Children's home run by Kirklees Council in Kirklees

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has declined in effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the previous inspection four requirements and three recommendations were made. Three of the requirements are met and one partially met. Of the recommendations only one is met. In relation to those not met, young people’s key worker sessions are not consistently recorded, nor are young people’s views. This limits staff and manager insight into the work that is completed and reduces the overview of progress that young people make.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are still to complete training to enable them to access young people’s electronic files. In order to retrieve historical or current information and documents, there is complete reliance upon part-time administration support or posted hard copies. This creates delay in receiving the information and informing the planning process for young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection there has been an incident whereby the home accommodated a young person resulting in them being cared for in a part of the home not registered for use. This admission also increased overall numbers of young people at the home, in excess of the current statement of purpose. In addition, the registered manager failed to notify Ofsted of this matter and a further serious incident in a timely manner.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager is both visible and accessible to both young people and staff alike. This supports staff in their work with young people and ensures that young people feel listened to. However, formal systems such as supervision are not consistently recorded. Many of these records could not be located. This therefore severely restricts the manager’s ability to effectively monitor and review actions set and discussions held with staff.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people benefit from trusting and supportive relationships with staff. One young person commented, ‘I used to rebel, but over the last year I genuinely see that they do care and would do more if they could. If I wasn’t here I could have taken a different turn. I probably would have been in prison.’ Young people enjoy positive relationships with staff and as a result sanctions are infrequently used or required. Physical intervention is only employed when all other means of de-escalation have not been successful. The frequency and use of this means is monitored by the manager. Appropriate consultation is sought with social workers in order to increase support offered to young people in order to prevent future incidents. The registered manager, however, has not sought another authorised person to evaluate or sign-off incidents of physical intervention in which he has been involved.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Over time, young people continue to make progress at the home and their education is given a high priority by the staff. When progress falters staff are active in identifying the need for extra support or alternative educational settings. As a result young people are able to focus their talents and interests into courses that support their future career aspirations. Examples include car engineering, and art and fashion. One young person commented, ‘Pretty much everything has changed, I didn’t use to go to school. It’s been hard but they have supported me.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are active in their response to young people going missing. One young person commented on this aspect of their care, ‘They are pretty persistent.’ On the whole young people keep in touch with staff whilst they are out and this is underpinned by the positive relationships that are developed and maintained. There is appropriate liaison with other professionals and agencies in order to ensure that risks are fully understood and plans are in place to reduce such risk. Any complaints that are made, are responded to promptly by the manager and successfully resolved.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager and the staff have good working relationships with other professionals and these include education, police, social workers and psychologists. These links are used effectively in order to ensure that young people’s plans remain relevant and that their needs are met. Generally, young people who leave the home, do so in a planned way and staff are active in ensuring a smooth transition into semi-independent accommodation.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Those young people new to the home are made to feel welcome and staff work hard at identifying their interests and communication patterns. One Independent Reviewing Officer said, ‘Staff at the home have a good sense of what X is about. He really likes board games and it was positive that staff had already discovered this and were engaging him.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager makes effective use of the reports of the independent person who visits the home, and the advice that is offered. Since the previous inspection a new visitor has been appointed and the manager considers this is positive for the home’s overall development in terms of the advice and support he receives. The reports have been delayed in reaching Ofsted due to the administrative system being employed.

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Information about this children's home

This home is owned and run by a local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation to six young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

24/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

13 The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with particular reference to staff accessing training to enable use of the electronic files system, the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualification and skills to meet the needs of each child 31/07/2016

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Requirement Due date

13 The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with particular reference to supervision of staff being recorded and used to review performance of staff, the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home 30/04/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each relevant person without delay if there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e) 22/04/2016

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Requirement Due date

6 The quality and purpose of care standard In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, with particular reference to emergency admissions and operating outside of the statement of purpose, the registered provider must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a) that staff understand and apply the home's statement of purpose 22/04/2016

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person's report to HMCI (Regulation 44 (7)(a)) 30/04/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for 30/04/2016 each child which are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that 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") has spoken to the user about the measure and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate and 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. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(I) (ii)(c)) 30/04/2016

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service 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. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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