Children's home run by Care Management Solutions 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:

 Management systems, offering oversight into the care provided for young people, is not yet sufficiently embedded or comprehensive in its approach.  The managerial team do not sufficiently challenge other agencies to ensure that young people, identified as requiring services, receive those services in a timely way.  Training and advice given to staff, regarding the impact of previous life experiences on young people, commenced the week of this inspection. This learning has yet to fully inform the plans and approaches used with young people.  Staff do not use evaluation or analysis in their approach to measuring young people’s progress. This limits staff insight and as a consequence, individual work with young people lacks focus.  Young people’s progress is variable. Some young people continue to make choices that poses a risk to their emotional and physical welfare.

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The children's home strengths

 The manager has sought external advice and guidance and a learning culture within the management and staff team is being promoted.  Some young people benefit from the care that is given by staff and report to be settled at the home. They make progress in their emotional development and are positively managing relationships that are important to them.  The registered manager and staff are committed to making improvements to the care that is offered to young people.

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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

13. (1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children's home that- (a) helps children to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to- (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 30/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify MHCI and each other relevant person without delay if- an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious (Regulation 40(4)(b)(e). 30/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

6. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to- (b) ensure that staff- (v) help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experiences of abuse or neglect; (vi) help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. 31/05/2017

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Requirement Due date

5. In meting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff- (c) 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. 30/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

45. In order to complete a quality of care review, the registered 31/03/2017 person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating- (a) quality of care provided for children; (c) any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children; (c) any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. 14. (1) The care planning standard is that children- (a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children's home (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure- (b) that arrangements are in place to- (ii) manage and review the placement of each child in the home. 31/03/2017

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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). In particular, that areas of damp within the home are professionally addressed, areas of damaged plasterwork and paint work are repaired and repainted and the ceiling in the young people's bathroom is recovered.  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 42, paragraph 9.5). With particular reference to ensuring that all staff sign all updated risk assessments.  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the

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Recommendations

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 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

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children who have emotional and/or behavioural problems.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 05/01/2017 Full Inadequate 07/12/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/06/2015 Full Good 02/02/2015 Full Adequate

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Requires improvement

Since the last inspection, three compliance notices have been issued and have now been met. As a result, the role of the keyworker has been strengthened with newly issued guidance and expectations with regards to this role. This has improved staff responses to young people and is clear with regard to the support young people can expect.

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Requires improvement

Staff have undergone training to inform their understanding of safeguarding issues. Work is commencing with the home’s therapist to improve and inform the skills and knowledge base of staff. However, this development work is at an early stage and not yet fully embedded into work with young people. As a result, some young people make progress through living at the home, but others struggle to make positive choices.

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Requires improvement

Since the last inspection, there are now clearer responses offered to young people arising from consultation with them. Activities for young people have increased and young people talk about this with enthusiasm. In addition these activities are now clearly documented in an activities folder, with photographs that young people can refer to. Other improvements include young people expressing ownership of the home through their displays of art work and other interests on the walls.

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Requires improvement

Since the last inspection some young people have benefitted from a review of their independence plans. This has resulted in their learning experiences being more positive and has allayed their initial fears of moving on from the home. The independence work involves staff working alongside the young people so that they now feel fully supported and still part of the home.

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Requires improvement

Young people have been appropriately supported to attend appointments and suitable referrals have been made to specialist services. However, the response of some agencies has resulted in delay of services being offered. Young people therefore do not receive the services when they need them.

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Requires improvement

Most young people do not go missing. Staff are active in searching for young people when this occurs and they adhere to agreed protocols and reporting procedures.

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Requires improvement

Other than one incident, all other serious incidents have been notified to Ofsted. This is a managerial oversight and has not affected the welfare of young people, but as a result, a requirement made at the last inspection has not been met.

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Requires improvement

Staff have recently undergone training in safeguarding practice and child sexual exploitation. Risks resulting from some young people’s behaviours are understood by staff, however systems in place to ensure that staff are up to date with these assessments are not always adhered to. For example, there is inconsistency with staff signing to acknowledge they have read the risk assessments. This limits managerial oversight in ensuring all staff fully understand risks associated with young people’s behaviours.

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Requires improvement

Behaviour management strategies are now more positively focused and the inappropriate use of financial penalties has ceased.

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Requires improvement

The manager was registered to manage the home in 2016. He is suitably qualified and experienced.

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Requires improvement

Since the last inspection staff now receive supervision in line with company policy. However, feedback and action planning for staff is not consistent and is not sufficiently focussed upon development and improvement. In addition, the reflective element of supervision is not consistently applied.

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Requires improvement

A compliance notice regarding ensuring staff appropriately respond to young people has been met. Work is now underway with staff to address their skills and knowledge base with regards to how young people may express trauma or distress. This learning however remains at an early stage and is not fully embedded into staff practice. For example, staff do not yet formulate plans or review approaches with young people following serious incidents or disclosure of risk taking behaviour.

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Requires improvement

Since the last inspection the manager has competed an audit and review of the quality of care offered to young people. This audit however is not sufficiently thorough; for example, not all staff have signed in acknowledgement of having read risk assessments and managerial feedback on key working is absent. In addition, placement plans, although now updated, lack clarity with regards to goals, outcomes and timescales for young people. A management training audit, although begun, has yet to result in a clear documented overview and developmental plan.

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Requires improvement

The manager has appropriately made referral and chased outstanding meetings and appointments for young people to access the services they require. However, there has been a lack of effective challenge and appropriate escalation with regards to other agencies fulfilling their role in a timely way.

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Requires improvement

Since the last inspection some work has been carried out within the home in order to improve its presentation. There are however areas that still require professional attention. The manager is aware of this and there is a plan in place to address outstanding areas.

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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 looked after children 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 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 who 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 looked after children 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 Text phone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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