Children's Home run by CareTech Community Services Limited in Kirklees

Inspection report children’s home: 1236450 1 Registered provider: CareTech Community Services Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private provider. It provides care for up to five children and young people who have learning disabilities and autistic spectrum disorder.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of last inspection: 8 November 2016

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding Inspection report children’s home: 1236450 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children and young people make outstanding progress in all areas of their development. Children and young people receive highly individualised care.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff have an excellent understanding of each individual’s complex needs. As a result, children and young people enjoy excellent relationships with staff.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children and young people’s anxiety reduces and their behaviour improves because of the routines and positive behaviour-management strategies used by staff.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Vulnerable children and young people with some very complex needs are safely cared for because staff understand how to manage risk effectively.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager has high aspirations for children and young people. She leads by example and the staff team mirrors her excellent practice.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The effective support given by managers is ensuring some very positive outcomes for children and young people.

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Recommendations

 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). This is with specific reference to enhancing reflective supervision. Inspection report children’s home: 1236450 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and young people thrive in this very specialist and settled home. They enjoy excellent relationships with staff who understand their extremely complex needs. Staff dedicate their time to getting to know each child and young person individually. They then tailor the care given to meet each individual’s specific needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and young people benefit tremendously from access to a range of communication methods such as sign language, symbols and pictures. This ensures that all children and young people, no matter what their level of communication, are supported to voice their opinions and make their own choices around their daily care and the activities they would like to undertake.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and young people have excellent attendance at school. Staff are committed to supporting their specialist education. As a result, children and young people gain the skills they need for later life. For those who cannot attend school, specialist in-house education ensures that young people continue to make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people learn the essential skills they need to be as independent as possible in adulthood. One educational professional commented: ‘They work very closely with us and follow his personal education plan. He is doing very well and has achieved a lot of units.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and young people enjoy a range of activities, which promote their physical fitness, such as walking, swimming and biking. Staff liaise closely with specialist health professionals to manage each individual’s complex physical and mental health needs. Consequently, it has been possible to stop some children’s and young people’s medication. The conditions of other children and young people are now stable for the first time. This significantly improves their quality of life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and young people moving into this home settle extremely quickly because of detailed transition plans and the specialist knowledge of the staff team. Staff make sure that every detail is addressed to meet the individual’s specific requirements before they arrive. This ensures successful moves for all children and young people, even those who find any change challenging. Inspection report children’s home: 1236450 4

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

Detailed risk assessments help staff to understand individual risks and manage them effectively. High levels of staff supervision, both in the home and the community, support children and young people to access a range of activities that they enjoy safely.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

Staff effectively implement safeguarding procedures and this makes sure that any risks to children and young people are recognised and safely managed. Staff are well trained in relation to radicalisation, child sexual exploitation and procedures to follow should children or young people go missing.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

Behaviour management strategies are individualised and focus on positive reinforcement. Consequently, children’s and young people’s anxiety reduces, their behaviour significantly improves and physical intervention becomes extremely rare. One parent commented: ‘Since he has been there, he is less anxious. His behaviour is much better. He is calmer.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has been in post since August 2016. She has the qualifications and experience to undertake this role. She is extremely ambitious for children and young people and has high expectations of the quality of care. The manager leads by example and the staff team mirrors her positive practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Robust monitoring systems enable effective tracking of children’s and young people’s progress. This assists the manager to quickly identify and address any issues. She is extremely proactive in liaising with relevant professionals to ensure that plans meet children’s and young people’s very specific needs, and that they continue to make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team is very settled and staff members enjoy excellent working relationships with each other and the managers. Staff are well supported and they feel that managers are approachable. One member of staff commented: ‘The managers are good here. Every month we have supervision, but we talk all the time and you can always go to managers and team leaders, they are very helpful.’ Staff benefit from regular supervision. However, the recording of supervision does not always demonstrate a consistent level of reflection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager continually strives to improve this service. She has focused plans for areas that she would like to further develop. She is proactive in ensuring that children and young people contribute to developments, and that they influence changes. For example, children and young people have a new outdoor play barn, which has different kinds of equipment’, such as bikes that children and young people have chosen.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Outstanding relationships with other professionals, such as teachers, consultants and specialist nurses, ensure that all aspects of children’s and young people’s complex care needs are met. The manager is proactive in providing challenge to others when needed, Inspection report children’s home: 1236450 5 in order to enhance children’s and young people’s quality of life and ensure that they have access to the services they need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

This service is operating within its statement of purpose in every way. It is providing outstanding care for children and young people.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: 1236450 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: CareTech Community Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: CareTech Community Services Limited, 5th Floor Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Jamie Richardson: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1236450 7 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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