Children's Home run by Kirklees Council in Kirklees

Inspection report children’s home: SC033367 1 SC033367 Registered provider: Kirklees Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority owns and operates the children’s home. The home provides short- to medium-term 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 registered with Ofsted in October 2020.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

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

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 28 September 2021

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC033367 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/09/2021 Full Good 07/11/2019 Full Good 07/11/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 17/04/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC033367 3

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inadequate

The overall experiences and progress of children in the home are poor. Identified needs are not well met, and children are not being sufficiently supported by staff. The staff team’s ability to help children to remain safe and improve their outcomes is limited because there is a lack of clear guidance from the management team. This has led to unstructured and, at times, chaotic care practices from staff.

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inadequate

The physical environment of the home is not a comfortable space for children to live. The communal living areas are bare and lack personality and character. There are little or no soft furnishings and no personalisation. This is detrimental to children’s day-to-day experiences.

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inadequate

Staff do not promote children’s physical health. Staff do not consistently address concerns, such as children smoking. This poses a significant risk to children’s health. Staff do not ensure that children attend all health appointments. This may impact children’s short- and long-term health outcomes.

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inadequate

Children’s care plans do not reflect their needs. There is an absence of detail, meaning that staff are vulnerable to overlooking key areas that the children require support with. Staff fail to relay key information to one another, both verbally and in written form. This means that some staff are ineffective in their ability to fully support the children.

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inadequate

Children’s recent experiences of moving in to and out of this home are poor. Children who have recently moved out of the home were not emotionally prepared. One child moved out with very little preparation. This has a detrimental impact on the children’s experiences and progress.

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inadequate

Staff shortages have proved to be a challenge. This has resulted in children being cared for by staff who do not fully understand children’s needs, risks and vulnerabilities. As a result, children’s risk-taking behaviour has increased.

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inadequate

Staff covering gaps on the rota are entering the home at various points in the day, with little or no structure. This creates a chaotic environment. The system in place for daily handover is ineffective. For example, the inspectors observed that crucial information relating to the children risk taking behaviour was not handed over to staff working in the home. This is not good practice and increases the risk of harm to children.

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

Staff fail to manage or address specific concerns around children’s risk taking behaviour and missing episodes. The number of these incidents has increased. This Inspection report children’s home: SC033367 4 further demonstrates that staff are not equipped to address these worrying behaviours.

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

Staff do not take immediate action to keep children safe. The inspectors observed ineffective action and ambivalence from staff when a child was seen engaging in risk taking behaviour in the home. This clearly highlights that staff are unaware of what action to take to protect children from harm.

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

The manager does not ensure that children are appropriately supported and supervised by staff. On one occasion, children acquired a set of master keys, enabling access to the office without staff knowledge. In addition, staff lock some areas of the home, such as the kitchen, as a measure to manage children’s behaviour. This practice is not risk assessed and the rationale for this measure is unclear.

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

Staff do not routinely go into children’s bedrooms to remove cigarette lighters, tobacco and vapes. In addition, staff have failed to respond when children have brought cannabis into the home. This means that children have been left in possession of illicit substances. This presents a serious risk of harm to children’s safety.

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

Staff do not have the skills to address children’s worrying behaviours. There are many examples of concerning behaviour, such as racist slurs written on children’s doors that staff have simply left with no endeavour to clean off or work with the child to address this. This is not good practice and compromises children’s views of the world around them, which may affect their life chances in the future.

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

The condition of the home is poor. Managers do not ensure that repairs are carried out quickly. This creates hazards for children and staff. As a result, the home is not a safe and comfortable environment for the children living there.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are significant shortfalls with the leadership and management of the home. The manager does not have effective systems in place to ensure that staff work as a cohesive team. This means that children frequently experience inconsistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has failed to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. Due to the shortfalls in monitoring, the manager has been unable to identify and address the shortfalls found at this inspection. Furthermore, poor monitoring does not allow the manager to track children’s progress easily.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not consistently have regular supervisions. Records of discussions are, at times, extremely brief and lack dates. Staff team meetings are infrequent and are not timely enough to respond to children’s needs. Staff report that leaders and managers do not sufficiently support them to undertake their roles effectively. Inspection report children’s home: SC033367 5 Poor communication between staff means that staff are ill-equipped to manage the children’s behaviour. In addition, staff struggle to apply the model of care described in the statement of purpose. As a result, children experience chaotic and unstructured models of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not done enough to acknowledge the children’s wishes and feelings. The management team has recognised the shortfalls in care planning as the children have been vocal about their anxieties around their plans. Despite this, the children have not been given the reassurance they need from staff about their future plans. Consequently, children have lived with unnecessary stress, which has affected their ability to cope emotionally.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has failed to update staff training records. This means that the manager does not have sound oversight of what the team’s training needs are. This is another example of the home failing to operate within its own statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Recording systems and case records in the home are disorganised, inaccurate and chaotic. This increases the risk of staff misplacing, losing or breaching children’s confidential information. Inspection report children’s home: SC033367 6

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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 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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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; 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 located so that children are effectively safeguarded; 1 August 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC033367 7 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

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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)(vii)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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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 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and 1 August 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC033367 8 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)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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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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understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff—

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understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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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)(a)(b)(i)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the home is an inviting and stimulating environment for children as outlined in the statement of purpose. 1 August 2022

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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 help each child to— 1 August 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC033367 9 achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff understand their responsibilities when promoting the children’s health. When children are engaging in behaviours that are detrimental to their health, ensure that there is a clear strategy to address this so that children do not receive mixed messages. When children do not attend scheduled health appointments, ensure that they are rebooked and children are encouraged to attend for the benefit or their health and well-being.

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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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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

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; 1 August 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC033367 10 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

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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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

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that there is consistency and an awareness of applying the model of care highlighted within the home’s statement of purpose. Ensure that staff apply consistent and coherent boundaries for children. Ensure that the children’s care plans accurately reflect the children’s needs and that staff are attuned to these.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 1 August 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC033367 11 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that transitions in to and out of the home for children are well considered and are in the children’s best interests.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 1 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)) 1 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). 1 August 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC033367 12 When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2))

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: SC033367 13

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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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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Katryn Medina-Hamilton

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Inspectors

Steve Guirey, Social Care Inspector Paula Kelly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC033367 14 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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