Children's Home run by Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited in Calderdale

Inspection report for children’s home: SC450728 1 SC450728 Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned and managed home for up to two children between the ages of six and 17 years. The home specialises in treatment programmes for children who have had attachment disruptions in early childhood.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2017 and is also the manager of another home.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living at the home on the day of the inspection.

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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 good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 22 September 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC450728 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/09/2021 Full Good 25/06/2019 Full Good 05/06/2018 Full Good 23/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC450728 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children receive a high standard of care from staff who are child-centred and nurturing. There is a great importance placed on using therapeutic activities to help the children to make sense of their feelings and experiences. This means that children can gain the skills to use more positive strategies to cope with difficult emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at this home are provided with a sense of safety and stability. This is because staff understand the importance of building secure and trusted relationships with children. This means that children experience a high standard of care, and this helps them to make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to take part in activities which help them to enjoy their hobbies and interests. Children enjoy visiting places of interest and on short-break holidays with staff. This provides children with the same experiences as their peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress in their education. This is because managers and staff understand the children’s needs and they have identified the barriers to their education. Staff have helped children to access education that meets their individual needs. This provides children with improved opportunities for their future learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have benefited from improved health and well-being since living at this home. Staff support children to overcome anxieties about health appointments. This has meant that children with unmet health needs have now been able to access health assessments and additional treatments. Consequently, the children have become more confident at managing their own health needs, which is an essential skill for when they move into adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s emotional needs are well understood by the staff who care for them. There is an emphasis on relationships, self-worth and building confidence in the discussions staff have with the children. This positive approach has meant that children are better equipped to build healthy relationships and to recognise when a relationship is harmful.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place a great importance on supporting children to spend time with the people who are important to them. Staff have helped children and parents to build their relationships, which has meant the time they spend together has increased. This helps to prepare a support network for children when they leave the home.

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

Staff understand the children’s individual risks and vulnerabilities. For one child, a high level of adult supervision has meant that their presenting risks have reduced. Staff manage this sensitively in conjunction with multi-agency partners. This means Inspection report for children’s home: SC450728 4 that the level of adult supervision is planned and reduces over time. This approach has undoubtedly helped to equip the child with the skills they need to make choices that will keep them increasingly safe.

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

Risk assessments identify the risks to children, but some records provide conflicting information about the steps to follow to reduce the risks to children. This means that staff do not always have clear guidance about the steps they need to follow. This has the potential to increase some of the risks for children.

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

The risk of children going missing has reduced. When children do go missing, staff follow the steps in place to ensure that the risks to the children are managed. Staff have discussions with children about the risks from others when they are in the community. This helps to build children’s understanding of risk when they are out in the community.

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

The relationships between staff and children are strong. Staff provide children with structure, routine and strong boundaries, which means they have a sense of safety and security. Positive behaviour is encouraged through praise and reward. This positive approach allows children to express their emotions in a safer way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children well. She has a good understanding of their childhood experiences and how this has had an impact on their lives. She is tenacious about children’s progress and ensuring that the children receive the best quality of care that meets their individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported and valued by the manager. Staff said: ‘The manager is approachable and a good role model.’ She is ambitious about staff development to ensure continuous improvement in the care that staff provide for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision sessions that are reflective and in which the needs of the children are discussed. The manager challenges poor practice effectively. This is because discussions are reflective, and she promotes learning and development for staff. This means that staff can provide a high standard of care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to the training and resources they need to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills to meet the children’s needs. However, the systems in place have meant that there has sometimes been a delay in newly appointed staff accessing all training. This means that some staff are not fully equipped to meet the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are strong audit and monitoring tools in place to track and review the quality of care for children and their welfare. The manager has good oversight of the progress the children are making. The manager ensures independent scrutiny of the home. However, this is not effective because it does not always provide the manager with challenge or suggestions on how to improve the quality of care children receive. Inspection report for children’s home: SC450728 5 Partnership working is a key strength. One social worker said: ‘Regarding communication, this is one of the best homes I have worked with.’ This manager and staff see this collaborative approach as essential to the children’s well-being and safety. This helps to provide the best support for children and brings improved outcomes. Inspection report for children’s home: SC450728 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk assessments do not provide conflicting information and that the strategies identified to reduce the risks are being used. This is in relation to the use of door alarms. 16 October 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have access to appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in training and development of staff in the home. They should ensure that staff receive training to meet the needs of the children living in the home. This should be done in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 53, paragraph 10)  The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make the best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. They should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24) Inspection report for children’s home: SC450728 7

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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 for children’s home: SC450728 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Ripponden Mill, Mill Fold, Ripponden Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire HX6 4DH

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Dominic Macauley

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Inspector

Rachel Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC450728 9 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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