Children's Home run by Kaima Care Limited in Wakefield

Inspection report for children’s home: 2747053 1 Registered provider: Kaima Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in November 2023 and is owned and operated by a private company. Care is provided for up to three children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties. One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a new responsible individual. The post for a registered manager is vacant. The director of the company was acting as the manager at the time of the inspection.

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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 inadequate

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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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: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2747053 2

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improvement to be good

The child’s experience of living at the home has been impacted because there is no experienced manager running the home. The child has mixed views on living at the home. While they did not raise any specific concerns and were able to share positive experiences, they would prefer to live elsewhere.

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improvement to be good

The child has recently been enrolled in a new school but has not yet attended. No formal or informal education takes place in the home. Staff do not provide appropriate educational activities for the child. The manager has tried to secure employment for the child. However, the local authority plan is for the child to return to school. The lack of structure contributes to the child’s poor routines during the day. This impacts on the child’s sleeping patterns.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand some of the child’s health needs. However, staff have not helped the child to fully understand the importance of engaging with specialist health professionals. This has led to the child not accessing support and guidance in response to their physical and emotional health needs.

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improvement to be good

The child is not always supported to develop strategies to manage their own conflicts and difficulties. Staff reflect on actions after incidents and want the best for the child. However, the provider is not able to meet the child’s needs despite the referral information being an accurate reflection of the child. This has led to notice being served to the placing local authority and raises concerns about the provider’s ability to understand whether staff can meet children’s needs.

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improvement to be good

The home is well decorated and feels homely. The child is encouraged to personalise the home with their artwork. A picture that the child has drawn is hanging at the bottom of the stairs.

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improvement to be good

The child has lived at the home for three months and has started to build positive relationships with staff. Staff have facilitated the child spending time with people who are important to them, which supports the child’s identity.

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improvement to be good

The child is encouraged to get out and about regularly with the support of staff. The child helps with day-to-day tasks, such as shopping, and enjoys activities such as playing pool, bowling and go-karting. The child can share ideas about what they would like, and this is generally accommodated. The child’s confidence has grown because of this. Inspection report for children’s home: 2747053 3

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improvement to be good

The child’s risk assessment is not individual to the child and contains too much generic information, which makes it a lengthy document. Strategies to manage risks are detailed. However, risk assessments are not updated as additional risks come to light, which has led to gaps in the risk assessments and key risks not being included.

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improvement to be good

Relationships between staff and the child have started to improve, which has resulted in staff de-escalating situations sooner. However, staff’s actions have antagonised the child, and one incident, which could have been de-escalated sooner, lasted several hours. Criminalisation following police intervention could have been avoided had the staff intervened sooner. This does not align to the care described in the home’s statement of purpose.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always talk to the child openly about their concerns. This does not strengthen relationships or support the child to learn important skills and how to manage risks. Opportunities to work with the child and intervene have been missed. This has had a negative impact on the child’s ability to develop their independence through age-appropriate risk taking.

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improvement to be good

Consequences are not often used. When they are used, they are restorative in nature and support the child to learn. Incentives support positive behaviours, including extra household chores and work around education. However, there are no incentives to help the child to develop positive routines or healthy sleeping patterns.

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improvement to be good

The child has not been missing from care since they moved into the home. Before the child moved into this home, this was a serious concern.

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improvement to be good

When concerns have been raised regarding staff conduct, the director has responded appropriately. Advice was sought from relevant safeguarding agencies. The director acted on the recommendations. Staff felt reassured by this swift action.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is no registered manager currently in post. The director has temporarily stepped in to cover the management arrangements while a permanent manager is recruited. However, they have no experience of managing a children’s home. There has also been a change of responsible individual since the home opened in November 2023. These changes have significantly impacted the stability and effectiveness of the leadership and management of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management oversight is ineffective. The provider is aware of some of the shortfalls and has plans to rectify them, but these have not yet been actioned.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Safer recruitment checks were not carried out on the director when they became the acting manager. Risk assessments are not in place when members of the same family are working in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2747053 4 Probation reviews have not taken place. This does not ensure that staff are making progress in line with the expectations of the job. It limits opportunities to offer appropriate support or development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Not all staff have completed their mandatory training. New starters do not always complete the mandatory training before working on shift. This does not support staff to have the skills they require to meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Record-keeping is poor. There is a lack of understanding across the team, including the acting manager, about what should be recorded. Some records are written in a way that is not child friendly. This includes negative narratives about the child and their needs, which does not provide an accurate reflection of the care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff feel supported in their roles. They receive regular supervision, although this does not take place in line with the company’s policy. Team meetings take place, but the previous actions are not always reviewed to ensure that they have been addressed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2747053 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that staff provide opportunities for informal learning for children. 1 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met; 1 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2747053 6 children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, information on health reports must be used to support children to have access to appropriate healthcare, and the child must be supported to understand the difference the healthcare will make to their life.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust; 1 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2747053 7 understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x))

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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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, children’s risk assessments must be kept up to date, including when there has been an incident. Risk assessments should contain clear strategies to manage the identified risks. 1 March 2024

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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 the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; 1 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2747053 8 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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

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)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff must use a therapeutic approach to children and recordings in line with the statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

There must be effective systems in place so that the manager has clear oversight of children’s documents to ensure that the language and content are appropriate and accurate.

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Requirement Due date

The correct information relating to children and their experiences in the home must be recorded and accessible.

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Requirement Due date

All staff must complete mandatory training, as outlined in the company policy, before working in the home.

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Requirement Due date

Probation reviews must take place for staff, as outlined in the company policy.

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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)) 1 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2747053 9 In particular, the manager must ensure that children do not move into the home if staff do not have the skills to meet their identified needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)) 1 April 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(d)) 1 March 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there are systems in place to reward positive behaviour and that these rewards are achievable for children. Rewards should promote good sleep hygiene, boundaries and routines for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11)

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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: 2747053 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 223 Middle Road, Earlsheaton, Dewsbury WF12 8BT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Delores Croasdell

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Inspector

Joanna Beal, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2747053 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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