider had methods in place to encourage children, young people, their parents and carers to contribute to the service, provide feedback and learn lessons. All feedback was welcomed.

There were excellent working relationships with other professionals who valued the work of the service in supporting families and paid tribute to their skills.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was outstanding. (Report published November 2019)

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated good and outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for ROC Support Network on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

2 October 2019

During a routine inspection

About the service

Reach Out Support Network is personal care to young adults and children living in their own homes aged up to 25 years of age. Some of the young people accessing the service are living with learning disabilities, autism and/or complex needs. At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care to 20 young people under the age of 18 years.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that young people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for young people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. Young people using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

The outcomes for young people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. Young people's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to develop, learn new skills and become independent.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Without exception each parent spoken with told us they were extremely happy with the care and support they received from the service. Comments included, “Reach Out Support Network makes a huge difference to our lives" and "They are wonderful, we are thankful for the service."

The management team and staff had developed exceptionally strong relationships with each young person, their parents and a range of external professionals. One professional said, “We have an excellent working relationship with this company who have a genuine care for our children and their families.”

Safeguarding was at the core of the service’s practices and the needs of all young people were paramount. Staff were clear on safeguarding protocols and demonstrated a good knowledge of the actions to be taken to keep young people and their families safe.

There was a proactive approach to assessing, anticipating and managing risk which allowed young people to be safe whilst also enhancing and developing their independence and essential life skills. Care plans were extremely person centred and focused on each young person’s abilities and future goals. We were told of many examples of how young people were supported to take positive risks to learn new skills to enhance their life ambitions.

We saw excellent examples of how the care and support each young person received enriched their life. A range of age appropriate play, social and recreational activities were provided within the wider community, Reach Out Support base and the family home. Staff promoted education and healthy lifestyles through play, healthy eating and cooking activities.

Medicines were managed well, safely administered and recorded accurately. Individualised risk assessments were in place. Robust recruitment and selection procedures ensured suitable staff were employed.

There was an open and transparent culture in relation to any accidents and incidents. These were used by the management team as learning opportunities to lessen risks.

Support staff had exceptional skills and knowledge to deliver individual, person centred care and support. They received excellent support and supervision reflecting on practices.

All young people were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

All young people’s privacy, dignity and independence was a key priority in all areas of their lives. Young people and their parents were involved in planning for the future. The whole staff team worked extremely closely with other services to support each young person on their transition into adulthood and accessing new services.

Parents told us the management team and support staff were exceptionally compassionate and kind. We heard of many excellent examples of how Reach Out Support Network supported the whole family and responded when additional support was required to prevent a crisis arising.

The management team planned and promoted holistic, person-centred, high-quality care resulting in excellent outcomes for people. The values and culture embedded in the service ensured all young people and their families were put at the heart of the care and support they received.

The service was proactive in its response to concerns or complaints and people knew how to feedback their experiences.

Support staff told us they received excellent support from management team and were extremely proud to work for the service. There was a very open and transparent culture where all young people were empowered to be involved in their care and voice their opinions. Without exception, all parents spoken to told us the service was exceptionally well-managed.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Outstanding (published 4 April 2017).

3 February 2017

During a routine inspection

This inspection took place on 3, 7 and 8 February 2017 and was announced. We gave the registered provider 24 hours’ notice to ensure someone would be available at the service.

The service is registered with the CQC to provide personal care to up to 25 children and young people in their homes. In order to give parents a short break. The service also takes children and young people aged 0-18 years who require personal care out in the community to take part in activities of their choice.

Reach Out Care Support Network Limited provides different types of services to families, some of those families have children and young people with complex needs; these include a home support service, a sitting and sleep over service, an outreach service and a short break service.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We last inspected the service in July 2014 and rated the service as ‘Outstanding.’ At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Outstanding’ and met all the fundamental standards we inspected against.

During our inspection we found the organisation was very much child and family-centred, inclusive and underpinned by a genuine desire to offer as high a quality service as possible.

Children and young people who used the service their family members and staff were a pivotal part of the development of the service and were regularly consulted about the quality of the service.

The service had been awarded the investing in children status for the high level and quality of the engagement they have with their children, young people and their families.

Children and young people were supported by enough staff to meet their needs safely and in a child centred way.

Accidents and incidents were appropriately recorded and personalised risk assessments were in place for people who used the service and staff.

We found that safe recruitment and selection procedures were in place and appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work. This included obtaining and verifying references from previous employers to show staff employed were safe to work with children and young people.

Relatives of the children and young people we spoke with told us they felt their children were safe with the service and were aware of procedures to follow if they observed any concerns.

Staff were suitably trained and training was arranged for any due refresher training. Staff received regular supervisions and appraisals and opportunities for further personal development.

Care records showed that people’s needs were assessed before they started using the service, they were supported to transition to the service at their own pace and care plans were written in a child and family centred way and were appropriate in a format suitable for children.

