Children's home run by Care Management Solutions Limited in Kirklees

Inspection report for children’s home: SC423442 1 SC423442 Registered provider: Care Management Solutions Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is currently vacant. An acting manager is managing the home.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC423442 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/06/2022 Full Good 23/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/03/2020 Full Good 22/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC423442 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they enjoy living in this home. One professional said, ‘[Name of child] is making significant progress and is happy and settled there.’ Two children have lived in the home for over two years and say that if they cannot live with their families, then this is where they want to live and that the home feels ‘calm’.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the value of positive experiences, and they encourage the children to engage in different activities. One child has experienced lots of activities for the first time, such as bowling, riding a rollercoaster and going to the seaside. Staff capture these moments in photos for the children to look back on.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living in this home are supported to achieve their full educational potential. One professional said, ‘[Name of child] has made huge progress in terms of them [staff] supporting her back into education.’ When children are not in education, the staff support them with the delivery of informal educational activities. One child’s spoken English has improved while living in this home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s voices are heard. Their wishes and feelings are captured in several different forums. Children’s meetings are held regularly, with good attendance from all children. Children are encouraged and supported to complete a weekly feedback form. This form explores with the children their achievements and where they may need more help. The manager has good oversight of these different forums and a good understanding of what the children say about the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to make a complaint. They say that they have at least one trusted member of staff that they would go to. Children were observed to be relaxed and confident with staff. However, one child was not accessing support from an independent advocate. This support would allow the child to share any worries or concerns that they may have with a person who is independent of their current carers and professionals.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff in this home promote the importance of keeping healthy. Children are supported to attend all health appointments, including keeping up to date with dentist and optician appointments. Children are supported with their emotional health and well-being, and staff make appropriate referrals to services such as the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). Children are supported to understand difficult decisions about their care in a sensitive way, for example when there are delays in court proceedings.

p.3

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

Staff help to keep the children as safe as possible. Children’s risk assessments are kept up to date, and staff understand the different risks for each child. One Inspection report for children’s home: SC423442 4 professional said, ‘They [the staff team] work very hard to keep her [the child] safe, and when incidents do occur, the communication is absolutely brilliant.’

p.3

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

Staff understand the importance of safeguarding. Staff feel confident to report safeguarding concerns to the manager. This has resulted in investigations into staff practice and appropriate actions being taken to safeguard all children in the home.

p.4

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

The staff support the children to understand what positive behaviour looks like. Children’s positive behaviours are celebrated and rewarded. Children are also supported to understand their perceived negative behaviours and how staff can help them to reduce these. For example, children are supported to have restorative conversations with one another when they have disagreements.

p.4

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

The number of times that children go missing from this home has decreased. If a child does go missing, the staff are proactive in looking for them. Local authority missing-from-care protocols are used to help find the child as quickly as possible. The staff have useful links with the local police, and when appropriate, they use the Police Intelligence Portal to share any concerns that may arise when a child goes missing, for example concerns of child exploitation. However, return home interviews are not offered to all children. This would help to provide all professionals with a better understanding of the child’s experience during the period of being missing from home.

p.4

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

Physical interventions are used only when they are necessary to keep the child and others safe. The children and staff are provided with a debrief after each incident by someone independent from the incident. This helps them all to repair relationships and learn how to reduce the risk of future incidents. However, there are gaps in some records with delays in recordings. It is not always evident that a manager has signed these records.

p.4

good

The leaders and managers have not maintained the home to a high standard. When damage is caused, action is not taken quickly enough to repair the damage. Two children’s bedroom windows are broken and secured by boards. One child’s bedroom has holes in the wallpaper and writing on the paintwork. Essential repair and redecoration of children’s bedrooms would help to create a greater sense of pride and belonging in this home.

p.4

good

Leaders have not been successful in identifying all shortfalls or concerns in the home. For example, repeated recommendations made by the independent visitor have not been met. The current manager is new to the role and in an acting position, and therefore support is needed from the responsible individual to help ensure that the quality of care is reviewed consistently.

p.4

good

The manager reports notifications under regulation 40 when serious incidents occur. However, these reports do not always contain enough detail, and some notifications Inspection report for children’s home: SC423442 5 are delayed. This means that the regulator cannot always evaluate whether all the necessary steps have been taken to safeguard the children.

p.4

good

Two children currently living in this home can, on occasion, need two-to-one staff support to help them manage their emotional health. Contingency planning would help prepare staff for any shortfalls in staffing levels at these times.

p.5

good

The manager keeps staff up to date and involved in all decisions for the home. Team meetings are held regularly, with good attendance from all staff. Staff are invited to add information to the agenda. The manager also holds ‘Friday chats’ with the staff. This is an informal forum for reflection on the week and to create plans for the following week. Inspection report for children’s home: SC423442 6

p.5

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.6

Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

p.6

Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

p.6

Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

p.6

Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must escalate concerns to the relevant professionals when—

p.6

Requirement Due date

key documents relating to children are not provided by the local authority;

p.6

Requirement Due date

return home interviews are not being offered to children by their home local authority;

p.6

Requirement Due date

children are not provided with the opportunity for independent advocacy services. 16 June 2023

p.6

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— 16 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC423442 7 understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

p.6

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that any damage to the home is repaired quickly and with consultation with the children, and that all children’s bedrooms are decorated to a high standard, with appropriate furniture to meet their needs.

p.7

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—

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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; 16 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC423442 8 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”) —

p.7

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

p.8

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to recording all use of physical intervention with children.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

p.8

Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

p.8

Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and 16 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC423442 9 any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

p.8

Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

p.9

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that those with a leadership role are visible and accessible to the staff and are able to deliver their leadership responsibilities to ensure that the quality standards are met for each child in the home. In particular, the responsible individual must ensure that the home’s manager is supported in their role. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.7)  The registered person should ensure that contingency plans are prepared in the event of a shortfall in staffing levels. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.18)  The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location

p.9

Recommendations

and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

p.9

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: SC423442 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care Management Solutions Limited

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 57 Lydgate, Lepton, Huddersfield HD8 0LT

p.10

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Rebecca Halliwell

p.10

Inspector

Jo Birtwhistle, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC423442 11 regulates and inspects 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.

p.10

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 . 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.11

Inspector

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

p.11

Inspector

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

p.11