Children's home run by Calderdale Council in Calderdale

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035154 1 SC035154

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by the local authority and provides care and accommodation for up to five children. The aim of the home is to apply the model of care to support children to be able to return home, to foster carers or to independent living. Three children currently live in this home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2020 and holds the relevant qualifications.

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This monitoring visit

On 5 and 6 July 2022 Ofsted carried out a full inspection at the home. The home was judged inadequate. Significant breaches in regulations relating to the safety and protection of children, the leadership and management standard, and care planning standard were found. Three compliance notices were issued for breaches under regulations 12, 13 and 14 and a restriction of accommodation was also issued. This monitoring visit was to review the progress made with this higher enforcement action.

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This monitoring visit

There has not been sufficient progress made against all steps in the compliance notices. There has been some action taken, but this is not sufficient to ensure that all steps have been fully addressed.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has undertaken a review of risk management plans, which have been streamlined and updated. However, some of these still remain unclear and are not up to date. This means that staff do not have current information about children’s risks and vulnerabilities.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has failed to ensure that staff are fully aware of any changes made to risk management plans. This has led to staff making unsafe decisions, which went against the risk management plans in place. A significant incident took place as a Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035154 2 result of this poor decision-making that put two of the children, staff and members of the public at significant risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

The provider is in the process of recruiting new staff. However, these staff are not yet in post. There are insufficient levels of staff in place and the children do not receive support from a stable and consistent team of staff.

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This monitoring visit

This staffing shortfall means that the registered and deputy managers continue to care for the children. This has taken the managers away from essential managerial tasks, which have resulted in the shortfalls in the manager’s oversight and monitoring of the home.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager now ensures that incident reports and physical interventions are evaluated in a timely way. Staff are aware of the outcome of these evaluations, and any actions needed, through a communication book. There is no system in place for the manager to assure herself that staff have read and understood this information. Staff continue to be inconsistent in how they respond in such situations.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has reviewed the previous process of communal areas being locked. No areas are restricted at night and children now have access to all areas that they should.

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This monitoring visit

The home has not had any new children move in or move out and are therefore adhering to the notice of restriction. The registered manager has received assurances that her decisions on which children move in to the home will not be overturned in the future. The provider has recognised the significant impact this had on all the children.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 05/07/2022 Full Inadequate 13/01/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 03/08/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/04/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035154 3

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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— that staff—

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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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 25 September

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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— 25 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035154 4 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

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))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that visits take place in person, consultation takes place with others and is accurately recorded, and that records are only reviewed for the time period the report covers and not records dated after the visit. 6 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035154 5

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035154 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Calderdale School Effectiveness Service, 2nd Floor, Westgate House, Westgate, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX1 1PS

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Inspector

Matt Reed, Her Majesty’s Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035154 7 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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