Children's home run by Hennessy Living Group Limited in Kirklees

Requires improvement

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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because:

 Arrangements for education are inconsistent. Staff are ineffective in challenging placing authorities to provide suitable education for some young people.

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because:

 Young people are insufficiently prepared for adulthood.

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because:

 The recording of physical restraint does not meet statutory requirements.

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because:

 The home does not take sufficient care to ensure that it can meet the needs of young people prior to their admission.

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because:

 Recruitment and vetting of staff is unsafe.

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because:

 Monitoring by an independent visitor is inconsistent.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 Young people are making progress from their individual starting points. They have formed good relationships with the staff team.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 The staff team is focused on meeting the needs of young people. Consistent care and clear boundaries has helped to reduce the need for physical intervention for one young person.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 The home works very well with others, including social workers and family members, to ensure that good outcomes are being achieved. Individual care plans are child-centred and help to ensure that the needs of young people are being met.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 Young people enjoy good health, with input from services to meet their physical and mental health needs. Staff work closely with a range of health professionals to ensure that the young people benefit from the best possible help and support. 

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The children’s home’s strengths

 The staff team is supported well by mental health professionals who provide bespoke training.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person 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 must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

5. In order to meet the engaging with the wider system standard, with particular reference to ensuring that children who do not attend school have appropriate alternative arrangements for education, the registered person must ensure that staff: (b) and (c) seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs and if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. 30/12/20162016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. The independent person must produce a report about a visit (‘the independent person’s report’) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (1)(4)(a)(b)) 30/12/20162016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that 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 the description of the measure and its duration and the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(vii)) 30/12/2016 2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. (2) The registered person may only: 30/12/2016 (a) employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or (b) if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). (3) The requirements are that: (a) the individual is of integrity and good character; (b) the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; (c) the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and (d) full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

14. In order to meet the care planning standard, with particular reference to ensuring that children are only admitted if the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children is fully assessed, the registered person must ensure: (2)(a) that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. 30/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

14. In order to meet the care planning standard, with particular reference to ensuring that children are prepared for moving on from the home, the registered person must: (2)(b)(iii) plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority 30/12/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Ensure that staff 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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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company and is registered to care for up to four children who have learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities. The home can care for up to two children who need short breaks.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

19/01/2016 Monitoring Requires improvement

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Requires improvement

Young people benefit from well-planned, highly personalised care that contributes to their happiness and improves their lives. Individual care plans for young people are child-centred and focused on ensuring that all needs are being met. For most, good progress is being made from their starting points across most aspects of their lives. Relationships with staff are good, demonstrating that trusting, secure attachments are being formed.

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Requires improvement

Care team meetings are held regularly and are well attended by senior health workers, social workers and family members. These meetings are child-focused and ensure that staff continue to provide the highest level of care and that the young people continue to progress. A parent said, ‘We work extremely well together to make sure there is consistency in my son’s care.’

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Requires improvement

There are effective arrangements in place to promote young people’s health. The manager has ensured that one young person with extremely complex needs receives regular health checks with a GP, a dentist and an optician by arranging for the appointments to take place at the home. The staff work extremely well with others to ensure that young people’s needs are met, including regular contact with specialist health professionals. Consequently, young people benefit both physically and emotionally from good, consistent care.

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Requires improvement

One young person, who has complex needs and has been placed at the home since July 2016 is not attending school for the required 25 hours per week. There are no firm plans in place for his education, nor is he receiving any education from qualified teaching staff. Staff at the home are encouraging meaningful educational type activities such as maps and flags of the world, counting and alphabet games with this young person. An education and healthcare plan is in place. However, this needs to be reviewed, and the placing authority challenged, to ensure that the young person receives suitable education.

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Requires improvement

Admissions to the home are not always well planned or carefully considered as to their suitability. Assessments of the impact of the young person upon the existing group, and vice versa, have been undertaken. However, they lack detailed evaluation as to how this will affect the young people living in the home and whether the home can meet their needs effectively. As a result, one young person had an extremely short stay at the home and left without appropriate transition planning. Judgement grade

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Requires improvement

Staff place the quality of their relationships with young people at the heart of their practice. They are skilled in observing and understanding the needs and vulnerabilities of the young people. The routines and structures in place support young people in feeling safe and comfortable in their surroundings.

