Children's Home run by Wakefield Council in Wakefield

Inspection report children‟s home: SC062573 1 SC062573 Registered provider: Wakefield Metropolitan District 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

A local authority operates and runs this home. It provides care and accommodation for up to four children and young people whose plan is to live in a short-, medium- or long- term residential setting. The new manager is not yet registered.

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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 good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC062573 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/05/2018 Full Good 22/08/2017 Full Good 27/06/2017 Full Inadequate 21/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC062573 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children and young people are making progress from their starting points. This includes newly admitted children and young people, who settle quickly. The manager gives careful consideration to new referrals, taking into account the needs of children and young people and the potential impact on each other from group living. This helps to reduce any negative impact when a new child or young person moves in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people identify carers in the home whom they can go to when they need to speak to someone. The staff know the children and young people well, spend time with them and listen to their views. This helps to build trusting relationships, so children and young people are able to discuss sensitive topics, such as issues about their identity. They are also then more willing to meet with professionals, such as emotional well-being workers. This helps identify when extra support is needed to improve children‟s and young people‟s mental health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children‟s and young people‟s engagement in education has improved. The staff promote and encourage children‟s and young people‟s attendance at their education provisions. This means that some children and young people who have previously not gone to school or college are now attending regularly. The children and young people have been able to achieve certificates, and the staff praise them for their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people take part in a wide range of social and recreational activities. This helps them build on their existing talents and interests, such as martial arts, learning to paint and playing in a women‟s rugby team. They have been able to learn new skills such as swimming and go on days out with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team supports children and young people to see their family members. This helps them to build positive relationships with their families. As a result, one child has a plan to move to live back with his mother.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people have unlimited internet access; however, the staff‟s daily records highlight that this is having a detrimental effect on one young person‟s sleeping patterns. Staff reported that they do not have a clear strategy for management of internet usage when it is having a negative impact on children and young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team helps young people to work on their independence skills, teaching them things such as cooking, managing food budgets and other household chores. However, plans for working towards independence are not clear enough and do not fully show what skills young people have. Those who have left the home have had a positive experience of leaving. They remain in contact with staff for ongoing Inspection report children‟s home: SC062573 4 emotional and practical help.

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

The staff work with different agencies to keep children and young people safe. This includes attendance at strategy meetings and discussions with social workers, health workers and emotional well-being workers. This multi-agency working helps to reduce the risks by having a joined-up approach to keeping children and young people safe.

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

Risk assessments are clear, and the staff know which strategies to follow to keep the children and young people safe. The staff complete regular key working sessions that help the children and young people to think about how to minimise risks to themselves. This helps to build up the relationships and trust between the staff and the children and young people, which then increases the feeling of safety for them.

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

Children and young people still go missing. They are also absent without authority, staying with friends or family. When this happens, the staff complete regular welfare checks to make sure they are safe. However, there is a lack of clarity about whether children and young person should be reported missing or as absent from the home. This means that the records of how often children and young people are actually missing are not clear.

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

Children and young people still have negative outbursts. The staff team effectively uses therapeutic intervention techniques to de-escalate crisis situations. This is evident in that the number of physical interventions with children and young people is minimal. The staff use rewards effectively to encourage positive behaviour. As a result, the children and young people have been able to enjoy choosing new things, such as a computer mouse, headsets and parts for their computer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has recently left, and there is a new manager in post. In a short period of time, she has got to know the children and young people and has a good understanding of their needs. The new manager is keen to make positive changes and has identified shortfalls, such as the children‟s and young people‟s meetings where improvements are needed. The manager has introduced more effective monitoring and recording forms.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, there have been some changes in the staff team, with some members leaving. This is because of a re-organisation of the local authority‟s children‟s homes and some staff retiring. Some staff reported that they have been affected by the shortages, which have led to longer working hours. However, the staff team is committed to the children and young people and wants the best for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The existing staff team is suitably qualified to meet the needs of the children and young people. The staff have regular supervision, and a new staff member spoke about receiving a good induction to the home. Staff now have regular team meetings, Inspection report children‟s home: SC062573 5 in which children and young people are the focus of their discussions. They also have an opportunity to debrief following any behavioural incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The requirements and recommendations from the previous inspection are met. The home appearance has improved, and the home is far homelier. However, there are some issues with the timely repair of minor damage to the home and general maintenance.

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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, 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

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child‟s behaviour, in accordance with the child‟s age and understanding.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, a young person‟s internet use during the night should be monitored, to see whether this is having a negative impact on his sleeping patterns. 30/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 30/08/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC062573 6 3 in relation to each child.

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to setting up a system of recording and monitoring incidents when a child goes missing from the home or is absent without authority.

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Recommendations

 Staff must help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home‟s support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 17, paragraph 3.27). This is specifically in relation to developing an independence plan to demonstrate young people‟s ability to care for themselves after they leave the home.  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 („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality

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Recommendations

standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.9). This is specifically in relation to ensuring that the timely repair of any damages take place and to making safe the telephone box in the home.

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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: SC062573 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Wakefield Council, County Hall, Bond Street, Wakefield, Yorkshire WF1 2QW

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Inspectors

Krista Hardy, social care inspector Tina Ruffles, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC062573 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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