Children's Home run by Helm Care Services Ltd in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 1 Registered provider: Helm Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider. It provides care for up to three children who cannot live at home due to emotional and social difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 3

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improvement to be good

Since the home was registered with Ofsted in May 2022, two children have moved into the home, and one child has moved out.

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improvement to be good

Children’s views are captured well, and they are involved in making decisions about their lives. They are supported and encouraged to attend meetings and the manager is a strong advocate for them.

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improvement to be good

Children receive good-quality key work. Issues specific to the children are discussed and staff work hard to engage the children in this work.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to maintain positive relationships with their families. Staff work closely with children and their families, and this helps children to rebuild important family relationships.

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improvement to be good

Care plans do not contain all the relevant information staff need to care for the children. This means children receive inconsistent care and it is not always clear whether staff are meeting children’s needs.

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improvement to be good

Children have not made progress in education. Children have not attended any education provisions since living at the home. This does not support their future opportunities.

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improvement to be good

Children move into the home without managers considering how risks will be appropriately managed. This has meant that one child moved on from the home in an unplanned way.

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improvement to be good

Risks are identified and understood by staff. However, they are not managed consistently and in line with the strategies in children’s risk management plans. When children go missing from care, staff responses are inconsistent and not in line with children’s plans.

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improvement to be good

Recording of incidents is not consistent. Children and staff are not always debriefed, and the manager has not had oversight of all the incidents that have occurred. The manager has already identified this, and improvements are being made.

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improvement to be good

Physical interventions are used as a last resort and are used only when necessary. However, the recording system in place for these interventions does not include all the information required. This means that the manager cannot evaluate the use of Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 4 physical interventions effectively. This is a missed opportunity to learn from incidents and identify any further actions required to help and protect children.

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improvement to be good

Rewards and sanctions are used appropriately, and positive behaviour is encouraged. However, the manager does not have oversight of all measures used so their effectiveness is not evaluated.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment practice is inconsistent. This poor practice has the potential to have a negative effect on the safety of the children living at the home.

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good

The manager is experienced and passionate. She knows the children well and is very child-centred.

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good

The manager has a clear understanding of the progress the children have made and has been proactive in challenging other agencies when children do not get the service they need.

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good

Staff receive frequent supervision and probation reviews. However, supervision is not reflective and does not discuss the children.

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good

Some of the monitoring systems are effective and practice issues have been identified and addressed. However, the manager does not always make effective use of internal monitoring systems. This means that not all shortfalls or required improvements are recognised.

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good

There are shortfalls in staff training, particularly in relation to specific issues for the children, such as criminal exploitation. This means that not all staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to provide safe care to children.

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good

The home’s statement of purpose has not been updated and sent to Ofsted to reflect the changes in the staff team.

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good

The manager has failed to notify Ofsted when serious incidents have occurred in the home. This hinders Ofsted’s ability to review the information in notifications to ensure that the provider has taken appropriate action to address the concerns. Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 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 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare.

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to ensuring that the risk management strategies identified in children’s risk assessments are consistently followed by staff. 13 November

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(h)) 13 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 6 This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff have training relevant to their roles and the manager uses effective monitoring and review systems to make improvements.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to ensuring that children are admitted into the home in a planned way considering the risk they could pose to one another. 13 November

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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.

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to the manager ensuring that the statement of purpose is sent to Ofsted when changes in staffing occur. 13 November

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

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character; 13 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 7 the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The specifically relates to ensuring that all references from previous employers when staff have worked with children are obtained.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)— 13 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 8 has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This refers to ensuring that any incidents of physical intervention are recorded as such.

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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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to,

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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;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); 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

(Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that Ofsted is notified of any serious incidents. 13 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 9

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff supervision enables staff to reflect on their own feelings and behaviour and how their feelings and behaviour may affect the children they care for. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.15)

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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: 2677619 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Helm Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Woodside Avenue, Shipley BD18 4EQ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Rachel Greenwood

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Inspector

Rachael Crook, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 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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