Children's home run by Calderdale Council in Calderdale

Inspection report for children’s home: SC034953 1 SC034953 Registered provider: Calderdale Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a local authority. It was closed for refurbishment from May 2023 to June 2024. It reopened with a new manager and staff team.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024.

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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 outstanding

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 22 November 2022

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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: SC034953 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/11/2022 Full Good 14/12/2021 Full Outstanding 09/10/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/07/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC034953 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All three children living in the home were spoken with during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming, and children say they like living there. Children personalise their bedrooms with pictures and toys, which helps them to experience a sense of stability and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are positive collaborative relationships between staff, professionals and families, and this promotes consistent support for the children. The trusted and genuinely caring relationships between staff and children are a significant strength of the home. Staff are skilled in building these relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress emotionally. They learn to name their feelings and to manage them with more composure. Staff learn new ways to support the children and are flexible in embracing these.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to remain in the same school when they move into the home. This supports children to maintain connections with familiar friends and teachers and make progress. When learning is interrupted, staff work in close partnership with education professionals to try and minimise the disruption. Staff also offer informal learning opportunities during these periods so that children’s increased free time is used constructively. Staff have good insight into the potential barriers to learning for some children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The arrangements for support and input from therapeutic clinicians are effective. Staff implement psychological advice, which directly benefits the children. Some of this advice would be more consistently applied if all staff had received the same training relating to the model of care used in this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have advocates who help them to make their views known. Staff also regularly ask children about their thoughts. This makes children feel that their opinions matter for both large and small decisions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences. They are supported to do preferred activities and use their leisure time for things they enjoy. This includes some new opportunities for travel which they did not have previously, such as trips to London.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some medical needs are unmet due to children’s health anxieties. Staff are tenacious in building children’s confidence to accept medical treatment, while going at the child’s pace. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034953 4

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

Staff show consistent understanding of the children’s risks and vulnerabilities. They confidently implement plans that help to manage those risks. Plans are particularly well written and clear, providing staff with practice guidance and strategies that help children. Children are safer because of living in the home.

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing from the home. However, very infrequently, children do not return home when expected. On these occasions, staff are proactive in locating and safely returning the children.

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

Staff have not physically restrained the children. Instead, staff use their skills, and the strategies detailed in plans, to help calm children. Some incidents have led to children making allegations. The manager responds effectively to protect staff and children. She has also used the expertise of therapeutic clinicians to identify ways to help children to understand their behavioural and emotional responses and react differently on these occasions.

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

Sometimes, items brought into the home may be used opportunistically to cause harm. Identifying and removing these items could be done more frequently to make the environment even safer for children.

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

There are some shortfalls in relation to the recording and administration of medication. Staff practice is not consistent and does not follow the provider’s medication policy. The medication errors have not had an adverse effect on children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers know the children well and understand their needs. They involve the right professionals to progress the children’s plans, which supports children to flourish. When needed, managers will challenge others’ practice. This is done promptly and appropriately, and the results are effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff say they find supervision sessions and team meetings helpful. This protected time enables staff to reflect and be actively involved in decisions about their practice and the home. This results in a unified approach to children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The organisation offers mandatory training for all staff. This provides staff with the basic skills that they need for their role. The managers develop the staff by modelling a nurturing therapeutic approach, and this ethos filters through the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff hold managers in high regard. They describe managers as ‘supportive’ and ‘dedicated’. This sets a strong example for staff to follow.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Some aspects of the leadership are noteworthy for their effectiveness. This includes the support for children in crisis and beyond, the development of a dependable staff team, and the planning and execution of transitions, which have all positively impacted Inspection report for children’s home: SC034953 5 children. The strong leadership and confident decision-making drive this highly effective practice and make leadership of the home outstanding. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034953 6

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(c)) 23 March 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff receive relevant and timely training to help them meet children’s needs. This includes the children currently living in the home and any child moving into the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that all staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child (including in relation to items on the premises) and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: SC034953 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Princess Buildings, Princess Street, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX1 1TS

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Inspector

Rachel Ruth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC034953 8 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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