Children's home run by Hollybank Trust in Kirklees

Inspection report for children’s home: SC034415 1 SC034415 Registered provider: Hollybank Trust Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a charitable trust. It provides a mix of short breaks and long-term care for up to seven children and young people with complex physical disabilities and associated communication, sensory and/or learning difficulties. At the time of the inspection, three children and two young people were living at the home on a long-term basis. Two children were also at the home on a short-break arrangement.

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Information about this children’s home

The interim manager has applied to Ofsted to become the registered manager of the home.

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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: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC034415 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/03/2022 Full Good 18/02/2020 Full Good 05/08/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC034415 3

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improvement to be good

Shortfalls identified in how well children are helped and protected and the effectiveness of leaders and managers mean that children’s overall experience and progress are not consistently good.

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improvement to be good

The interior of the home lacks evidence of the personalities that form part of daily life in the home. For example, the inspectors noted that wall displays are incomplete and some of the sensory equipment does not work. The lack of these sensory elements makes the environment less homely for children.

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improvement to be good

Some children have complex physical health needs. This means that each child has a carefully written moving and handling plan. These plans are regularly reviewed and updated by health professionals. This helps to ensure that staff know how to best support the children. However, the inspectors noted that, on at least one occasion, an out-of-date plan has remained on display for staff to follow. This increases the risk of staff inadvertently following incorrect professional instructions concerning the care of the children.

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improvement to be good

Staff know the children in their care and talk about their characters and unique traits with love and compassion. Staff are knowledgeable about the children’s likes and dislikes. The inspectors observed staff enjoying spending time with children, singing and playing games. The atmosphere is calm, and the children appear relaxed and happy.

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improvement to be good

Parents told the inspectors that they are confident that their children are safe and well cared for at the home. Parents also reported that their children have made sustained progress since coming to live in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff make concerted efforts to understand and communicate with children. In doing so, staff encourage children to make choices through eliciting their wishes and feelings. This enables staff to exercise the children’s wishes, which supports their overall development.

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improvement to be good

Children who live at the home on a long-term basis benefit from having a predictable routine, which incorporates their access to school. There is good cohesion between care and teaching staff. This ensures that children benefit from continuity of care.

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improvement to be good

There are shortfalls in safeguarding practices. On at least one occasion, the interim manager has failed to consult with a placing social worker when there was a concern Inspection report for children’s home: SC034415 4 about a child. This means that important information was not recorded or shared in a timely manner. This does not give assurances that safeguarding practice is effective and could undermine stakeholders’ confidence in the manager’s ability to take swift action to address concerns.

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improvement to be good

All children who live permanently at the home have an impact risk assessment. These assessments show that leaders and managers have diligently considered and assessed the children’s needs prior to children moving into the home. However, this system is not in place for children who access the home for short breaks. The absence of a formal admissions process increases the risk of the manager overlooking essential information about the child.

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improvement to be good

The interim manager told the inspectors that they expect staff to carry out an activity risk assessment prior to taking children into the community. However, the interim manager could only find a few examples of activity risk assessments to show the inspectors. Consequently, the inspectors could not confidently form a view that this practice consistently keeps children safe from harm.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there has been a significant escalation of staff mismanagement around the administration of children’s medication. However, the interim manager has made good efforts to learn why this has been the case. In doing so, the interim manager has recognised vulnerabilities in the process that resulted in staff making mistakes. This enabled the interim manager to mitigate risks, which supports staff and better protects children from harm.

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improvement to be good

The trust’s recruitment process is thorough. There is curiosity that enables the trust to better understand gaps in the prospective staff member’s employment history. Information and lines of accountability are clear. This enables the trust to be as confident as it can be in that the staff recruited do not have existing safeguarding concerns.

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good

There has been a change of management in the home since the last inspection. The responsible individual ensured that this change was well planned. The interim manager had opportunities to shadow the previous registered manager’s practice. Despite this, internal monitoring of the home is not always effective. The interim manager had not identified all the weaknesses found at this inspection.

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good

There are gaps in the interim manager’s knowledge around children’s legislation and the trust’s procedures that stem from this legal framework. Consequently, the interim manager has overlooked important aspects concerning the operation of the home, such as arranging mandatory training for staff, the value of meaningful staff supervision and the prompt repair of a child’s bedroom furniture. Cumulatively, these factors affect the experiences of children who live at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034415 5 Staff supervision sessions are infrequent and do not show good reflective practice. Inspectors saw evidence that the supervisor has missed opportunities to show how they have addressed queries that staff have raised. Infrequent supervision and poor supervision recordings diminish the capacity for learning and staff feeling valued. This practice also increases the risk for staff to misinterpret their supervisor’s

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good

The interim manager is not using the processes effectively that are at their disposal to galvanise the staff team to better invest in the functioning of the home. Team meetings are poorly attended and staff do not contribute to team meeting agendas. These issues weaken the flow of information across the team. It also reduces the manager’s ability to instil a sense of collective ownership concerning the care of the children and young people in the home.

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good

The interim manager does not yet fully understand the systems that are in place to help with the management oversight of the home. This means that auditing processes are not yet effective. Additionally, leaders and managers have not fully addressed shortfalls in practice from the independent visitor when they have occurred. A failure to scrutinise effectively, and act when needed, around the home’s operation will have implications on the care of the children and young people in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034415 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

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

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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 effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(e)) 15 April 2023

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 15 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC034415 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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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)(b) (2)(a)(b)(f)(g)(i)(h))

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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.

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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, asset out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must plan effectively for children who are admitted to the home on short breaks by considering the child’s needs. 15 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 15 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC034415 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should provide a homely, domestic environment. The home must comply with relevant health and safety legislation, such as alarms and food hygiene. However, in doing so, the home should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. The manager should ensure that steps are taken to repair malfunctioning sensory equipment in a reasonable time frame. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. Additionally, the individual appointed to visit the home should do so monthly and the registered person should duly challenge any inaccuracies raised in the report. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes

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Recommendations

Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: SC034415 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hollybank Trust, Far Common Road, Mirfield WF14 0DQ

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Inspectors

Steve Guirey, Social Care Inspector Emma Ridley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC034415 10 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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