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 judges that it has declined in effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Not all requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection have been met. Attempts to improve paperwork have not yielded sufficiently adequate results. Changes to documentation have not been universally applied and there is confusion among staff as to how young people’s goals and outcomes are recorded.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

As a result, the majority of young people receiving a short break service at the time of inspection did not have their progress recorded in a reviewable and systematic manner. Of those that did, these documents have not been updated. In addition, some young people did not have any goals or outcomes formulated. With these omissions, it is not clear how staff focus their input with young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A requirement made to ensure that young people’s risk assessments were updated and individualised to their needs is not fully met. Although some young people have benefited from this, none of the young people receiving a service at the time of the inspection had had their risk assessments changed to the new format.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Reporting procedures for going missing from home incidents did not suitably reflect young people’s vulnerabilities and some risks identified had poor levels of analysis. Staff do not always sign documents to indicate that they have read and understood risk assessments. In some cases, dates to indicate that documents have been updated gave only the year.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are offered high levels of supervision, both within and outside the home. This ensures that young people are protected from harmful experiences. There has been only one incident of a young person absconding from the home and they were very quickly located.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, there have no allegations or serious incidents. One complaint has been made about the home; managers have been quick to respond and address the issue.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The management team has been strengthened since the last inspection. All staff now have annual appraisals in place. However, this increase in capacity has not resulted in the recommendation, regarding the frequency of supervision, being met. Supervision recorded does not meet the organisation’s own expected timescales, and the reflective element of supervision is not yet embedded.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A requirement that care planning documentation is made available to staff is not met. In addition, plans drawn up at meetings are not used by the staff in formulating more detailed programmes of work.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A recommendation to improve the decorative appearance of rooms is partially met. Living rooms have been redecorated, but repair to plasterwork and the repainting of young people’s bedrooms are yet to be completed. In addition, damaged paintwork in other areas of the home has not been addressed.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A requirement to increase managerial capacity has been met and there are no longer excessive expectations placed upon deputies to supervise all staff. A requirement to improve the recording of physical interventions is also met. New documentation has been issued that creates prompts to ensure that recording now meets regulatory requirements. The home’s statement of purpose has also been updated to reflect staffing details.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The management team is aware of the shortfalls, and additional managerial assistance has been made available in the last few weeks before this inspection. Audits have been completed to assess and address omissions from young people’s files.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people who leave and join the home benefit from well-coordinated plans. A good level of information is gathered from parents and schools to ensure that the transitional process runs smoothly and that the service can meet the young person’s immediate needs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are offered experiences that contribute to their social development. They make progress in line with their starting points and complexity of needs, such as trying new foods that previously they would have rejected, or managing their emotions better.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Parents value the role that the service brings to their lives as a family, and the experiences that it opens up for their children. One parent commented: ‘He loves going; loves going out on trips and spending time with the staff. I can relax knowing he is there, I know he is safe. They take him shopping, meals out at the weekends and to the cinema, which is not something he would do at home. I don’t know what I would do without them.’

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by a local authority. The home provides short breaks for eight children who have learning and/or physical disabilities and/or sensory impairments.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 20/07/2016 Full Good 14/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/09/2015 Full Good 20/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Statutory requirements

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

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Requirement Due date

12. In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to risk assessments being reviewed and updated and staff receiving up-to-date safeguarding training, the registered person must ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child, and that records are kept up to date (Regulation 36 (1) (a) (b)). 30/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

13. In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with particular reference to ensuring that documents relating to progress and outcomes for children are clear and that staff follow a uniform set of paperwork, (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to: (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvement in the quality of care provided in the home. 30/04/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) With particular reference to the redecoration of bedrooms and the repainting of scuffed paintwork.  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, 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). With particular reference to records of the supervision being legible, focused and

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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 that 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 0300 123 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

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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

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