Children's Home run by Gravitas Care Limited in Calderdale

Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 1 Registered provider: Gravitas Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private organisation runs the home. The home provides care for up to two children who may require support to manage social and/or emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, one child was present at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager has been in post since 30 July 2202 and was registered on 10 October 2022.

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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: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 3

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improvement to be good

The shortfalls identified in the way in which children are helped and protected have contributed to the overall judgement of requires improvement to be good. This inspection identified that children’s welfare is not consistently safeguarded because some risks are not fully understood by staff.

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improvement to be good

Children have a varied experience of living at the home. One child’s experience was poor because their needs were not fully understood by staff or the manager. Staff were unable to care for the child in the way the child needed. This led to the child having an unplanned move from the home. This was disruptive to the child and does not fully promote their welfare or well-being.

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improvement to be good

Staff care about children and show high levels of empathy when talking about them. They want children to succeed and have strategies in place to help build children’s feelings of self-worth. One example of this is the use of an affirmation book, where staff write something memorable and positive about the child on a daily basis. This is shared with the child to ensure that their achievements are acknowledged, no matter how small.

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improvement to be good

When children need specialist help, for example in relation to their mental health, the manager works closely with other professionals. One child is now getting the right type of help because the manager advocated effectively on their behalf.

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improvement to be good

The staff support children to have hobbies and their personal interests are promoted. One child who was struggling to settle was supported to go fishing. This meant he was able to enjoy time away from negative peer influences and do something that he enjoyed.

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improvement to be good

The home environment is welcoming and friendly. Children are encouraged to decorate their rooms and influence how the home is presented. One child has chosen glitter paint for their bedroom and had painted their own wall with the support of staff. The child told the inspector, ‘I loved it.’

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences are captured through photographs and other mementos and presented in memory books. Children are also supported to choose alternative ways to keep memories. For example, one child has a subscription to a printing service which enables them to print photographs any time they choose. Staff understand the importance of helping children to remember good times and make every effort to ensure that these are captured. Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 4

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are poor and are not updated for children as situations change. This does not provide staff with clarity on how to respond. For example, for one child, there were indicators of criminal exploitation. Following a serious incident, steps required to reduce the risk to the child and staff were not considered. As a result, staff did not know what was expected of them. This practice does not help protect children or reduce the likelihood of them experiencing harm.

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improvement to be good

The home’s location assessment is not reviewed and updated when new risks relating to the location of the home become known. This means that the potential for harm is not fully understood by staff and, therefore, the risk remains.

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improvement to be good

The manager has failed to make safeguarding notifications to Ofsted as required. This means the regulator cannot be assured that the manager has taken all reasonable steps to safeguard children.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported regularly to discuss a wide range of important issues, including incidents. However, these conversations do not always help educate children about the risks. For example, one child was not helped to understand the risks of carrying offensive items. This does not help children to learn about how to keep themselves safe.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing, staff know what to do and act quickly. Children receive return home interviews by an independent person. The manager has used information from these interviews to consider what future action staff should take. Children who are missing receive a well-coordinated response.

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improvement to be good

Staff work with children to develop positive relationships. They use their relationships to encourage positive behaviour. For one child, staff have learned to read their non-verbal cues. This means staff are acting before situations escalate. The child is making progress with their ability to cope when in a group. The helps to ensure that the home environment remains calm.

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good

A lack of good decision-making around admission planning left staff ill-equipped to meet the needs of the child who came to live at the home. Staff and managers have since recognised that ineffective planning led to one child having a poor-quality experience living at the home.

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good

The previous manager left in April 2022. A new manager was recruited and registered with Ofsted in a timely manner. The manager and the responsible individual work well together and have a shared vision for the home. This provides children and staff with visible leadership and stability. Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 5 Staff say they are happy in their work and feel supported by the manager. They have regular team meetings which are well attended. Staff receive regular supervision that is improving in quality. However, some supervision records do not capture how managers are addressing practice issues. This means poor practice could go unchallenged.

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good

The systems in place for monitoring and evaluating the operation of the home are not robust. This means that the manager does not have a good enough oversight of some areas, such as the matters identified in this report. In addition, the manager has not produced a report evaluating children’s experiences of living in the home. This is a missed opportunity to learn and inform further development.

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good

The home’s statement of purpose does not accurately reflect the support on offer to children who move into the home. This means that local authorities may not have the information they need when deciding on whether this is the right home for a child.

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good

Children’s records are improving. For example, children’s plans are being changed to make them more child friendly. However, some of the work being completed with children is not consistently recorded. This means that children’s experiences are not captured in a way that supports them to understand their history.

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good

The manager is determined to improve the running of the home and ensure that decisions are made in the best interest of children. They have identified the strengths of the home and have an action plan in place to help them address the shortfalls. Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that risk assessments are up to date and are accurate and that staff know and follow these. In addition, the registered person must ensure that children are helped by staff to understand how to keep themselves safe. When new risks to children are identified, the registered person must ensure that children’s day-to-day care is reviewed, and safeguards are put in place that protect children. 16 December

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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— 16 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 7 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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c))

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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

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)) 16 December

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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, sexual exploitation;

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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. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 16 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 8 The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5)) 16 December

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that practice issues that arise are discussed with staff in supervision so that potential risks to children are minimised and that a record of the discussion is kept. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 9  The registered manager should ensure that when additional risks involving the location of the home are identified, the home’s location assessment is updated to reflect the strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 15.1)

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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: 2636225 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Gravitas Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1-3, Annes Place, Pellon Lane, Halifax HX1 5RB

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Inspector

Rachel Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 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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