Children's home run by Kirklees Council in Kirklees

Inspection report children’s home: SC034441 1 SC034441 Registered provider: Kirklees Council

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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 children’s home is owned and operated by a local authority. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to eight children or young people who have sensory impairment, learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is currently seconded to a service management role. She has supervisory responsibilities for the newly appointed manager. The new manager has applied to Ofsted for dual registration and is managing on a day-to-day basis.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 14 November 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC034441 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/11/2017 Full Outstanding 30/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 12/07/2016 Full Outstanding 08/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC034441 3

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Recommendations

 As well as longer-term support for children to move on from the home effectively (regulation 6(2)(b)(vi)), the home has an important role in supporting each child leaving the home in the period immediately before their departure. The registered person should work with the placing authority to ensure that each child’s transition is planned and help each child to prepare for leaving both practically and emotionally. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.9)

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Recommendations

In particular, the home must ensure that transition planning by the wider professional network is effective and prompt.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Recommendations

In particular, the information about the workforce that is currently included in the statement of purpose, training matrix and supervision files should be combined in one document.

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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. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

In particular, the home should challenge any language which describes the home in an institutional manner, including terms such as ‘wing’ or ‘side’.

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outstanding

Children and young people make exceptional progress in this home. Usually, the children and young people stay in placement until they are ready to move to independence or adult care. The home provides a safe, stable and nurturing environment for the children and young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC034441 4 One professional said of a young person: ‘This is the most stable they have ever been.’ Of another young person the social worker said: ‘[name of child] absolutely loves being at the home. [name of child] has great relationships with members of staff and they do not really want to move on.’ The independent reviewing officer for the same young person said: ‘[name of child] has made significant progress in the home and school since being placed and has thrived.’

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outstanding

The children and young people in the home have a range of complex issues. These include attachment disorders, physical disabilities and learning disabilities. One young person was very underweight when placed. Because of the way the staff looked after her, she has met her target weight. Another young person recently attended an awards evening at school, after passing GCSE examinations he did not expect to achieve.

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outstanding

Staff are skilled at getting to know the children and young people, their needs and how to meet those needs. Members of staff are passionate about ‘their young people’. The social worker for one young person said the approach of the staff team ‘is over and above working with the pressures of a young person whose behaviour could be self-injurious’. Children and young people feel that this home is ‘their home’. One young person talked about the staff and other young people being his ‘other family’. The friends of children and young people are welcome to visit and do so.

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outstanding

Some of the practice at the home is innovative. Staff members have researched the difficulties of some of the children and young people. This has improved the staff’s ability to meet the needs of the children and young people who have very complex behaviours. An example is a project to understand why staff often had to intervene with one young person when he was playing in the garden. Because of this piece of work, the number of physical interventions reduced significantly. This and other pieces of research should be shared with other services, who will benefit from the work undertaken by this home. A professional said: ‘This is a home that never stagnates or rests on its laurels.’

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outstanding

The children and young people are involved in running the home. One young person wanted to explore his faith. Members of staff ensured that a priest visited the home to talk to the young person. Some of the children and young people said they would like some new furniture in the living room. Because of this request, the home bought new settees. A young person showed off these improvements with pride.

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outstanding

Staff members have high expectations for the children and young people. As a result, children and young people make considerable progress, even when this seems unlikely. One young person has built positive relationships with the staff team and other young people, having never been able to do so before. A staff member talked about the delight he felt when a young person who had previously refused to eat had a yoghurt. The member of staff said: ‘I felt like having a party to celebrate.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC034441 5 All the children and young people attend school every day. Members of staff speak to school staff regularly and will advocate on behalf of the children and young people when necessary. Staff have been instrumental in helping one young person to achieve his goal of transferring from a specialist school to a mainstream college. Members of staff are making appropriate arrangements with college tutors so that

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outstanding

the young person knows what he must do to be able to attend college. Staff advocate for individual arrangements for children and young people, when that is helpful. For example, one young person goes to school slightly late and leaves early, as she struggles with the activity at the beginning and end of the school day. Over time, she has built up her tolerance and will begin to come home along with her peers shortly.

