Children's home run by Wakefield Council in Wakefield

Inspection report for children’s home: SC428084 1 SC428084

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by the local authority. The home provides short-break care and can provide full-time care on a short-term basis for up to seven children with sensory impairment, learning disabilities and physical disabilities. Seven children were at the home during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is also registered with the Care Quality Commission.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since November 2019.

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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

Date of last inspection: 17 January 2024

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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: SC428084 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/01/2024 Full Good 09/01/2023 Full Good 17/03/2022 Full Good 26/11/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC428084 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Seven children were seen during the inspection. The inspectors observed that children were relaxed and enjoying their time at the home. One child talked about enjoying spending time with staff and their friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff spoke about the children with positivity. They offer the children individualised nurturing care and encourage them to share their views. The staff use different approaches to communicate with children, and these methods are clearly understood by staff and recorded in the children’s plans. This means that the children can have a say and influence decisions about their daily care and activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have a good understanding of children’s unique and complex health and learning needs. Staff work with a range of specialists, including educational professionals, occupational therapists, children’s mental health services and diabetes services. This multi-agency approach helps staff to ensure that the children’s care is offered in line with their placement plans. Several professionals said that the quality of care offered by staff is contributing to the children enjoying their time in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work with the children’s parents to ensure that they understand and can embrace each child’s cultural needs. Additionally, staff assist children to develop their independence and access a variety of social opportunities and activities, for example going shopping with staff, enjoying sensory play with other children, craft activities and going to the park and the seaside. The garden is fitted with a sunken trampoline, and this adaption of play equipment enables all children to enjoy their time and activities in the garden.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s stays are sensitively planned to support children’s established friendships and routines. Leaders and managers work hard to support children to have additional stays in response to planned and unplanned events. These actions help children to have positive and consistent care experiences.

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

The care and supervision provided by the staff mean that the children are able to relax in the home. High staffing ratios ensure that children have staff supervision and engagement, both within the home and out in the community. This means that the children do not go missing from the home. However, staff know the procedures to follow should a child go missing and to help them to safely return home.

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

Some children need to sleep in specialist beds or have monitoring equipment in their bedrooms to enhance their care and safety. These measures could be deemed as restrictive for children. Staff ensure that agreement and consent are sought from the Inspection report for children’s home: SC428084 4 children’s parents, social workers and occupational health. The parents provide consistently positive feedback regarding the care offered to their children.

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

Staff have been unable to help all children understand how to make a complaint. However, an independent advocate regularly visits the home to engage with children and gather the children’s and parents’ views. Staff are aware of the actions that they should take if there are concerns about staff practice, and the registered manager has effective links with the local authority designated officer. These actions help to keep children safe.

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

Staff understand the children’s care needs and associated risks. Overall, risk management plans are detailed and identify the children’s risks and vulnerabilities. However, some plans do not detail the updated information, including self-injurious risk, and this could affect the staff’s ability to provide some children with the necessary care and support.

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

Staff offer children nurturing support and use de-escalation techniques during emotionally difficult times. Staff physically hold children as a last resort. There has been one occasion when staff have physically held a child. On this occasion, the hold was brief and used to reduce harm to others. However, the manager has not ensured that the physical hold was in line with the methodology and techniques that staff are trained to use.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a qualified registered manager who has significant experience. The registered manager is a positive role model who has high aspirations for the children and focuses on providing good-quality care and support for children and their families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff work effectively with parents, specialist agencies and the local authority. The staff attend meetings to ensure that they have the required information regarding children’s needs. Professionals and parents speak positively about the home and the care provided to the children. They say that communication is effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are proactive in sharing their views about the home and spoke positively about team morale and the support from leaders and managers. The staff receive regular reflective supervision where they can review and reflect on the children’s needs, experiences and progress. Staff also receive timely appraisals that support their individual development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that nursing and care staff have the required skills and development opportunities to undertake their role. However, the staff have not consistently had the opportunity to meet and reflect as a team. This limits their opportunities to discuss children’s needs as a team and ensure that consistency of care is being offered to the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC428084 5 On several occasions, the registered manager has not notified Ofsted in a timely manner of significant events. On one occasion, they have not shared a significant incident with Ofsted. As a result, Ofsted has not had the necessary oversight to ensure that appropriate action has been taken by the staff to maintain the safety and well- being of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, the registered manager has ensured that all children have individual fire evacuation plans and have experienced a fire evacuation. The home’s fire risk assessment has been reviewed, and the registered manager has taken actions to ensure that staff have access to the identified fire escapes. However, the provider has failed to progress all recommendations identified in the fire risk assessment around suitable fire escapes. Additionally, during the inspection, three fire doors were propped open, which the registered manager addressed immediately. Inspection report for children’s home: SC428084 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered persons 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 persons must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirements Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirements Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including provisions of suitable fire equipment in the home;

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Requirements Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire . (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b)) 4 April 2025

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirements Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirements Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 4 April 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s risk assessments are reviewed in a timely manner. These assessments should contain an accurate account of a child’s risk and include the strategies to manage and reduce these risks. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that when a physical intervention technique is used, staff are trained to use this technique and that the use is in line with the home’s policy and procedure. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.57) Inspection report for children’s home: SC428084 7  The registered person should ensure that all staff have consistent opportunities to support their practice development as a staff team. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: SC428084 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Bond Street, Wakefield WF1 2QW

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Cheryl Whitehouse

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Inspectors

Gina Lightfoot, Social Care Inspector Sarah McGow, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC428084 9 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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