Children's Home run by Kirklees Council in Kirklees

Inspection report for children’s home: 2788278 1 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

A local authority runs this home. It provides care for up to four 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

This was the first inspection since the home was registered in May 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was also registered in May 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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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.

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good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2788278 2

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improvement to be good

Children say they are happy living in the home. However, staff do not encourage children to have clear routines and structure. Children who are not in education do not have set plans for their days, and children do not have positive nighttime routines that promote healthy sleeping.

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improvement to be good

The communal areas of the home are warm and welcoming, but this does not extend to the children’s bedrooms. Some children’s personal spaces are messy and unkempt. There is significant damage to furniture in one child’s bedroom.

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improvement to be good

The staff team is driven in its care for the children. Staff work cohesively to ensure the children are happy. Children have positive relationships with staff. Interactions are warm, and children say they feel safe in the home and that they trust staff. All three children were spoken with.

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improvement to be good

Children’s transitions when moving in and out of the home are planned and centred on the needs of each child. Before one child with complex health needs moved to the home, staff received comprehensive training then ongoing support from specialist medical professionals to ensure the safe and effective care of the child. This had positive outcomes for the child.

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improvement to be good

The staff recognise the individual identities of each child. They engage in meaningful conversations with the children about their identities and are inquisitive about how they can understand and better support children’s needs. The staff also promote the understanding of identities between the children, with some children attending specific training workshops in these areas. This approach fosters acceptance and tolerance between the children.

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improvement to be good

The guidance and plans staff follow when children go missing from home at night are ineffective. Sometimes, staff do not search for children, with this responsibility being placed solely on the police. This can place children in a vulnerable position by being out in the community where their safety is at risk.

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improvement to be good

There have been incidents of substance misuse by children when in the community. Staff have referred children to relevant external agencies for support. However, there are no meaningful follow-up conversations between staff and children in an attempt to reduce or mitigate reoccurrence. Inspection report for children’s home: 2788278 3 There have been no complaints made since the home opened. Children know what to do if they want to make a complaint. They are comfortable telling staff when they are not happy, or if they need someone to talk to.

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improvement to be good

The staff team collaborates with a clinical psychologist to support the children’s emotional and mental well-being. The staff use the clinical sessions to explore their understanding of the children’s needs. Staff implement the strategies provided by the clinical psychologist to agree how to support the children when necessary. Children can also access the clinical psychologist if needed, but they choose to speak with staff instead.

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good

There is a disconnect between leaders and managers and the staff. In particular, the manager and staff team are not working cohesively together. Staff want to implement boundaries, structure and expectations for the children but are faced with opposition from leaders and managers. This directly affects the care the children receive and the progress they make.

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good

Leaders and managers have acknowledged the shortfalls in the management of the home and have plans to address these issues with support for the manager. However, this has not yet been implemented.

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good

The manager’s monitoring of the home is ineffective. Some incident reports have not had management oversight. Other safeguarding incidents that reached the threshold for sharing with the regulator were not submitted to Ofsted. The monitoring shortfalls reduce the opportunity for the manager to understand and develop efficient safeguarding responses to future incidents.

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good

Supervision sessions are not being completed regularly for all staff. Failure to provide reflective supervision sessions for staff means they cannot discuss their practice and identify areas for improvement in a formal and safe arena.

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good

Staff induction has not been used effectively to monitor effective staff practice. Issues have not been followed up and monitored, resulting in poor oversight by the manager.

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good

There are positive working relationships between the home and professionals connected to the children. Social workers are happy with the care children receive. There is good collaboration between leaders and managers, the virtual school and social workers. The manager has appropriately and repeatedly challenged the virtual school regarding a child’s need for a school placement.

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good

There is a clear training schedule for each member of staff. The manager has identified and sourced training in line with the specific risks and vulnerabilities that Inspection report for children’s home: 2788278 4 affect the children in the home. This approach supports the staff in responding to the individual needs of the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2788278 5

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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 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

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

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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they have effective oversight of all important documentation in the home, such as regulation 44 reports, regulation 40 safeguarding notifications and any documents relating directly to the safety and well-being of children.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure they foster effective working relations with the staff team and work together to meet the needs of the children. 30 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2788278 6 In addition, the registered person must ensure that children’s bedrooms are welcoming and any damage is repaired promptly.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)) 28 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(b)) 25 April 2025

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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: 2788278 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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Inspectors

Deirdre Silkstone, Social Care Inspector (lead inspector) Steve Guirey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2788278 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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