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outstanding

The home thoroughly reviews the progress made by the children and young people. This means that the children and young people and adults around them can easily see their development. The ‘journey to success’ documents include photographs and work prepared by the children and young people, as well as work written by staff. Staff members update these documents for statutory reviews. This makes them valuable to the children and young people and to members of each child’s or young person’s wider network. A children’s guardian for a young person said that they, ‘have been extremely positive about the specialist care [name of child] has received at [the home]; the judge emphasised the importance of this care in [name of child’s] development.’

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outstanding

The home manages the extreme risks of some of the children and young people. Staff members use risk assessments and risk management plans that are effective, specific and reviewed regularly. The behaviour of one young person in the home means that a high level of staffing is needed to keep him safe. The staff team works together well to safeguard him. Although this behaviour continues, the home is committed to caring for him and keeping him safe.

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outstanding

The home uses restraints only when it is necessary to keep a child or young person safe. The registered manager reviews the intervention with the young person and staff member afterwards. The evaluation of what happened and what could be done differently next time is excellent. Because of this approach, some young people improve their ability to manage their behaviour, even when they have complex needs.

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outstanding

Children and young people rarely go missing from this home. When this does happen, staff follow the missing-from-home protocol. A return home interview takes place between the child or young person and someone who is independent. The child or young person discusses their reasons for going missing with their key worker in the following weeks. The staff discuss the impact of their own actions, for example if they were vigilant about security. The approach of the home to children Inspection report children’s home: SC034441 6 and young people going missing is effective in reducing the likelihood of this happening more frequently.

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outstanding

The home understands the risks around internet safety. This is particularly important as the children and young people in the home would be vulnerable to exploitation due to their particular needs. Staff, children and young people discuss how to keep safe online, in children’s and young people’s meetings and in key-work sessions. One young person explained how to keep safe when playing on games consoles and using social media on mobile phones.

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outstanding

Members of staff use restorative meetings with children and young people instead of giving out sanctions. Following an incident, staff spend time talking to the child or young person about what happened, who was affected and what the young person could do to put things right. Staff encourage children and young people to think of their own consequences if they have done something wrong. Members of staff encourage children and young people to be as active as possible in the meetings. This approach is likely to have long-term positive consequences for some of the children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is currently seconded to a service management role. She has supervisory responsibilities for the newly appointed manager. The new manager has applied to Ofsted for dual registration. He has the appropriate level 5 leadership and management qualification. Together, the registered manager and newly appointed manager are inspirational leaders who have ensured that the long- term stability of the home has continued. Members of staff said that the move from one manager to the new manager has been seamless.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is passionate about the children and young people and the home. He expects high standards from his staff and a commitment to exceptional levels of care. Emerging issues are dealt with quickly, so that poor practice does not develop. Members of staff said that they share the manager’s passion for the home. Team meetings sometimes become heated when staff members advocate for the children and young people for whom they do key work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager maintains the good practice of the previous, very experienced manager. However, he is also putting in place new ideas to improve the running of the home. This includes changing the quality assurance framework, so that he knows how well the home is doing and where to make improvements. The manager knows the strengths and weaknesses of the home. He is willing to listen to different points of view and will make changes in the best interests of the children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager ensures that supervision with all members of staff takes place regularly. There are monthly team meetings and appraisals occur once per year. The manager ensures that staff members attend training when necessary. He has Inspection report children’s home: SC034441 7 systems in place so that members of staff know when mandatory training is due. All members of staff have the required level 3 residential childcare qualifications or are working towards obtaining those qualifications.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is developing relationships with professionals from other settings. Collaboration with professionals is consistent and effective. It leads to significant improvements for the children and young people. Members of staff develop creative ways of looking after children and young people because of the work they do with other professionals. One member of the professional network said: ‘I value them as much as they do us. We’re all in this together.’

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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: SC034441 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(s)

Jane Titley: social care inspector Nicola Thomas: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC034441 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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