Children's Home run by Netheredge Care Limited in Kirklees

Inspection report for children’s home: SC489226 1 SC489226

p.1

Registered provider: Netheredge Care Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company and is registered to provide care for up to five children.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Four children were living in the home at the time of this inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is currently vacant. A recently recruited manager has an application in progress to register with Ofsted.

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 good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 8 and 9 January 2024

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC489226 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/01/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/09/2023 Full Inadequate 17/10/2022 Full Outstanding 17/05/2021 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC489226 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children in this home are going to school regularly. Their educational attendance has increased due to the support that they receive from the staff. When children move into the home, schools are identified promptly to ensure minimal disruption to their education. Staff advocate for children who are struggling in school. This helps children to make the most of their educational opportunities.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they like living in this home. One child said, ‘The word to describe living in this home has to be the best word in the world.’ Children are confident that the staff care about them. Children seek reassurances from the staff and receive appropriate affection from them. This nurturing and caring approach is helping children to feel like they are part of one big extended family.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand the importance of family, and they actively encourage and support all children to spend time with their families and important people in their lives. The staff facilitate family holidays, family days out and invite children’s families to the home. This positive approach enables children to spend increased time with their families in a natural environment.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are making progress from their starting points. This is because the staff know the children well. All children are provided with nurturing and consistent care that meets each child’s individual needs. One professional said, ‘I can honestly say I have never seen [name of child] happier, and I can see the good rapport [name of child] has with the staff.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are supported to take part in activities and join groups. The children enjoy activities such as trampolining, football, rugby and golf. Children take part in different groups and youth clubs. This helps children to spend time away from the home and make new connections in a positive way. The staff take an active interest in the children’s lives and support them by celebrating their achievements.

p.3

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

Children are supported to move into the home successfully, and are helped to settle in quickly. Careful planning and consideration is given to ensure that each child’s needs are understood. Risks are assessed for any new child and the children already living in the home. Children’s transition plans are well thought out and delivered at the child’s pace. This provides them with the best chance of a positive start in their new home.

p.3

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

The children are helped to understand how to keep themselves as safe as possible. The staff complete regular discussions with children about important topics such as keeping safe online, walking safely in the community and the importance of being kind to others. As a result, the children live together contently, and the home feels settled. Inspection report for children’s home: SC489226 4 There have been no safeguarding incidents in this home since the last inspection. Children do not go missing from the home, and the staff use de-escalation techniques successfully to avoid the use of physical intervention.

p.3

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

Children say that they feel safe living in this home, and that the staff would help them if they needed it. The children are supported to build safe and trusted relationships with the staff. This is because the staff maintain consistent routines and clear boundaries. This enhances the children’s feelings of safety.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been significant improvements in the leadership and management of this home since the last inspection. A new manager has been appointed, and she works closely with the deputy managers to effectively monitor all aspects of the home. As a result of the manager’s clear action plan, all the previous requirements and recommendations have been met.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy managers work well together to ensure that crucial information about the children is shared appropriately and effectively. This means that all staff are aligned and working towards the same goals. Professionals speak positively about the developments and say that communication has improved. As a result, the children continue to develop and make progress.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager advocates well for children, and she is willing to have difficult conversations with other professionals on the children’s behalf. This is a view that was shared by more than one professional. They said that the manager works hard to ensure that the children’s voices are heard, and that their needs are met.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff speak positively about the manager, noting that positive changes have been implemented. The staff feel more confident in their roles due to the clear direction and advice provided by the manager. Additionally, the staff feel happy and supported in their work. This benefits the children as they are supported by motivated and committed staff.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed effective management monitoring tools to ensure oversight of the quality of care provided to the children is maintained. These tools are proving to be effective in identifying most shortfalls. However, there is damage to one child’s bedroom furniture. The manager has identified the damage but not ensured that the essential repair work was completed in a timely manner. Inspection report for children’s home: SC489226 5

p.4

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. In particular, the registered person should repair the wear and tear in the home in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9).

p.5

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: SC489226 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Netheredge Care Limited

p.6

Inspector

Jo Birtwhistle, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC489226 7 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.6

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.7

Inspector

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

p.7

Inspector

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

p.7