Children's Home run by Kirklees Council in Kirklees

Inspection report children’s home: SC033326 1 SC033326 Registered provider: Kirklees Council Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is owned and operated by a local authority. The home provides care for children with behavioural and/or emotional difficulties. The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2013.

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Inspection date: 6 January 2022

Date of last inspection: 13 September 2021

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Inspection date: 6 January 2022

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 6 January 2022

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC033326 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At this interim inspection, Ofsted judged that it has declined in effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have failed to manage children’s behaviour to prevent them from damaging the home. Children have kicked holes in walls and broken doors. The registered manager has boarded up the damage. However, the environment is not yet at an acceptable standard.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

During one incident, children were able to reach into a bedroom and take a child’s personal possessions. One child has not felt safe living in the home because of repeated damage to her bedroom wall caused by other children living in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children do not have positive relationships with each other. One child has continued to be targeted by other children, both in the home and in the community. This child has experienced verbal abuse and children have thrown food at her. Children have received injuries during incidents of bullying or physical altercation. This means that children have been exposed to unacceptable levels of risk and harm.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff do not supervise children consistently or effectively. On occasion, staff have responded to incidents only when they have heard children shouting. Staff have found children in each other’s bedrooms. Staff do not anticipate potential conflict between children and are therefore unsuccessful in de-escalating situations.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Following some incidents, staff have been unable to reassure children. These children have then left the home upset. On a small number of occasions, children have consumed alcohol. This exposes children to the risk of harm.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff report children to the police when they go missing from the home, and are proactive in looking for children and encouraging them to return home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff do not undertake restorative work with the children after incidents, to promote positive relationships and mutual respect. Leaders do not ensure that staff engage proactively with children to enrich the children’s experiences and provide them with opportunities to progress.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders do not act in a timely way to protect children in response to known and increasing levels of risk. Leaders make decisions following serious events. Consequently, children experience emergency moves, which they are not prepared for. One child has expressed his anger about his unplanned placement move. In addition, the registered manager has not assessed the suitability of the new Inspection report children’s home: SC033326 3 placement for the child, or the impact for the child and the children already living there. This places children at potential risk of harm.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff do not feel skilled to support a child who struggles to regulate his emotions. One member of staff said, ‘We are fighting fires.’ The registered manager has not submitted an updated statement of purpose to Ofsted. The social care regulatory inspector is therefore not assured that the staff have sufficient skills and experience to care for the children living in this home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has not submitted notifications to inform Ofsted of all serious events involving children living in this home, and has not ensured that notifications contain enough information to explain how the incident has developed. There have been occasions where members of the public have become involved to safeguard children or support members of staff. The social care regulatory inspector was therefore unaware of the increasing targeting of one child and levels of risk for children living in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has consulted with children and acted in response to feedback about arrangements for pocket money. Children have also been involved in choosing soft furnishings for the redecorated lounge and personalising their bedrooms.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Following this inspection, three compliance notices have been raised due to serious concerns about the quality of care, protection of children and leadership and management in the home. A fourth compliance notice has been raised regarding the registered manager’s failure to provide Ofsted with sufficient information to monitor the serious events involving children. Ofsted has imposed an emergency variation reducing the condition of registration from four to three children. Inspection report children’s home: SC033326 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/09/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/11/2019 Full Good 10/05/2018 Full Good 31/01/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC033326 5

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to the prompt repair of damage in the home to maintain a welcoming environment where children feel safe. 20 February 2022

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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

that staff— 20 February 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC033326 6 help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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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

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(ix)(xi)(xii)(xiii))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to staff using restorative approaches to support children in conflict and prevent bullying of children living in the home.

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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—

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe; 20 February 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC033326 7 manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to consistent supervision of children and management of children’s behaviour towards each other.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(f)

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to effective leadership to address regulatory shortfalls and provide children with a positive care experience. 20 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. 20 February 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC033326 8 The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to submitting an updated statement of purpose with a current staffing list.

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Requirement Due date

*The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to informing Ofsted of all serious incidents and ensuring that antecedents and responses to safeguard children are detailed in the notification. 20 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report children’s home: SC033326 9

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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: SC033326 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Kirklees Metropolitan Council, Civic Centre 3, Huddersfield, Yorkshire HD1 2EY

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Inspector

Joanna Warburton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC033326 11 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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