Children's home run by Calderdale Council in Calderdale

Inspection report children’s home: SC035154 1 SC035154 Registered provider: Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is run by the local authority and provides care and accommodation for up to five children. The aim of the home is to apply the model of care to support children to be able to return home, to foster carers or to independent living.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home was previously a short-breaks service and re-opened in December 2020 as a residential children’s home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC035154 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/04/2018 Full Outstanding 04/09/2017 Full Outstanding 08/11/2016 Full Outstanding 17/05/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC035154 3

p.2

improvement to be good

Children have positive relationships with core staff members. This enables them to request support when needed and share their worries or concerns. Staff respond to this and put plans in place.

p.3

improvement to be good

Activities are limited and there is no clear structure in place for the children. Summer holiday plans for the children were limited and while one child had a holiday away, there were no other outings planned. This does not provide children with opportunities to engage in positive experiences.

p.3

improvement to be good

The home is well decorated, and efforts are made to help the children feel that this is their home. However, there was some damage to a child’s furniture with no clear plans of how this was being addressed. This does not promote the child’s well-being.

p.3

improvement to be good

Education is encouraged and the staff have adapted to the needs of the children to try and engage them. Reading is actively encouraged in the home and staff support children to understand the importance of education. This enables children to develop their knowledge and skills.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children are supported to see their families and friends in line with their plans. However, at times, this is not always positive. The management team is trying to work with family and friends to improve communication and relationships. This is helping to reduce some of the risks.

p.3

improvement to be good

The manager uses impact risk assessments to ensure that children’s needs are known and understood prior to them moving in. The manager has identified that the home can no longer meet the needs of one child and has escalated this. However, there are no clear timescales for the child to move out and the impact on the other children has not been fully recognised. As a result, all of the children are now being exposed to further risk and disruption.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff work with children to engage in direct discussions regarding risks, health and education. There have been improvements in some areas as a result of this, and children will accept support from staff that know them well. However, there is a lack of consistent approach among the staff, and topics are not re-visited or expanded on with the children. This hinders the children’s ability to learn and to make informed choices about their personal safety.

p.3

improvement to be good

The management team is working with therapeutic services for support. The information provided by these services is not always clearly shared with the staff team. This means that plans are not always followed by staff. Inspection report children’s home: SC035154 4 Professionals and family spoken to are happy with the care the staff team is providing. The manager has been proactive in working with other professionals for support and to implement plans. However, not all strategies used have been implemented with social workers’ knowledge, preventing full oversight or safeguards to be in place.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children’s records are child-friendly. This enables children to understand the plans in place and captures their voice. It will also provide them with records in their future that provide a good overview of their life.

p.4

improvement to be good

Missing from home episodes for children have been high. Staff work with other agencies and family to return children safely. However, it is not clear as to the level of welfare checks children should be receiving through the day. This means that staff practice is inconsistent.

p.4

improvement to be good

Risk assessments and protocols lack information regarding known risks. This does not provide staff with clear guidance as to how to support the children.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff do not respond effectively when children are under the influence of cannabis or alcohol. Staff have not had sufficient training in this area and there are no clear plans in place for them to follow. No checks have been carried out when children have been under the influence, and no medical advice has been requested. This has placed children at risk of harm.

p.4

improvement to be good

Incident reports and restraint records are detailed and are evaluated by the manager. However, missing from home reports have not always been evaluated. Information within these and lessons learned are not evident in the children’s plans. This does not provide staff with clear strategies to use and exposes children and staff to a risk of harm.

p.4

improvement to be good

The home has locks on the doors in the communal areas. One area of the home is locked without any clear rationale. At times, areas of the home have been locked when a child has been distressed without any clear record that this is a strategy staff use. It has not been agreed with social workers or formally reviewed. It is not clearly recorded how often this has happened or the reason for this taking place. Therefore, it is unclear if this action is necessary and proportionate.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff are present when a child is receiving personal care. While this is reasonable given their age, it is not evidenced that this takes place and there is no evidence of this being agreed with professionals. This leaves the child and staff at risk of harm and allegations.

p.4

improvement to be good

Some aspects of risk management documents are up to date and provide clear guidance for staff. This is for the lower risk areas which have not changed during Inspection report children’s home: SC035154 5 this time. This evidences that the management team can provide staff with the level of clarity needed.

p.4

good

The manager registered in December 2020. She is aware that the home is in its infancy and there are areas of improvement that need to be addressed. The manager is aware of her own strengths and weaknesses and is eager to develop.

p.5

good

There are not enough core staff to support the children. Casual staff from other homes in the local authority are used. This does not provide stability or consistency for the children.

p.5

good

The manager lacks an awareness of the home’s policies and procedures. These have not been followed and staff are not aware of their responsibilities. Children are at a risk of harm as a result of this.

p.5

good

The manager does not have training in the model of care that is being used. This means she is unable to support staff to implement this model of care and is not working in line with the statement of purpose.

p.5

good

Staff training is limited in areas that are relevant to the children’s needs. Due to COVID-19, some training has been completed online. However, the learning from this has not been checked or evaluated by the management team. This means that not all staff have the skills to fully support children.

p.5

good

Staff supervisions are significantly out of date and do not take place within timescales. This means that staff do not have regular support from managers to discuss issues in a private forum or to focus on their individual development.

p.5

good

Internal and external monitoring systems are not effective in identifying and addressing shortfalls. Reviews of quality of care do not evaluate or identify areas of improvement. This means that the quality of care and safeguarding practice does not improve.

p.5

good

The management team recognises the difficulty in transitioning from the short breaks service to a residential children’s home and that staff are adapting to this. Managers have a plan to build on the skillset of the staff team and are focused on driving forward an improvement plan. Inspection report children’s home: SC035154 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

p.6

Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises— is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

p.6

Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, all communal areas should be accessible to the children and any restrictions on this should be clearly identified within the children’s plans, approved by social workers and kept under regular review. 20 August 2021

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe; 30 November Inspection report children’s home: SC035154 7 have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.6

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.7

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

p.7

Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii) (b))

p.7

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—

p.7

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each 30 November Inspection report children’s home: SC035154 8 child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

p.7

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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

p.8

Recommendations

 The registered manager should ensure that a review of the quality of care takes place every six months. A report should be produced to clearly identify the strengths of the homes care, any weaknesses and actions required for the next six months. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)  The registered manager should ensure that children are provided with appropriate furniture and that items that are damaged are repaired or replaced as soon as possible. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.19)  The registered manager should ensure that the home’s statement of purpose is regularly reviewed and amended. It must clearly state any restriction of liberty that may be used, including locking of any doors, and how this will be reviewed and agreed with other professionals. The updated document should be sent to

p.8

Recommendations

Ofsted within 28 days. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)

p.8

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: SC035154 9

p.8

Children’s home details

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

p.9

Inspector

Debra Boldy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC035154 10 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.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10