Children's Home run by Gravitas Care Limited in Calderdale

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257706 1 Registered provider: Gravitas Care Limited

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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 run by a private organisation. It offers care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the visit, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2024. The manager is also registered to manage another children’s home for the provider.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager was absent at the time of the visit, but telephone communication was facilitated.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was undertaken to address specific concerns or allegations received by Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector spoke with the child who is currently living in the home. They are settled and say that they like living in the home and like the staff.

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This monitoring visit

Serious safeguarding concerns were not found during the visit, but shortfalls were identified. Children’s well-being is not always promoted effectively.

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This monitoring visit

A change in staffing arrangements has resulted in staff lone working with children. This affects staff’s ability to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. For example, senior members of staff have no protected time to carry out management tasks, including staff supervision sessions.

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This monitoring visit

To take account of the lone working arrangements, contingency plans were put in place to manage incidents, but this planning is not reflected in children’s records. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257706 2 This leaves staff uncertain about their role and can lead to uninformed decisions being made during a crisis.

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This monitoring visit

During the visit, the manager recognised and responded to the effect of lone working on the safety and protection of children. The changes made support staff to search for a missing child and supervise visitors in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The manager is registered to run two homes. Since the last inspection, the manager has spent more time at the other home due to service need. As a result, staff say they sometimes feel unsupported. Staff are also moved to other roles and homes in the organisation, without managers considering the effect this has on children and staff.

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This monitoring visit

There are not always strong relationships between some staff and children, or between the children and their peers. The use of police to manage behaviours leaves children at risk of criminalisation. Attempts to use restorative practice to rebuild relationships have been insufficient or ineffective.

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This monitoring visit

One child’s placement came to an unplanned end. This had a negative impact on staff and the child, who did not want to leave and was not given sufficient time to prepare. The management of this child’s move out of the home does not align with the therapeutic model of care as set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has oversight of records, but their reviews are without reflection to enable lessons learned and prevent repeated errors. Reflection could help to improve the quality of care for children.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection are outside of the scope of this visit. These will be reviewed at the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257706 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/06/2024 Full Good 12/02/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/08/2022 Full Good 14/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257706 4

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iv)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all children’s learning needs are understood and that effective support is in place while children are waiting to begin school or education.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated from the last inspection. 31 December 2024

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (b)(c)) 31 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257706 5 In particular, the registered person must offer appropriate challenge when any professionals involved with the children fail to deliver services to meet children’s needs, and they must escalate any concerns accordingly when needed.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated from the last inspection.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated from the last inspection. 31 December 2024

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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

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’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated from the last inspection. 31 December 2024

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— 31 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257706 6 understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the views of each relevant person are taken into account, so far as reasonably practicable, before making a decision about the care or welfare of a child. (Regulation 7 (1)(c)(e)) 31 December 2024

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust. (Regulation 11 (1)(a) (2)(a)(viii)) 31 December 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children feel safe and are safe. Weekly fire checks are part of this. Staff should support children to be aware of and Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257706 7 manage their own safety, inside and outside the home, to the extent that any good parent would. Staff should help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. This includes ensuring that children know what to do in the event of a fire through participation in fire drills or following up on their non-participation. Records of these drills should make it clear that everyone knows what to do in the event of a fire. This recommendation is restated from the last inspection. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)  The registered person should actively seek independent feedback about, and

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Recommendations

scrutiny of, the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. They should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents, such as learning from disruptions and placement breakdowns. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned, ensuring that the reports are shared with the regulator in a timely manner and sustaining good practice. This recommendation is restated from the last inspection. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should note that as well as longer-term support for children to move on from the home effectively (regulation 6(2)(b)(vi)), the home has an important role in supporting each child leaving the home in the period immediately before their departure. The registered person should work with the

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Recommendations

placing authority to ensure that each child’s transition is planned and help each child to prepare for leaving practically and emotionally. This recommendation is restated from the last inspection. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information about individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. This recommendation is restated from the last inspection. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257706 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Gravitas Care Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Rachel Ruth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257706 9 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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