Children's Home run by Supporting Hands Care Services Ltd in Bradford

Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 1 Registered provider: Supporting Hands Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in April 2021 and is owned and managed by a private company. It provides care and support for one child who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living at the home 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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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/05/2023 Full Good 15/08/2022 Full Inadequate 10/05/2022 Full Inadequate 28/03/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved on from the home since the last inspection. The current child is new to the home. Staff are skilled in making and sustaining relationships with children who find placing trust in adults difficult. Staff provide nurture and genuinely care about children. One member of staff said, ‘If something is not good enough for my child, it is not good enough for our children who live here.’ Staff hold children in high regard and treat them with respect.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to do well in education. One child has sat their GCSE exams and plans to attend college. The manager collaborates with the virtual school and the local authority to ensure that children receive education that meets their needs. The manager has advocated for one child to have increased tutoring, and this child is now enjoying taking part in their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to universal health services, including doctors and dentists. Older children are supported to manage their own medication safely once they have been assessed as being safe to do so. If children need more specialist health support, the manager works with others to ensure that this is in place. One child was supported to receive a specialist assessment because the manager was tenacious in addressing delay. The child now has access to appropriate support to help them to manage their condition better.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One young person has moved into supported accommodation. Their move was well planned, and their wishes and feelings were prioritised. Staff from the home have remained involved and available to the young person after they moved out. The young person felt well prepared to move out and they were pleased that people they knew supported them in their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Before a new child moves into the home, the manager ensures that they gather sufficient information about the child by consulting with the local authority and school. The manager considers this information alongside the staff’s skills and assesses whether they can care for the child effectively. When the manager identifies gaps staff’s knowledge, they provide staff with the information they need to care for the child well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child to have hobbies and develop new interests. They share information about what activities can be accessed locally. Children choose the activities they take part in. One child enjoyed a holiday abroad with their friend and their parents. Another child has joined a local snooker club and said that they love visiting the go-kart track with staff. The child is having fun, and their confidence is increasing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s identity and cultural needs are promoted. Staff make efforts to ensure that they understand what children need to make them feel at home. Staff work with family members and get to know traditional and family recipes so that children can eat foods Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 4 they are familiar with and enjoy. Staff ensure that children’s personal care needs are understood and met, for example through visiting a barber who understands how to treat specific hair types.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has been refurbished since the last inspection. This includes a new bathroom and refreshed paintwork throughout. Recently, a considerable amount of damage has been caused to the home. The manager ensures that repairs work is carried out quickly. For example, during the inspection, when a large window was broken, it was repaired that same day.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to develop trusting relationships with staff and can say when they are worried or unhappy. Children’s views are seen as important, and staff talk to children often about their wishes and feelings. One child has developed increased trust in staff and has started to more openly share their experiences.

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improvement to be good

Incidents when staff have had to physically hold children to keep them safe are low in number. However, records relating to the holds do not always provide sufficient information. For example, staff have not recorded what action they took to reassure themselves that the child was safe and comfortable when one child was held by staff for several minutes. In addition, the manager has not acted when the child shared information in response to them being held. This means that the child’s views about what will help them to be calm are not being considered.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not always consistent in their response to the child’s behaviour. The records relating to some incidents do not sufficiently capture the relevant details. The child’s risk assessment was not reviewed quickly following a serious incident. The manager did not carry out a review for 10 days. On another occasion, staff did not follow the child’s plan, and this led to an incident. The manager does not show professional curiosity and is not using evaluation to understand how staff practice can be further improved to meet the child’s needs better.

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improvement to be good

There has been one occasion when a child has been missing from the home. Staff consulted with the police to ensure that the child was found quickly. The child’s family and social worker were kept informed. Missing-from-home protocols are in place and are kept up to date.

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improvement to be good

Staff are clear about when room searches should take place. However, potentially dangerous items are not always removed. The manager has not consulted with other professionals to inform the child’s plan. On one occasion, a screwdriver was left in the child’s room. This led to an incident in the community requiring intervention from the police. The manager is not sufficiently evaluating the records and staff practice following such incidents. This does not help to reduce risk for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 5 The manager reviews the location of the home annually and seeks data from relevant others, including the police. However, the manager has not evaluated what this means for individual children.

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improvement to be good

Staff are quick to challenge the child when they make inappropriate comments. The child is supported to understand the impact of their behaviours on themselves and others. Staff are sensitive in their approach, and this is helping the child to participate in meaningful discussions. The child is learning to be more accepting and tolerant of others.

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improvement to be good

Staff are usually appointed in line with safe recruitment practice. However, checks on one staff member who has previously worked abroad have not been carried out. The manager has not assessed this situation and there is no plan in place to show how the manager is mitigating the risk.

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improvement to be good

When serious incidents occur in the home, the manager notifies the appropriate people. However, notifications do not contain sufficient detail. This does not help the regulator to understand how children are being kept safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager demonstrates care and compassion. They are driven to provide care for children who have experienced significant trauma and who have complex needs as a result. This is made possible because staff are committed to children and demonstrate high levels of resilience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team has remained stable. Many of the staff have worked in the home for several years. Agency staff are rarely used because staff sickness levels are low and existing staff cover the rotas.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff communicate well with each other and work together to provide the child with consistent care. Staff ensure that information is handed over from one shift to another, including any plans involving the child and any current concerns. In addition, regular and well-attended team meetings support staff to reflect on the child’s needs and share good practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported and say that they have confidence in the manager, who is always available to them for advice and guidance. Supervision is regular and helps staff to reflect on their practice and the child’s needs. This affords children with stability and helps them to build long-term relationships with those caring for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has systems in place to track and monitor children’s progress. A development plan is in place and the manager carries out a review of the service every six months. The report describes the children’s progress but there is a lack of evaluation of the impact of practice and consultation on quality of care provided to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 6 The manager has ensured that the staff understand the home’s statement of purpose and that the statement of purpose is reviewed and shared with Ofsted when changes occur. However, the document does not identify the method of physical holds used in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 7

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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

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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when serious events have occurred, effective management oversight and evaluation take place to help the manager understand the risk and whether further action is needed to keep children safe.

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Requirement Due date

When staff carry out room searches and items are identified that could be used as weapons and cause the child or others serious harm, these must be removed immediately and safely disposed of.

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Requirement Due date

Following a serious event, children’s individual risk assessments must be reviewed without delay.

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Requirement Due date

When the manager receives information as part of their review of premises that indicates risk in the local community is increasing, they must take this into account when considering risk to individual children. 18 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 8 when staff do not have the required employment checks and references because they have lived or worked abroad, the registered person must ensure that the potential risk is assessed and that a plan is put in place to manage risk before staff are allowed to work in the home.

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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

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; 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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when serious incidents have occurred, or a child has been physically restrained, that there is sufficient oversight and evaluation of staff practice, the record of the event and the child’s views to understand if children are safe and their needs are well met.

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Requirement Due date

Systems to monitor and review the quality of children’s care must be used effectively to identify where improvements are needed. These must be set out in the home’s development plan and the quality-of-care review. 18 September 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the statement of purpose identifies the method of physical intervention used in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 14, paragraph 3.5)  The registered person should ensure that notifications about serious events include sufficient detail and context to show how children are being kept safe. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62, paragraph 14.14) Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 9

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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: 2598804 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Supporting Hands Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ovenden House, Ovenden Road, Halifax HX3 5QG

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Inspector

Rachel Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2598804 11 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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