Children's home run by Wakefield Council

Inspection report for children's home: 2544274 1 Registered provider: Wakefield Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority owns and manages this home. It provides care and accommodation for up to two children whose plan is to live in a medium- or long-term residential setting.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably qualified.

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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: 16 February 2022

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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: 2544274 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/02/2022 Full Good 04/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2544274 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are two children living in this home. One child has lived here for more than three years. Both children told the inspector they enjoyed living at the home and they liked the staff that looked after them. The inspector observed warm responses and rapport between the children and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress from their individual starting points and have positive experiences. Relationships with staff are based on mutual trust and respect. One child has progressed from having very little verbal communication to now speaking to staff and her peers. Staff are proud of the progress that children make.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy healthy lifestyles and their health and well-being is prioritised. Staff encourage children to be more active and offer a range of healthy meals. Direct work with children is positive and children learn from this. These sessions have helped children reach a healthy weight and their health has improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to access activities and have more experiences. Staff’s knowledge of the children allows them to explore activities the children may enjoy. Children have enjoyed going horse riding, go-karting and swimming. Children have developed confidence and self-esteem and are a part of their local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Diversity and difference are respected and celebrated. Children’s cultural and individual needs are recognised as being important to their identity. Staff support children to learn how to cook meals that they identify with their heritage. Children learn about other religions and celebrations through theme nights, and the exposure to different cultures makes them more aware of diversity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s learning. Children’s attendance at school has improved from their starting points. They also participate in extracurricular activities, which is helping them to develop appropriate peer group friendships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have positive relationships with the children’s families. Staff ensure children have time with people who are important to them and are flexible as to when this can happen. Staff keep families updated regularly on children’s progress. This partnership work means families are kept included in their children’s lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children moving into or moving on from the home have thoughtful and bespoke planning. Staff, children and their families are involved in the transitions. This careful planning has led to one child returning home to his family. Staff have continued to provide support to the family even after the move back home. A social worker said, ‘Because of the care of staff, he [the child] is motivated and has aspirations.’ The child said, ‘They kept their promise and have stayed in touch.’ Inspection report for children's home: 2544274 4 The home environment is well decorated, furnished and is welcoming. Children have furnished their bedrooms to their individual personalities and tastes. When one child was asked if they had chosen the colours for their bedroom, the child replied, ‘Yes, can’t you tell? I chose all the pink.’ Children’s games and toys are visible in the living spaces, and children were observed playing with their toys and games together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children said they like living with each other.

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

Children have access to therapy to help them better regulate their feelings and emotions. The manager receives advice from the therapist and ensures that staff practice aligns with these recommendations. This ensures that staff practice complements the therapy that is being delivered and children receive consistent care and support.

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

Children have very limited free time away from their home. Staff accompany children when they leave the home for an activity and transport children to school. This does not allow children to take age-appropriate risks.

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

There are no incidents of children going missing from home and no concerns regarding exploitation. Staff have regular training in safeguarding, and this is also discussed in supervisions. Safeguarding practice is strong and staff understand how to respond and raise any concerns through the whistle-blowing policies.

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

Children have individual and bespoke behaviour support plans that allow staff to use de-escalation techniques to help children manage their behaviours. Children respond well to staff intervening, using words and positive body language and facial expressions. This allows children to flourish and have a positive experience of being cared for.

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

There has only been one physical intervention in this period. Staff only hold children as a last resort. When this has been used, the records were reviewed to ensure the measure was proportionate. While the detail and accuracy provide a true reflection of the incident, the record was not made within the required timescales. In addition, the staff member involved had not been debriefed within timescales, and there was no record of the child being debriefed by the registered person within timescales, either. As the staff member had locked themselves in the room to be safe, there was no review of the lone risk assessment should an incident like this happen again.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is registered for another two-bedded home. She manager is child focused and has high aspirations for the children and staff. The manager is accessible to the children and the inspector observed a warm and caring relationship towards the children. The manager leads a stable and committed staff team that provides a high standard of care for the children. Inspection report for children's home: 2544274 5 Staff and professionals speak positively about the manager and describe her as approachable and supportive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular staff meetings take place. These provide staff with opportunities to reflect on children’s behaviours and identify areas on how to improve their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular supervision which offers support and appropriate challenge. Quarterly appraisals provide the manager with ongoing oversight of staff practice and their progress and development. The workforce development plan is updated regularly, and the manager has clear plans for the service to improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager responds effectively to the recommendations made by the independent visitor and this further enhances the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have the right skills and training to meet the individual needs of the children. The staff’s training in therapeutic models provides staff with knowledge around trauma that children have experienced. This supports staff to work with children and have a better understanding of what support they need. Inspection report for children's home: 2544274 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

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”)—

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Requirement Due date

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 4 December 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2544274 7 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. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that records of holds and debriefs are made within timescales.

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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: 2544274 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Wakefield Council, County Hall, Bond Street, Wakefield WF1 2QW

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Cheryl Whitehouse

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Inspector

Aasia Hussain, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2544274 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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