Children's Home run by Gravitas Care Limited in Calderdale

Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 1 Registered provider: Gravitas Care Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private organisation. It offers care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home, and they were spoken with during the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The newly appointed manager has not yet registered with Ofsted. She also manages another children’s home that is owned by this provider.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 7 November 2023

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 3

p.2

improvement to be good

Children at this home do not always have good relationships with staff, and sometimes these relationships become fractious. Occasionally this is so significant that the police are called to support staff, and relationships have deteriorated to a point where it is necessary for children to move out of this home. This does not give children stability or a sense of security.

p.3

improvement to be good

The child currently living in the home has personalised their bedroom. However, other areas of the home do not feel welcoming or homely. Communal areas lack personalisation, and damage within the home is evident as some repairs are not prioritised. The child and staff are not permitted to adjust the thermostat in the home, which causes discomfort when the temperature is too hot or cold. This environment does not provide children with a sense of belonging.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children do not make good progress despite efforts by staff. The child’s education and health needs are inconsistently met. Staff do encourage the child to attend their education provision regularly, and required medical appointments, but this is often unsuccessful.

p.3

improvement to be good

The child accesses a range of activities, and this includes breaks away from the home. Poor activity planning meant that sourced holiday accommodation was unsafe for the child on their arrival. This led to a near-miss incident which compromised the benefits of the activity.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children’s views are considered when decisions about their care are made. Children are also supported by staff to attend review meetings about their care. However, there has been an absence of professional advocate support. During the inspection, the manager was exploring advocacy support and representation for the child.

p.3

improvement to be good

There is a psychological therapist who supports staff to understand the child’s behaviours. They advise staff on how to respond effectively when children become upset. The therapist also offers support to children. Children are not always emotionally ready to accept this support, but the offer of therapy is still available to them.

p.3

improvement to be good

Since that previous inspection children’s moves into and out of the home are better planned. The manager has improved staff practice and their understanding about the impact of uncertainty and change for children. This addresses the breach of regulation raised at the last full inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 4

p.3

improvement to be good

The child’s safety plan and risk assessment are underdeveloped. These documents do not provide staff with the sufficient guidance to respond to the child’s current risks. Before the inspection ended, managers had put in to place additional protective measures.

p.4

improvement to be good

Incidents are not always managed effectively, in particular the management and response to allegations from children. Leaders and managers have failed to implement the policy that supports the safe management of allegations. As a result, information has not been accurately shared or fully responded to.

p.4

improvement to be good

As a last resort, staff have physically intervened and held children to prevent them from harming themselves and others. Staff have received training to ensure any physical restraint is documented. However, debriefs completed with children and staff are not always recorded or have failed to take place. This is a missed opportunity to reflect on the incident and ensure the safety of children.

p.4

improvement to be good

The staff are recruited safely and fairly. However, recruitment records are not readily accessible to the manager. This affects her oversight of staff recruitment records and her understanding of the suitability of her staff and their relevant employment experience.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has been in post for four months and has recently applied to be registered with Ofsted. She has made some improvements since she started, particularly in management oversight and auditing. However, these changes have yet to be embedded.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff are not routinely having focused discussions with the child following a significant incident. The manager’s monitoring of incidents had not identified this gap in staff practice. Staff have not always provided the child the time to reflect on their presenting needs, and this does not help them to make progress or modify their behavioural responses.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not notified Ofsted of all significant incidents. As a result, Ofsted has not had the necessary oversight to ensure that appropriate action has been taken by the staff to maintain the safety and well-being of the child.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has written a workforce development plan which has identified staff training needs. Staff have attended bespoke training about the impact of trauma on children. Staff found this training useful and say it is improving the way they care for children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has worked closely with staff to promote the child’s time with their family. This helps the child to keep a sense of their own identity, and this is important to them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 5 The manager recognises that there is conflict and tension within the staff team, and also between staff and children. She has arranged team-building exercises to promote consistency and cohesion among the team. Her insight into where improvements are needed shows that she has been quick to understand the weaknesses as well as the strengths of the team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 6

p.4

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff strive to build positive relationships with the children. 18 August 2024

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

p.6

Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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”)— 18 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 7 has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

p.7

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 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff record physical interventions in an appropriate way and complete and record specific debriefs with staff and children.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

p.7

Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

p.7

Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

p.7

Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(ii)(iii)(iv)(c)(i))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure the provision of a child-friendly, nurturing environment aligning to the home’s statement of purpose. It also refers to repairing and replacing damaged items and enabling occupants of the building to control the home’s temperature. 18 August 2024

p.7

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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; 18 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 8 take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure actions to mitigate risks are effective, and that records are sufficiently detailed to promote consistency across the staff team.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

p.8

Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 34 (1)(b))

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure the home’s allegations policy is properly implemented, while ensuring this aligns with other allegations management policies (for example, local authority policies, child protection policies and human resources policies). 18 August 2024

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e))

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all incidents which fall within the regulation are notified to the regulator. 30 June 2024

p.8

Recommendations

 The registered person should develop the capacity and competence of staff to build constructive, warm relationships with children. Staff should have the skills to respond to each child’s individual behaviour. Where necessary, staff should manage conflict, maintain constructive dialogues and react appropriately if challenged by a child in their care. Where a specific topic to promote positive behaviour has been identified for discussion with the staff, this should be delivered and recorded in a timely and effective manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.14)

p.8

Recommendations

 The registered person should maintain good employment practice as set out in regulations 31–33. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and the performance management of staff safeguards children. This includes the manager having reliable ease of access to recruitment records. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 9

p.8

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: 2636225 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Gravitas Care Limited

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1–3, Annes Place, Pellon Lane, Halifax HX1 5RB

p.10

Inspector

Rachel Ruth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 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.

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.

p.11

Inspector

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