Children's Home run by Laska Care and Education Ltd in Calderdale

Inspection report children’s home: 2593046 1 Registered provider: Laska Care and Education Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is a privately run children’s home that provides care for up to two children aged between 11 and 17. The aim of the home is to help the children to develop the skills and ability to move on either to supported living, semi-independent living or fully independent living.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2020.

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

Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 25 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on our website.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

p.1

inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted..

p.1

inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2593046 2

p.1

Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2593046 3

p.2

inadequate

The children have made some progress since moving into the home, but overall, their experiences of living in this home are mixed. The inspector found significant shortfalls with regard to the safety and protection of children and the leadership and management of the home. Consequently, children’s overall experiences and progress are inadequate.

p.3

inadequate

Children’s bedrooms are of poor quality and areas of damage have not been repaired or redecorated promptly. For example, the flooring needs replacing throughout the property and damaged walls need redecorating. The poor condition of the home does not provide children with an environment where they can feel safe or valued or have a sense of belonging.

p.3

inadequate

The staff team has worked with and challenged other professionals to identify education provisions for both children. Staff help prepare children for their education and encourage them to attend. However, on one occasion, there was a lack of forward planning by staff in arranging transport for one child to go to education. This resulted in the child missing education at a crucial stage of their learning.

p.3

inadequate

Staff try to promote children’s health and well-being by spending time with them in key-work sessions and encouraging them to make healthier lifestyle choices. However, this work is not always effective. As a result, some children continue to use cannabis on a regular basis. This poses a significant risk to children. Children are supported to see their family and friends. This ensures that children can maintain positive relationships with family members and their friends in a safe way.

p.3

inadequate

Children’s daily recordings do not capture the events of the day in a child-friendly way. They lack personalisation and do not provide the children with an easy-to-read record of their lives, either now or in the future.

p.3

inadequate

The manager has worked with mental health professionals to ensure that support is in place for the children. Children engage in therapy sessions, and as a result, their mental health has started to improve.

p.3

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

Staff do not take immediate action to keep children safe, and they do not consistently follow children’s care plans and risk assessments. For example, there are occasions when children have been in possession of illegal substances in the home. This poses a significant risk to children’s safety and well-being.

p.3

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

Staff allowed a child to leave the premises with an unknown male on at least two occasions. The management team failed to address this shortfall and did not take Inspection report children’s home: 2593046 4 immediate action to ensure the safety of the child. This placed the child at significant risk of harm.

p.3

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

At least one staff member does not have a current Disclosure and Barring Service certificate. The provider has failed to put effective plans or risk assessments in place to mitigate this shortfall. This means that on occasions, staff worked alone with children despite not having suitable checks in place. This practice places children at risk of harm as the provider cannot be assured that staff are safe and suitable to work with vulnerable children.

p.4

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

The provider uses a social media platform to share information with the team. This is not an effective way to share information and has led to inconsistent practice by staff.

p.4

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

There is a lack of information within some incident reports which prevents the manager from being able to fully review the incident or make changes. There is a lack of evaluation and strategies are not always amended following the review of these incidents. This prevents staff from adapting their approach and does not reduce risk to children.

p.4

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

The manager raised concerns regarding child criminal exploitation with professionals. This ensured that action was taken to help protect the children. However, the protocol in place regarding criminal exploitation is not clearly recorded. This has the potential to lead to an inconsistent approach by staff.

p.4

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

There is no system in place for recording, discussing and evaluating sanctions or negative consequences that are put in place. The children are fined for damage caused, with no clear recording system or rationale for this. This is not effective practice as it does not help the children to learn.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2020. She was able to identify some shortfalls in the home but has not taken effective action to address these. Overall, there has been a lack of proactive action. This is having a negative impact on the quality of care provided to the children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager is usually on shift in the home, which prevents her from having the necessary time to lead and manage the home effectively. This leads to shortfalls in monitoring and reviewing the quality of care provided, and there is no system in place to do this.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has failed to identify significant shortfalls in documentation and staff practice. This has hindered her ability to take action to improve practice.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not receive regular and reflective supervision. This does not support the staff to develop their skills and knowledge or to identify areas of improvement. Inspection report children’s home: 2593046 5 There is a lack of consistency from the staff team and management. For example, a child’s activities are restricted to one per week by staff, yet members of the management team said that they would allow the child to do more than one. This is contradictory and does not provide children with clear boundaries and expectations.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The provider has failed to respond to the shortfalls identified in the reports from the independent visitor. These are often repeated and there is no evidence of learning from the action points. This means that improvements are not made in a timely manner.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The statement of purpose is not reflective of the service offered to children. For example, there is misleading information about education and connections with a therapy team. This means that social workers and parents may not have an accurate picture of how the home operates.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not updated the location risk assessment. This means that concerns regarding the local area are not fully evaluated. This places children at risk. Inspection report children’s home: 2593046 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

p.6

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv)(ix))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, plans for the children’s education and engagement in activities to be put in place in line with the children’s needs and wishes and attempts made to prevent arrangements having a negative impact on the children. 24 October 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—

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 24 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2593046 7 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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.7

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;

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b)(d)(e))

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; 24 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2593046 8 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.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

p.8

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

Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

p.8

Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

p.8

Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

p.8

Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

p.8

Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

p.8

Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

p.8

Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; 24 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2593046 9 within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

p.8

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.9

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

p.9

Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii) (b)(i)(ii)(c))

p.9

Requirement Due date

In particular, that any sanction or negative consequence is clearly recorded, evaluated and discussed with children. Any consequence should be used to help the child learn and develop and not always be of a financial nature.

p.9

Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

p.9

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the statement of purpose clearly names the staff, including those with education and therapeutic connections to the home. This includes their experience, qualifications and registration with other professional bodies when required, in line with Schedule 1. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.10)  The registered person should ensure that children’s records, including case notes, are written in a way to help capture the events of the day in a child-friendly way. The records should help children understand and reflect on their lives, both now and in the future. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)  The registered person should ensure that the location risk assessment clearly identifies any known risks. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including

p.9

Recommendations

the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

p.9

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) Inspection report children’s home: 2593046 10 Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 2593046 11

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Laska Care and Education Limited

p.11

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Euroway House, Roysdale Way, Bradford BD4 6SE

p.11

Inspector

Debra Boldy, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2593046 12 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.11

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.12

Inspector

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

p.12

Inspector

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

p.12