Children's Home run by CareTech Community Services Limited in Kirklees

Inspection report for children’s home: 1236450 1 Registered provider: CareTech Community Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. It provides a specialist service for up to five children who have learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder and/or other complex needs and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were five children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 7 September 2022

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1236450 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/09/2022 Full Good 07/02/2022 Full Good 11/02/2020 Full Outstanding 18/12/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 1236450 3

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inadequate

There are significant shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home, which means that the children’s welfare and safety are compromised. Consequently, despite the progress for some children, their overall experiences are poor as their safety is not prioritised.

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inadequate

The registered manager and staff have failed to ensure that the home is kept clean, tidy and maintained to a suitable standard to provide the children with a nurturing home environment.

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inadequate

Language used by some staff and in some of the children’s documents is not child- friendly. The staff label children with a diagnosis before this has been confirmed by a medical professional. This stigmatising language is not factual or helpful to children.

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inadequate

Children are supported to spend time with their parents and people who are important to them. Parents speak positively about the support that they receive from the home. One parent said, ‘They [staff] are supportive of my time with [name of child].’

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inadequate

Children make some progress in some areas of their development as the staff work hard to communicate with them. As a result, one child’s speech has improved while living in this home.

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inadequate

All children in the home are supported to attend school or college. At times when children are not in education, the staff encourage the children to engage in a range of different activities.

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

One child was deprived of their liberty on one known occasion, resulting in the child being in significant distress. The organisation is investigating this incident. However, the managers have failed to notify Ofsted and other safeguarding agencies of a further serious allegation relating to this incident and the same child. This practice does not allow for appropriate safeguards to be put in place to safeguard the children.

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

Following potential concerns about staff practice, one member of staff has continued to work with children without additional support and supervision. This failure to act resulted in the child being placed at potential harm for a second time. This poor practice has not been appropriately addressed by the manager.

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

Managers and staff have failed to recognise or understand the children’s experiences. Children are not being spoken to following significant incidents. Inspection report for children’s home: 1236450 4 Therefore, their voice is not captured, understood and acted on. In addition, some of the children’s records indicate that the staff are not considering trauma as a base for the children’s behaviours, and in other records, the child’s perspective has been dismissed as untrue. This is a weakness and the staff are failing to learn about the child’s perspective.

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

Not all staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children. Some staff have failed to report or challenge staff’s inappropriate behaviour. One member of staff has played loud music in the home, including at times when the children are in bed. This is of significant concern as not all children can verbalise their concerns or worries, this is now being investigated by the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Significant shortfalls have not been identified or recognised with the current management monitoring and reviewing systems. Therefore, serious failures in relation to the protection of children have not been identified and addressed quickly and effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Communication within the organisation is poor. The registered provider has not made the registered manager aware of safeguarding incidents when they became known by the organisation. This means that the registered manager cannot put appropriate safeguarding measures in place to help keep the children as safe as possible.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff are not provided with all the information they need to care for the children effectively as the written communication in the home is poor. The handover records do not include all the pertinent information about the children. In addition, not all incidents are recorded, and the staff do not consistently record when measures have been put in place to safeguard a child. While the manager has reviewed these documents, she has failed to identify these shortfalls.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff supervision is regular, and the staff use this as an opportunity to discuss the children and any personal issues. While discussions about safeguarding are taking place, the managers have missed an opportunity to assess the staff’s knowledge on the provider’s safeguarding and whistle-blowing policies and procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are not provided with individual supervision records as these are not unique. Some records are identical in places, where they have been cut and paste from previous notes or other staff member’s notes. This oversight limits the meaning of these notes for personal individual reflection and hinders staff’s development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Most of the staff are committed to getting it right for children. Staff report safeguarding concerns when they arise and escalate this when required. Many staff have worked at the home for several years and are well established in the team. Inspection report for children’s home: 1236450 5

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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, The 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

have the skills to identify and act upon any 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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(d)) 20 August 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

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—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with 20 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1236450 6 the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; and

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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

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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)(a)(b) (2)(a)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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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)(ii)(iii)(vii)) 20 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and 20 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1236450 7 feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii))

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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

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.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)) 20 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the staff record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way. Information about the child must Inspection report for children’s home: 1236450 8 always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 1236450 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: CareTech Community Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5th Floor Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspectors

Jo Birtwhistle, Social Care Inspector Rachel Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1236450 10 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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