Children's Home run by Kirklees Council in Kirklees

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC033326 1 SC033326 Registered provider: Kirklees Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a local authority. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were no children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2024.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are persistent in their encouragement for children to attend healthcare appointments. Additionally, there is good collaboration with children’s families and other healthcare professionals to encourage the children’s access to healthcare interventions.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s written risk assessments give staff clear direction to better manage aspects of each child’s behaviour that cause concern. As a result, staff consistently implement agreed strategies to deter worrying or unwanted behaviour. This ensures that each child receives a consistent approach to care.

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This monitoring visit

Staff work alongside other safeguarding agencies to better understand the context of the children’s networks in the community. This approach has enabled better risk management, particularly when a child’s whereabouts have not been known. Furthermore, from learning about children’s networks in the community, staff have made referrals to safeguarding agencies when they have had concerns about the welfare of other children.

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This monitoring visit

The children’s written records show important topical conversations that staff hold with children. However, the writing style often used by staff is made up of professional jargon. Consequently, this will distort the caring and loving context behind the conversation that staff conveyed at that time. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC033326 2 Although staff plan the children’s care, some of their planning lacks structure, and there is a need for a contingency plan. In one instance, this contributed to a child’s arrangements to move on to supported accommodation becoming confused and uncoordinated. Consequently, this caused the child frustration and unnecessary anxiety. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC033326 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/10/2023 Full Inadequate 03/07/2023 Full Inadequate 30/08/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC033326 4

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a day-to-day understanding of children’s capabilities and needs, and staff should make a valuable contribution to the pathway planning process. They should actively seek to make the fullest contribution, working with other relevant persons. Additionally, staff should have a contingency plan to fall back on to better support children to access healthcare appointments. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.28)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of meaningful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘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: SC033326 5

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Katryn Medina-Hamilton

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Inspector

Steve Guirey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC033326 6 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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