Children's home run by Keswick Care Limited in Wakefield

Inspection report children’s home: SC067865 1 SC067865 Registered provider: Keswick Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company operates this home. It provides care for children and young people whose plan is to live in a medium- to long-term residential setting. There is an acting manager in post who is not yet registered .

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

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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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 13 December 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC067865 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/06/2017 Full Outstanding 13/12/2016 Interim Not judged 22/09/2016 Interim Not judged Inspection report children’s home: SC067865 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— 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. (Regulation 5 (c)) This specifically relates to ensuring that the manager escalates concerns to the placing authority with sufficient haste when the home is not getting a suitable response to concerns about deficits in the children’s arrangements to meet their educational needs. 29/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff help each child to— achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(a) and (2)(a)(i)) Specifically, that the staff support the children and young people to eat healthy, balanced and nutritious meals in the home. 29/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 29/06/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC067865 4 that staff— understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a) and (2)(a)(ix)) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the

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Requirement Due date

registered person to— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(h)) Specifically, that the registered provider reviews the quality of care, ensuring that any weakness is addressed with sufficient speed. Ensure that records are secure, accurate and good quality, and review the security of all the policies and confidential information kept in the home. Obtain the required care planning documents for all children and young people from their placing authority prior to their admission. Review the policies and procedures with respect to professional conduct and boundaries and demonstrate that all staff have read and understand them. 29/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (1)(5)) Specifically, review the operation of the children’s home to ensure that the expectations with respect to the professional conduct of staff is consistent with the aims and objectives as set out in the statement of purpose, and to record any changes or action taken as a result of the review. 29/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (1)(4)(b)) Specifically, ensure that a record of the manager’s supervision is kept to provide a clear audit trail of the frequency and support provided. 29/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint, at the registered provider’s expense, a person (‘the independent person’) to visit and report on the children’s home carried on by the registered 29/06/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC067865 5 provider. Subject to paragraphs (4) and (5), the registered provider may not appoint the following as an independent person— if the registered provider is not a local authority, a person who is employed for payment by the registered provider. (Regulation 43 (1)(2)(3)(b)) 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 (4)(a)(b)) Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that the independent visitor provides a consistently accurate and robust

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Requirement Due date

report about safeguarding practice in the home. 29/06/2018

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risk 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) This is with particular reference to the registered manager ensuring that the staff review all risk assessments and that the review process is evident within the records.  Electronic records should be held at the individual home in accordance with data protection principles. IT systems should ensure that the safe storage of these records and business continuity planning should be in place to prevent loss or damage to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality

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improvement to be good

The young people’s progress and experiences of home life varies, with some of the young people doing well and making progress and some not progressing as well as predicted. Despite keen investment by the staff to make the young people’s lives a Inspection report children’s home: SC067865 6 joyous experience, some of the young people’s behaviours have increased the risk to other young people in the home, which has led to some placements ending. It is of concern that not all young people have been treated with respect by staff when their behaviours have been challenging. Although the staff are no longer employed by the organisation, such treatment does not promote good role modelling and mutual respect between adults and young people. This is in total contrast to the nurturing, trusting and caring relationships that are now developing between the young people and the staff. The young people say that they do like living at the home, with one child rating the

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improvement to be good

The young people’s access to primary and bespoke therapeutic health services provides advice and support on the young people’s emotional, physical and sexual health needs. However, the young people are not eating a healthy, nutritious and balanced diet, which puts their health at risk and does not promote good eating habits and life skills.

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improvement to be good

The staff promote the value of a good education on the young people’s future prospects. Currently, the young people are not making the expected educational progress due to school exclusion and lack of full engagement in education timetables. The home tuition for some of the young people has not been taking place for long enough to evaluate their progress. The manager does not escalate her concerns to the placing authority with sufficient haste when the home does not get a suitable response to concerns about deficits in the young people’s educational arrangements.

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improvement to be good

The young people’s contact with family and positive friends bonds them to the people they consider important in their lives and reinforces their identity.

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improvement to be good

The young people positively engage in a range of activities that focus on their hobbies and interests. These activities socially integrate the young people into the local community and their hometowns.

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improvement to be good

Regular consultation with the young people confirms their strong voice that influences their plans and home life, thus making them feel listened to and their views acted on. The young people know how to complain and can identify trusted staff to talk to about any concerns.

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improvement to be good

An investigation, led by the provider, into the young people having social contact with staff and the families of staff has not taken into account all of the incidents. This means that there is no clear assurance that further incidents will not happen again. Subsequent policies and procedures do not capture all of the concerns to reinforce firm and consistent professional boundaries. The independent visitor’s reports do not show how these issues influence their view that young people are still effectively safeguarded and the conduct of the home promotes young people’s well-being.

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improvement to be good

The staff team undertakes safeguarding training that informs its duty to protect children Inspection report children’s home: SC067865 7 and young people. A member of staff said: ‘My job is to protect them in every way possible.’ The staff have recently used the whistleblowing procedures to expose malpractice and poor professional conduct. Such action has alleviated the emotional distress caused to some of the young people. Good communication with the appropriate safeguarding professionals, such as the local authority designated officer, promotes effective working together practice.

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improvement to be good

The young people rate their safety highly and feel that the staff protect them. The young people are not at risk of child sexual exploitation and radicalisation. The young people do not go missing but know that if they leave the house unauthorised that the staff will go out looking for them and take action to find them in conjunction with other professional partners. This makes the young people feel cared about.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments take into account previous concerns, but new risks are not included. The lack of clarity impedes the review of the risks and the strategies to mitigate these risks.

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

A number of concerns have been raised in relation to blurred professional boundaries and relationships, inappropriate use of social media and concerns about the security of information. The provider had already dealt with some of the issues prior to the inspection.

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

The independent visitor’s role is a conflict of interest due to the independent visitor also supervising the manager and delivering training to the staff team. This does not promote transparent practice. Furthermore, the manager’s supervision is, for a new manager, infrequent and not consistently recorded.

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

The manager is several months into her role. Her registration with Ofsted is in progress. She has a new and supportive management team and has forged good relationships with the other professionals, such as social workers, the local authority designated officer and the local police. She is popular with the staff, who value her support and guidance. A member of staff said that the staff are ‘fabulous’ and ‘great at their jobs’.

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

The manager’s internal monitoring systems are not identifying and addressing shortfalls with sufficient speed and efficiency. Opportunities have been missed to improve the security, quality and accuracy of all records, obtain all of the appropriate local authority placement documents and ensure that all policies are up to date so that the manager is satisfied that all of the staff have read and understood them.

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

Although the staff enjoy their roles and responsibilities, and demonstrate their ability to deliver good care and to nurture, some serious professional conduct matters raise questions about some staff members’ understanding of basic childcare theories with complex children and young people. There is no management direction following such incidents to reinforce how the manager instils high expectations and consequences when staff practice falls below the expected high standards. Inspection report children’s home: SC067865 8 The manager has met two of the three recommendations raised at the previous inspection. These relate to the review of restraint records and the review of impact risk assessments to show consideration to all children when a new placement is made. The third recommendation is unmet with respect to risk assessments.

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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 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: SC067865 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Keswick Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hylton House, 150 Barnsley Road, Hemsworth, Pontefract WF9 4PQ

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Inspector

Jacqueline Malcolm: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC067865 10 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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