Children's Home run by Thriving Homes Ltd in Kirklees

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2773218 1 Registered provider: Thriving Homes Ltd

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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 offers care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in May 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, no children were living in the home. A child moved out of the home the day before the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, the manager was not in work, and therefore this inspection was led by the director and the deputy manager.

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspectors evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2773218 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection:

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Findings from the inspection

 Significant shortfalls in staff safeguarding practice.  Significant shortfalls in the safe recruitment of staff.  Serious safeguarding incidents have not been identified or recognised and notified to Ofsted under regulation 40.  Significant concerns of staff attending the home when they are not scheduled to be there and taking a child out late at night.  Poor management oversight, meaning shortfalls have not been identified. Inspectors were aware during this inspection that serious child safeguarding allegations were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, the response by the setting to the allegations was considered alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspectors’ judgements.

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Findings from the inspection

There is strong evidence that the child who was recently living in the home has been exposed to significant risk. Following a welfare visit from the police to the child, four members of staff were suspended and are currently under investigation due to concerns of a safeguarding nature. An additional member of staff was then suspended, leaving the home understaffed.

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Findings from the inspection

There are serious concerns that one member of staff attends the home frequently, at different times of the day and night, despite not being on the rota to be there. This was also not identified by the provider as a concern.

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Findings from the inspection

One child was taken out of the home during the early hours of the morning. This is not accurately recorded in the home’s log. There is no explanation as to why the child was taken out of the home at that time. Staff working at the time did not raise this as a concern, so this practice went unchallenged.

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Findings from the inspection

The staff have not safeguarded the child effectively. There are significant concerns that the child has accessed a mobile phone, despite this being prohibited as part of a restrictive order imposed by the court to safeguard the child. Furthermore, when one of the home’s phones went missing staff have failed to recognise the safeguarding implications and the response by them was extremely slow.

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Findings from the inspection

There are serious concerns that a closed culture has developed in this home that is dangerous for the child. Some staff members have not accurately recorded or reported what is happening in the home when the manager is not present. There is no confidence that all staff are working in an open and transparent way. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2773218 3 Not all staff are working in line with the child’s risk assessment. The child is always to be supported by two members of staff. There was at least one occasion when the child was out of the home with one member of staff in the early hours of the morning. This questionable practice was not accurately recorded in the home’s log or reported to the manager.

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Findings from the inspection

The police had received information that the child had been provided with medication that was not prescribed by a medical professional. Furthermore, the child was being taken out of the local area by staff without clear reasons why. The child’s records are not up to date or do not accurately detail where the staff have taken them.

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Findings from the inspection

The provider has failed to work openly with Ofsted. One director is involved in the direct running of the home. This includes them attending the home, spending time with the child and having oversight of all emails and records. Safe recruitment checks were not completed for this director during the registration process as they were clear that they would not be directly involved in the running of the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have not identified significant shortfalls in the procedures for the safe recruitment of staff. There has been no professional curiosity applied to gaps in employment, and not all references have been routinely verified to ensure that staff are able to safely care for a child.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have not consistently notified Ofsted when there has been a serious incident in the home. This is not working in an open and transparent way and does not allow the regulator to evaluate and maintain oversight of the quality of care provided to the child in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager recently suspended four members of staff due to poor practice. There remains a lack of management oversight to address wider concerns, such as members of staff attending the home without reason, the child having access to items that are not safe for them and staff not working in line with the child’s risk assessment. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2773218 4

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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 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;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e)) 26 September

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in 26 September Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2773218 5 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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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 26 September Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2773218 6 if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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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.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2773218 7 works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part- time basis.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may permit an individual to start work at the home despite the fact that the requirement in paragraph (3)(d) has not been met if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person has taken all reasonable steps to obtain full information about each of the matters in Schedule 2 in respect of the individual, but the enquiries in relation to any of the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2 are incomplete;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information in respect of the individual has been obtained in relation to the matters in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 2;

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the circumstances are exceptional; and

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Requirement Due date

the registered person ensures that the individual is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties, pending receipt of any outstanding information on the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2, which is then considered satisfactory by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take reasonable steps to ensure that any individual who is working at the home and who does not fall within paragraph (2)(a) and (b) is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b) (7)(a)(b)(c)(d) (8)) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2773218 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 25 Rudding Street, Huddersfield HD4 5DT

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Inspectors

Jo Birtwhistle, Social Care Inspector Lee Riley, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2773218 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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