Staff supported people who used the service with their social needs. Parents and families told us that all staff were very caring in their interactions with their children. Parents told us that their children and young people were treated with dignity and respect and felt very comfortable with staff members and had built trust and relationships with them.

Children and young people who used the service and their family members were aware of how to make a complaint if they needed too and complaints were managed appropriately. Children were encouraged to use alternative methods to raise concerns through drawings.

The service had fundraised to provide onsite facilities for staff to access with the children and young people they supported to enable them to take part in learning and fun activities.

We found the registered provider had met the requirements of Article 12 of the UN Convention on Children’s Rights and included children and young people’s views in their feedback requests. They had also been awarded the Investing in Children Award for engaging children and young people and making changes as a result of that dialogue. Investing in Children is an organisation concerned with children’s rights.

Staff told us they felt supported by the registered manager and were comfortable raising any concerns.

The service had a comprehensive range of audits in place to check the quality and safety of the service and actions plans and lessons learnt were part of their on-going quality review of the service.

We saw examples of a continuous drive for improvement in the face to face work carried out with children and young people, their families and carers.

29 July 2014

During a routine inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Reach Out Care Support Network Limited provides different types of services to families, some of those families have children and young people with complex needs; these include a home support service, a sitting and sleep over service, an outreach service and a short break service.

The service is registered with the CQC to provide personal care to children and young people in their homes. In order to give parents a short break Reach Out Care also takes children and young people aged 0-18 years who require personal care out in the community to do activities. Parent’s comments on the personal care service they have received in their own home and in the community have been included in this report.

This inspection was unannounced. At our last inspection in January 2014 we found the service was meeting all the regulatory requirements in the areas we looked at.

This service had a Registered Manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

Everything we saw and heard indicated that the organisation was very much child and family-centred, inclusive and underpinned by a genuine desire to offer as high a quality service as possible.

We saw examples of a continuous drive for improvement in the face to face work carried out with children and young people, their families and carers.

We found consistent evidence that all the staff were caring in how they assisted and spoke with parents and children using the service, and that they respected the dignity, views privacy and choices of people and their children.

We found the provider met the requirements of Article 12 of the UN Convention on Children’s Rights and included children and young people’s views in their feedback requests. They had also been awarded the Investing in Children Award for having a dialogue with children and young people and making changes as a result of that dialogue. Investing in Children is an organisation concerned with children’s rights.

The provider had raised additional funds to develop alternative activities for children and young people to enable them to get out more and meet their goals identified in a recently adopted assessment tool. We found every child and young person had a personalised care plan and risk assessment in place. Staff were aware of risks and worked on a multi-agency basis to minimise those risks.

The provider had invested in the development of the management team to ensure the service was consistently well led.

We found regular quality monitoring of the service had been undertaken and issues had been promptly and appropriately addressed.

9 January 2014

During a routine inspection

We spoke with five families who had used the service, we also spoke with eight members of staff and the manager and looked at the care records of five people. People who use the service spoke positively about the care they received, one person said 'I think it's brilliant.'

We looked at the arrangements in place for people consenting to the care they received. We found where people were able to give consent to care staff working in the service sought permission prior to delivering any care. Where people were not able to give consent the provider followed the correct legal process.

We reviewed care records and saw comprehensive risk assessments in place which documented a person's care needs including the way people communicated and the support they required. We also found the service engages with other agencies and health professionals to ensure people's needs are met effectively and safely. Family members described the consistency of care as 'good'.

Staff were well supported to carry out their roles. We found staff received training in areas relevant to their work. Staff told us they were well supported and records we looked at showed staff received regular supervision.

The provider had received no complaints but had in place a comprehensive complaints policy with procedures.

You can see our judgements on the front page of this report.

5 September 2012

During a routine inspection

We talked with family members and carers of children who used the service over the telephone. People said they felt involved in all aspects of the care and support provided for the children. One person told us "They (the care staff) always give me feedback on what they've been doing (with the child) when they come back."

People told us they were happy with everything and they and their children were well looked after. One person said "They (the staff) make sure his (their son's) needs are being met."

People said the staff always came when they were expected. One person said "They (the staff) are never late, always on time." They also told us the same staff always attended to provide care and support. They added if this wasn't possible, then only staff that their children were familiar with would attend. This meant the children received continuity of care.

People said they were happy with the staff employed by the agency and the care and support they provided. One person said "We have no problem at all with them (the staff), they do us really proud" and another person said "They (the staff) are brilliant with him (their son), they manage him really well." Everybody we spoke with told us they felt their chidren were safe with the care staff employed by the service.

People told us they were happy with the service and knew how to contact one of the managers if they had any concerns. Some people said they had completed a questionnaire about the service they received and others said the care staff regularly asked them if everything was alright. People also said they were asked if they were happy with the service as part of the regular review of the care package for their child.