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Requires improvement

The home helps to keep young people safe by working well with both health and care professionals. Good collaborative working with parents allows discussion and consultation around risks and young people are safer because of this. A senior health worker commented: ‘Staff are very child-centred. The young person I work with is making excellent progress so far and I would hope he stays here for at least another year.’

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Requires improvement

Individual risk assessments for young people are good. Information gathered to inform these is thorough, and includes both prevention and intervention strategies. The registered manager regularly reviews and acts on any known risks to young people. He also seeks the consultation of health professionals, social workers and family members to gain a thorough understanding of the young person’s needs. However, not all staff have signed to say that they have read and understood these risk assessments. This means that there is a degree of uncertainty as to whether all the staff know and understand the risks posed to young people.

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Requires improvement

Physical restraint is used sometimes to prevent serious harm to or by young people. Commendably, the frequency of restraint is declining. This is because the staff have developed a greater understanding of the young people’s behaviour, and they are good at understanding and applying consistent strategies to manage challenging behaviour. Recording of such incidents is generally good, although on occasion the duration of the actual restraint is not recorded. This means that it is not clear whether the restraint was proportionate or appropriate.

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Requires improvement

Fire evacuation drills are taking place regularly. Fire instruction has been given to the children and young people in both written and picture symbol form and a personal emergency evacuation plan is in place for each young person. These plans help both the staff and young people who have complex needs understand how to respond in emergency situations.

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Requires improvement

Recruitment procedures are unsatisfactory. Some references lack essential information and verification of references is not clearly evidenced. Additionally, gaps in the employment history for some staff are not explored. These shortcomings create the possibility that people unsuitable to work with children are appointed. Judgement grade

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Requires improvement

Since the last inspection there has been a change of registered manager. The home is emerging from a period of transition, with a change in the statement of purpose and a new staff team. The home is now divided into two flats with one young person living in each.

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Requires improvement

The new registered manager has been in post since January 2016 and has lengthy experience of working with young people in residential care with various needs and disabilities. He is currently undertaking the appropriate qualification. All but one of the statutory requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection have been addressed.

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Requires improvement

The home is located in a semi-rural area with plenty of space for young people to enjoy. The building is well maintained and has a homely feel. Young people’s bedrooms are individualised. The young people are given the opportunity to decorate their rooms to their own taste and preferences. For example, one young person has chosen football murals and posters of his favourite football team.

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Requires improvement

Staff training covers core subjects, including child protection, and is refreshed at appropriate intervals. Additionally, bespoke training that helps address the mental health needs of the young people is provided to staff.

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Requires improvement

The manager’s internal monitoring is good. It sets out a clear development plan that ensures the continual improvement in the experiences of young people living here. An outside play area has recently been created. It includes goal posts, a trampoline, a sand-pit and a small herb garden. This provides young people with additional facilities for healthy activities and an opportunity to learn about gardening.

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Requires improvement

The home employs the services of an independent visitor to monitor the conduct of the home. These reports do not evaluate or set out the visitor’s opinion as to whether young people are safeguarded effectively or how the home promotes well- being. This means that there is a missed opportunity for external scrutiny of the service and its evaluation of its performance. This was a shortfall identified at the previous inspection and so the requirement has been repeated.

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Requires improvement

The staff team works together well and there is a good team spirit that has a positive impact on the young people. There are regular team meetings and group supervision. However, the frequency of supervision as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose is not taking place. As a result, staff do not have the opportunity to adequately reflect on their practice, raise concerns or develop their skills through the supervision process.

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Requires improvement

The home works effectively with other professionals, including health professionals. A social work manager commented, ‘The staff are devoted to young people. This is the best thing to have happened to the young person, they are making great progress.’ The service is well resourced, ensuring good staffing ratios. This means that young people are well supervised in line with their care requirements, and can access purposeful and meaningful activities and leisure interests.

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Requires improvement

The staff are passionate about their work and can demonstrate that they know the young people well. The parent of one young person said, ‘The staff are very good at understanding what works well. My son is settling in well and he is much happier now.’

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children’s home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children’s home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children’s home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of children looked after is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place. However, the children’s home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children’s home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or that result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after. 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

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Information about this inspection

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

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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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