Children's Home run by Kirklees Council in Kirklees

Inspection report children’s home: SC033326 1 SC033326 Registered provider: Kirklees Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for six children or young people between the ages of 10 and 18. The service strives to offer a secure, stable environment where children and young people can live and be assisted to reach their full potential until they are either ready to live independently, can return home to their family or live in an alternative provision. The home is operated by a local authority.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has considerable experience of working with children and young people in residential care. He has been registered by Ofsted as the manager of this home since May 2013.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 31 January 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC033326 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/01/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 24/04/2017 Full Good 07/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 06/12/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC033326 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, the 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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff ─

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or 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. (Regulation 5 (c)) 30/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1)(2)(b)) 30/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that ─

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Requirement Due date

helps children to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ─

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and 30/06/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC033326 4 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. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees ─

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 30/06/2018

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Recommendations

 Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child’s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day to day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people are making good progress across all aspects of their development. The young people are making, and sustaining, strong relationships with a committed team of staff. One young person said: ‘I have got round-the-clock support here. The staff are here for me if I want to talk.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A young person has recently moved from the home to a foster family. This transition was a positive move. It was well planned and managed sensitively. The staff have remained in contact with the young person and have helped him to settle into his new home. Inspection report children’s home: SC033326 5 The young people, who have a history of disruptive behaviour in educational settings, have made good progress in both attendance and attainment. One young person has notably reduced their incidents of challenging behaviour in school. One young person has been supported to explore his ambition and interest in engineering.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people are registered promptly with local healthcare services. One young person, who has a history of refusing to attend healthcare appointments, has been supported to access dental treatment. The staff promote a balanced and nutritious diet and an active lifestyle. The young people have been referred to specialist services when necessary to ensure that their healthcare needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people take part in a wide range of activities, both in the home and in the community. One young person requested to attend a local gym and access swimming lessons. This request has not been sufficiently met, which does not promote the young person’s individual interests and hobbies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff consult with young people regularly on their views about the care they receive, activities and menu choices. On some occasions, there is insufficient evidence that the young people’s comments and questions are responded to and addressed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people are supported to have regular contact with the people who are important to them. Contact is promoted in accordance with the local authority’s plans.

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

The young people are rarely missing from the home. One young person, who has a history of being missing from the home, is no longer exhibiting this behaviour. This is excellent progress.

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

The staff are adopting a restorative approach to behaviour management. The young people have comprehensive behaviour management plans. Incidents of challenging behaviour in the home have reduced considerably. Since the last inspection, there have been no incidents requiring physical intervention. The environment is much more harmonious, which promotes positive relationships among the young people and the staff.

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

Incidents of bullying have reduced. The staff are challenging the young people and have made it clear that such incidents are unacceptable. Records of direct work, which is undertaken with the young people to assist them in managing conflict positively, have not routinely been completed.

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

Risk management plans identify appropriate vulnerabilities and contain effective strategies for the staff to respond to, and prevent incidents from occurring. On occasions, these plans have been subject to delay due to the manager awaiting input from placing social workers. A recommendation is made for the home to put this in place from the point of admission to the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC033326 6 Those young people who have increased vulnerabilities to child sexual exploitation or radicalisation are referred to appropriate services to reduce risks to their safety.

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

A programme of modernisation has recently commenced in the home. The physical environment is regularly monitored for hazards and regular evacuations take place to ensure that appropriate fire safety measures are in place for the young people and the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager is experienced and qualified. He is supported by two deputy managers. Leaders are child-centred and knowledgeable about the children in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Supervision of staff has not been conducted at the frequency stated in the organisation’s policy. One member of the team has not had supervision for five months.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff have had their fitness to practice appraised. The staff benefit from regular meetings to discuss and reflect on their practice. The team of staff report that they feel well supported in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager’s monitoring of the service is conducted by the deputy managers. In the absence of one deputy manager, appropriate monitoring and evaluation of progress for two of the four children has not been completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is evidence that the staff have completed a variety of training that is tailored to assist them in meeting the complex care needs of the young people at the home. The manager does not have an up-to-date workforce development plan and therefore was unable to confirm whether the staff have some of the appropriate knowledge to carry out their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

One young person’s referral for a specialist service was subject to unnecessary and unacceptable delay. The manager did not challenge the placing social worker constructively or advocate sufficiently for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Placing social workers and other agencies have provided positive feedback about this service. One educational professional provided written feedback to a member of staff: ‘You are doing a great job as there has been a recent improvement in [the young person’s] behaviour.’

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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 differences 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 Inspection report children’s home: SC033326 7 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.

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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: SC033326 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, 3 Market Street, Huddersfield HD1 2EY

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Inspector

Nicola Thomas, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC033326 9 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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