Children's Home run by Wakefield Council in Wakefield

Inspection report children’s home: SC062573 1 SC062573 Registered provider: Wakefield Metropolitan District Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home provides care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since December 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 15 December 2020 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be 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

09/07/2019 Full Good 09/05/2018 Full Good 22/08/2017 Full Good 27/06/2017 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: SC062573 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress while living at this home. Staff build strong, trusting relationships with the children, who feel protected, safe and happy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do not have complaints about their home or care. They are listened to through day-to-day conversations with staff and the regular visits from the advocate. The manager is responsive to children’s views and supported one child to raise a formal complaint about a situation occurring outside of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Forensic child and adolescent mental health workers assess and support children. They also consult regularly with the staff team. This specialist advice informs staff’s practice and children’s safety plans. It also enables children to speak about the trauma they have experienced and helps them learn to manage their behaviours.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children talk to staff about their feelings and behaviours. As a result, the staff help the children to set targets to help them make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are making progress in their education and are attending school or alternative education provision. Staff understand children’s learning needs well and place a high value on children’s education and learning. Proactive and regular communication with educational professionals means that children return to school even after long periods of absence. Children are supported to access courses in line with their interests. The manager advocates for children, and additional resources are identified to ensure children achieve their potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to make healthy lifestyle choices. They learn about eating a balanced diet and enjoy home-cooked meals. One child regularly goes to the gym and rides bikes. Another child is learning how to swim. Extra support is available to children who misuse substances. Staff managed the restrictions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic well and supported children with attentive and nurturing care when they became unwell.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make full use of their well-equipped games room and have social occasions with staff and each other on group outings. Children have new and enjoyable experiences while living at the home. They go on holidays. One child with a keen interest in Harry Potter has been to Harry Potter World. This allows children to have fun and create positive memories with adults who they trust and like.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spend regular time with their families in line with their agreed arrangements. Staff work closely with the families, who feel involved in their children’s care and welcomed when they visit the home. One parent said, ‘I am happy with everything they are doing for his upbringing. I am really pleased with how he is looked after; he has come on such a long way.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC062573 4 Staff are prepared for children’s arrivals, which are planned ahead, and risk assessed so their needs can be well met. Staff welcome children, who are quick to settle into their new routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop independence skills, so they are prepared for adult life. They help them to identify suitable accommodation and prepare them for moving on into independent living Children experience planned moves and retain good relationships with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children personalise their bedrooms to their individual tastes. They say that staff help them to keep their rooms tidy. Children are being prepared to move to two smaller homes. A bespoke plan for children informs them of what is happening and gives them a timeline to work towards. Children are making choices about their new homes and speak positively about their move.

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improvement to be good

Children feel safe living at the home. Routine fire safety checks and evacuations take place, but these are not always timely when new children move into the home. Staff are not proactive in removing lighters and hazardous items from one child’s bedroom, and they are unclear and inconsistent in challenging children who smoke in the home.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments do not provide sufficient guidance as to when room searches are to take place or if lighters should be removed. This does not give children a clear and consistent message about the dangers of smoking at the home and does not provide staff with clear instructions on how to keep children safe. Staff do attempt to discuss these dangers with children, and they access support from the fire service to raise awareness. However, not all children engage, and the fire risk is ongoing.

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improvement to be good

The frequency of one child going missing from care has reduced. Key-work discussions with the children highlight the risks of going missing from care. The local authority provides an independent person to complete return home interviews. Missing-from-care protocols guide staff on what to do should a child’s whereabouts become unknown, and these are usually followed. However, one child’s safety plan is not explicit in how staff should respond if the child leaves the home late at night. On a recent occasion, the staff did not respond appropriately when the child left the home in the night. This leaves children vulnerable to harm.

