Children's home run by Calderdale Council in Calderdale

Assurance visit report: SC034953 1 SC034953

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to five children or young people aged 12 to 18 years. Care is provided for children and young people who need a stable placement until they can achieve independence or until their 18th birthday. The home also accommodates children and young people who are in the process of being reunited with their families or carers.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in December 2019 and is working towards her level 5 diploma in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 9 October 2019

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Requires improvement to be good

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

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Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assurance visit report: SC034953 2

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit.

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The care of children

Children and young people receive good-quality care from staff. The registered manager and the staff team are committed to improving outcomes for all children and young people who live in the home. As a result, children and young people are happy, settled and doing well.

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The care of children

Relationships between the children and young people are positive. Conflicts are resolved quickly with support from staff. This results in a happy and relaxed environment for children and young people.

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The care of children

Children and young people have been able to keep in touch with family and friends, despite local restrictions. As a result, some children and young people have benefitted from improved relationships with those who are important to them.

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The care of children

Education is highly valued and promoted by staff. Staff help children and young people to make good use of incentives and rewards to encourage participation. This focus on education enhances children and young people’s opportunities.

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The care of children

Children and young people have access to a wide range of social and recreational activities, both in the home and the local community. During lockdown, the children and young people helped to deliver food parcels to the community. They also enjoyed lots of activities and a recent holiday. This provided children and young people with opportunities to try new things and to make positive links with the local community.

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The care of children

Children and young people benefit from good health and well-being. However, not all young people receive direct work around sexual health. As a result, some young people do not fully understand how to keep themselves safe or the legalities around sexual relationships.

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The care of children

Good partnership working with the in-house therapy team ensures that children and young people’s emotional health needs are understood and responded to by staff.

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The safety of children

Where children and young people have complex behaviours, these are clearly understood by staff. Staff are skilled at identifying the triggers to negative behaviours and respond appropriately. Because of this, children and young people are settled and feel secure in the knowledge that staff understand them. Assurance visit report: SC034953 3 Children and young people’s risk assessments do not include all their known risks. This means that staff do not have enough information on how to manage and reduce all of the risks to children and young people’s safety and welfare.

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The safety of children

Children and young people who go missing are safeguarded effectively, in line with agreed protocols. Records demonstrate that when children and young people have left the home without permission, staff respond quickly and make efforts to locate them and ensure their safe return.

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The safety of children

Staff know the children and young people well and recognise the impact of adverse early life experiences on their behaviour. They work hard to provide a secure and reliable base from which children and young people can make progress in addressing what is difficult for them.

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager is committed to supporting children and young people to gain positive outcomes in all aspects of their development. She knows the children and young people well and shares positive relationships with them.

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager has a clear escalation policy to challenge poor practice. However, this has not consistently been used to good effect. For example, on at least one occasion, the manager failed to challenge the police regarding incorrect criminal offences on a young person’s record, and these records have remained. This has the potential to impact the young person’s future opportunities.

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager’s recording and sharing of information are poor. The manager relies on the sharing of information verbally or through emails. As a result, the staff team does not always have clear strategies to support and safeguard the children and young people.

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Leaders and managers

The monitoring systems to review the effectiveness of the home’s record-keeping are not robust. For example, not all training records are kept up to date. This makes it difficult to track and monitor what each member of staff has completed. This shortfall has not had any direct impact on the safety or well-being of children and young people.

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager’s report on the quality of care was not sent to Ofsted within the required timescales. This is a breach in regulation and hinders the regulator’s ability to monitor the service to ensure that children and young people are safe.

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Leaders and managers

Regulation 44 visits have continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these were virtual visits. The registered manager takes action to address any identified shortfalls in a timely manner.

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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

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 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)) 01/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, to complete work on sexual health with the children and young people. 01/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure risk assessments are in place and shared with the staff team. 01/12/2020 Assurance visit report: SC034953 5 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 aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(e) and (h)) 01/12/2020

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Recommendation

 The processes the registered person puts in place to enable such a review to take place should allow for a report to be generated at least once every six months. The generated report should be sent to Ofsted and the placing local authority of all children in the home who are children looked after. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.3)

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Recommendation

In particular, to send the regulation 45 report to Ofsted within 28 days of completion. Assurance visit report: SC034953 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Calderdale School Effectiveness Service, 2nd Floor, Westgate House, Westgate, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX1 1PS

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Inspector

Debra Boldy, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC034953 7 to 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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Inspector

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