Children's Home run by Your Chapter Limited in Calderdale

Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1234317 1 Registered provider: Your Chapter Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A private company owns and operates the home, offering short- to medium-term care for up to six children aged from 11 to 17 years. The children may have experienced trauma and exploitation and may also have emotional and/or social difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home has a registered manager; however, he was absent from work at the time of the inspection. There is an interim manager overseeing the day-to-day management of the home. There were four children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

p.1

Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

p.1

Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1234317 2

p.1

Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and/or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection:

p.2

Findings from the inspection

 There is a failure to assess known risks to children. Risk assessments do not clearly identify children’s needs and vulnerabilities, nor do they provide guidance for staff to follow.

p.2

Findings from the inspection

 Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that thorough impact risk assessments have taken place for children.

p.2

Findings from the inspection

 There is a failure to highlight and discuss children’s known risks in staff supervision sessions and in team meetings.

p.2

Findings from the inspection

 Leaders and managers have failed to take quick action to address shortfalls identified by the independent visitor.

p.2

The care of children

Managers do not make well-considered decisions when new children move into the home. Compatibility risk assessments lack detail and evaluation. As a result, the manager has offered placements to children without identifying and assessing their full range of needs.

p.2

The care of children

When new admissions to the home are made, these are chaotic and poorly managed. Children have quickly influenced each other, and incidents have increased. The manager’s failure to assess the needs of each child prior to admission has resulted in additional disruption in the home.

p.2

The care of children

Children have moved into the home during a period when other children are experiencing crises and are unsettled. The planning for admissions has lacked consideration towards staff capacity to meet the children’s needs. Additionally, there is a worrying lack of consideration given to risk management. Fundamentally, these issues undermine the positive attributes of care that children experience in the home.

p.2

The care of children

More positively, the manager has made a significant effort to create a comfortable and homely environment for children to live in. Framed photos of children are present throughout the home. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to reflect the child’s interests. Because of this, children are more likely to feel valued.

p.2

The care of children

Staff encourage children to pursue their interests and hobbies. Children enjoy accessing various activities in their local community. These efforts create opportunities for relationships to develop. Furthermore, staff are creating opportunities to develop children’s self-confidence and interests. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1234317 3

p.2

The safety of children

Social workers highlight known risks associated with the children’s behaviours in the child’s referral information. Despite this, there is a failure to evaluate how staff will manage these risks from the outset of the child moving into the home. This significantly increases the child’s vulnerability and the capacity for staff to keep children safer.

p.3

The safety of children

There is a failure to consult and involve staff in the referral process. Staff stated that they feel underprepared and ill-equipped to safely care for children when they move into the home. This places a negligible amount of responsibility on staff around risk management. As a result, this has created unnecessary anxiety in the staff team.

p.3

The safety of children

The provider has failed to provide access to the children’s records for the inspector, independent visitor and staff. This depletes the transparency of the setting. Additionally, and crucially, it prevents staff from learning about the children and adding to the child’s records.

p.3

The safety of children

Team meetings fail to capitalise on the opportunity to enhance the team’s ability to manage children’s known risks. The manager has missed the opportunity for collective input and shared responsibility around the children’s care.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

There is a failure to maintain a transparent and open dialogue with the regulator. Despite the responsible individual having concern over the manager’s performance, they failed to communicate their concern to the inspector prior to the manager’s registration interview with Ofsted. This evidenced a failure to halt perceived poor practice, consequently undermining children’s progress at the home.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Probation staff do not receive frequent supervision, as highlighted in the home’s statement of purpose. When probation staff do receive supervision, there is no record of discussion around safeguarding children. Supervision sessions fail to enhance staff development or promote any sense of accountability.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The independent visitor’s reports are thorough and insightful. However, there is a failure to act on and challenge the independent visitor’s findings. This undermines the independent visitor’s role, at times misrepresents the home and, most significantly, increases the risk of harm to children. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1234317 4

p.3

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/01/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 25/05/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/02/2020 Full Inadequate Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1234317 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

*The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.5

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;

p.5

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

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)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 4 December 2022

p.5

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— 4 December 2022 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1234317 6 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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)(e)(f)(g)(i)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

that arrangements are in place to— 4 December 2022 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1234317 7 ensure the effective induction of each child into the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i))

p.6

Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1234317 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Your Chapter Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3 Hobart House, Oakwater Drive, Cheadle Royal Business Park, Cheadle, Cheshire SK8 3SR

p.8

Inspector

Steve Guirey, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1234317 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9