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improvement to be good

Children have plans in place to manage their safety while using the internet. Staff understand these plans and are clear about Wi-Fi access. Children enjoy playing computer games and have regular discussions with staff about staying safe online. Staff supervise some of the children while gaming in the communal areas of the home. However, staff were unaware that one child had a game that was not appropriate for their age. This has been removed to ensure that the child’s well- being is safeguarded. Inspection report children’s home: SC062573 5 Children receive stability and learn new ways to regulate their behaviours. For some children who moved into the home due to their complex and challenging needs, including sexually harmful behaviours, significant progress has been made. Their risks have reduced, and they no longer require the high levels of supervision that they needed when they moved into the home. Some children can travel

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improvement to be good

independently, enjoy free time and now have access to a mobile phone.

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improvement to be good

Guidance on how to respond to escalating negative behaviour is available on children’s individual crisis support plans. Children are well supported in managing their aggression, and physical intervention is rarely used.

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improvement to be good

The manager obtains references and conduct Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks when recruiting staff. However, recruitment documents do not provide a thorough record. The manager was unable to show the outcome of the DBS check for one staff member, or the reasons for them leaving a previous employer. This limits the manager’s ability to assess the staff member’s suitability to work at the home.

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improvement to be good

Senior managers respond to concerns about staff’s conduct. The local authority designated officer is involved. Additional safeguards protect children while investigations are undertaken.

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good

An established and long-standing staff team cares for children. The manager is suitably qualified and senior managers are supportive and regularly present in the home.

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good

The provider has plans to close the home. Consultation is taking place with staff about change as senior managers acknowledge the uncertainty this can cause.

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good

Staff undertake training to fulfil their role and complete the Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare qualification. They have annual performance appraisals and regular supervision sessions. However, points for discussion do not routinely include the children or when incidents occur. Staff do not reflect on key matters affecting their work.

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good

Medication is stored safely. Timely action was taken in response to concerns about a child not taking their prescribed medication. However, the recording of staff administering controlled drugs is not in keeping with the provider's policy as records are not always dually signed. Medication audits have not alerted the manager to this.

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good

Children have good relationships with staff, and the practice of sanctions is rarely used. However, on the few occasions when sanctions are used, their effectiveness is not recorded. Therefore, the impact and success of these sanctions is not clear. Inspection report children’s home: SC062573 6 Incident records lack evaluation and the manager’s comments are not always complete. Staff do not always participate in formal debriefs when incidents occur. Opportunities are missed to demonstrate how managers support staff and review the outcomes of their practice.

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good

The quality of care review provides an understanding of the service, how children progress and how their needs are met. The manager has not sought the views of key people for the purpose of this review. This limits the actions set for ongoing service development.

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good

The premises are outdated, and areas of the home are institutionalised. Some children’s bedrooms and en suite facilities are in poor repair, unclean and unhygienic. This does not provide children with expectations about managing their personal space or support children to build a positive self-image. Inspection report children’s home: SC062573 7

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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

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that children’s bedrooms are maintained and cleaned to a good standard. 8 April 2022

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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; 8 April 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC062573 8 have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that guidance provided in risk assessments around smoking and the use of lighters ensures staff provide age-appropriate challenge to a child to ensure that their health and safety is maintained. Specifically, that there is clear direction for staff on expectations around the removal of lighters from a child’s bedroom, the purpose of room searches and recording the challenges that are made to a child who is smoking.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that fire drills are completed in a timely manner when children are admitted to the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff follow the procedures included in children’s Philomena protocols and that individual safety plans include guidance on how staff are to respond should a child leave the home overnight.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children do not access computer games that are not appropriate for their age.

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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— 8 April 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC062573 9 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

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that audit systems are robust and promote improved practice inclusive of controlled medication being dually signed when administered.

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that staff debriefs and evaluations are recorded following incidents.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff recruitment documents record the outcome of the DBS check and verification about the reasons for staff leaving a previous employer. 8 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 8 April 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC062573 10 In particular, the registered person must ensure that during supervision sessions discussions take place about children and incidents that have occurred.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they review the effectiveness of sanctions that are put in place to determine the impact these have had in supporting children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the quality of care review includes a review and evaluation of the views and opinions of parents, placing authorities and staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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: SC062573 11

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Cheryl Whitehouse

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Inspectors

Parveen Hussain, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC062573 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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