Children's home run by Kirklees Council in Kirklees

Inspection report for children’s home: SC033387 1 SC033387 Registered provider: Kirklees Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides residential short breaks and emergency support for children who may have physical disabilities, learning disabilities and/or sensory impairments.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably qualified for the role and registered with Ofsted in April 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were four children accessing the short break service.

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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 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: SC033387 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/05/2023 Full Good 22/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/10/2022 Full Inadequate 18/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC033387 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive attentive care from a dedicated staff team, whose members play a pivotal role in referral processes when new children move into the home. This involvement enables staff to gain a deep understanding of each child’s unique needs during the planning phase. As a result, children are more likely to have a fulfilling and positive experience during their short break stays. All four children were spoken with during the inspection, and all clearly enjoyed staying at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The short break service provides a valuable support network for families. One parent said that having access to the short break service ‘kept my family together’. Another parent commented that the support for their family has been ‘vital’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are focused on giving children positive experiences. Staff talk lovingly about the children and have a good understanding of the children’s needs. Day and nighttime staff meticulously plan and coordinate the children’s care through clear and well-delivered handover meetings. This promotes the children’s continuity of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff maintain good links with the children’s parents when their child is staying in the short breaks setting. Furthermore, staff take photos of the children’s experiences and duly share these with the children’s parents. As a result, parents are reassured around their child’s care. Additionally, photos give parents something tangible to help them to reminisce with their children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff compile support plans for the children that truly reflect each child’s individual personality and needs. The children’s plans are written sensitively and clearly explain how to meet the children’s complex needs. However, children’s heritage is overlooked. This prevents staff from being curious and working alongside the child’s family to support this intrinsic part of the child’s identity and being.

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

Physical intervention is rarely used in the home. This is due to staff confidence and patience when supporting children who are agitated or distressed. Staff confidence in their practice is built on well-constructed positive behaviour plans for the children. These plans are created through close collaboration with parents and by enhancing staff’s understanding of each child’s specific support needs. Regular reviews of these plans ensure that the information remains up to date, ensuring that each child receives appropriate care during their stay.

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

Children’s risk assessments are clear. Staff say that they are easy to understand and apply in practice. This is particularly pertinent given the number of children who access the short break service. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033387 4 Staff compile detailed written reports when there have been significant incidents involving the children. These reports show reflective practice from the manager and the staff. The quality of reflective practice strengthens the likelihood that staff will learn and adapt their approach to better support each child.

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

Although staff receive training in how to use alternative communication systems, these skills are not often refreshed. Furthermore, safeguarding training does not focus on the specific vulnerabilities of children who have profound disabilities. Staff say that addressing these issues would give them more confidence to better support children.

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

The children’s local authority acquires consent from parents for staff to undertake their child’s personal care needs. However, the detail around what has been consented to is vague in the children’s plans. Additionally, the children’s support plans lack detail around how staff should respond to medical emergencies. There is a risk that aspects of the child’s care will be overlooked if a member of staff is reliant on following the child’s support plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive frequent supervision sessions, and their annual appraisals are meaningful. Staff appraisals promote accountability and give staff clear objectives for the forthcoming year. Cumulatively, these supportive structures give staff ample opportunities to voice their views associated with all aspects of their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that reasonable adjustments are made so that staff can effectively undertake their duties. This approach has also contributed to all staff being suitably qualified for their role. These examples show the local authority’s value in staff well- being and their personal development. Therefore, encouraging good staff retention.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is keen to broaden staff’s awareness around the legal framework in which they work. The manager has an innovative approach to this that naturally links staff practice to The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the associated statutory guidance. Staff say that this broadens their wider understanding of their role and their duty of care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children’s personal care needs and the use of physical intervention are not covered in the children’s guide. These are significant aspects of the child’s care that need to be highlighted in the guide. The manager acknowledged this and had a plan to create a digital children’s guide that would better enable the children and their families to learn about the short breaks service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Due to resource constraints around transporting children to and from school, some families are unable to access the short breaks setting for their children. Consequently, the potential to offer more support to families is being hindered due to these challenges. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033387 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should seek to build relationships with others involved in the child’s care in so far as this is appropriate in relation to their role within the wider system for the child. In particular, seeking a solution to provide transportation for children so the short break offer is broader and more accessible for families that require this level of support. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.11)  The registered person should ensure that there is a focus on the children’s heritage and background in the care planning process. The importance of understanding who children are, and where they come from is recognised in good practice, for example being curious about the children’s heritage. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.14)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide helps children to

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Recommendations

understand the care that they can expect to receive while living at the home. In particular, why staff may resort to using physical intervention to keep everyone safe, and the considerations made around meeting the children’s personal care needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant knowledge to be able to: respond to the health needs of children and where necessary meet specific individual health needs arising from a disability, chronic condition or other complex needs. In particular, the children’s support plans should give staff the necessary level of clarity and guidance. Specifically, around meeting the children’s personal care needs and responding to medical emergencies in day and nighttime hours. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph

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Recommendations

7.12)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. Leaders and managers should understand the important role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) Inspection report for children’s home: SC033387 6

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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: SC033387 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic 3, Market Street, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD1 2EY

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Inspector

Steve Guirey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC033387 8 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 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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