Children's Home run by Your Chapter Limited in Calderdale

Inspection report for children’s home: 1234317 1 Registered provider: Your Chapter Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider. It offers care for up to six children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, four children were living in the home. The inspectors spoke with all four children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

The provider runs an independent school from a registered building adjoining the home. The inspectors only inspected the social care provision on this site.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children are not protected and their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children are poor.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1234317 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/06/2024 Full Good 25/04/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/01/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1234317 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Although children have made some progress, staff do not always take appropriate action to keep them safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children said they have trusted adults who they can talk to. However, staff discussions with individual or groups of children are not focused on actively helping them to achieve their wishes and aspirations. The quality of recordings from children’s meetings is inconsistent, resulting in duplicated, sparse, and inaccurate records.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The manager is ill-prepared for children’s meetings, including independent review meetings where children’s care and progress are discussed. The children’s assessments, including psychological assessments and placement plans, are not provided or updated to support and inform discussions. This does not enable children’s needs, experiences, and progress to be fully understood by involved professionals and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Poor communication with external agencies has affected the ability of stakeholders to meet the needs of one child. The child has not consistently received good-quality care from staff, and their basic needs have not been met. This affects children’s overall experience and does not show them that they are valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

When consequences are used following unwanted behaviour from children, they are poorly thought out and are applied by staff in the heat of the moment. This approach has been ineffective and resulted in one child going missing from the home. Lessons were learned with the staff member, but this was not shared among the staff team. This led to a member of staff using an immediate consequence as a warning to address a child’s behaviour, despite this strategy being identified and agreed as being ineffective.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The children are in full-time education, with most of the children attending the provider’s school. Children have positive school attendance, and teachers said that children are making progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff support children in spending time with their families and welcome them into the home when appropriate. Staff help make this time as positive as possible. The children have good relationships with staff and are comfortable in their company. Children ask staff to help them with things they enjoy, such as cooking. Staff create bright and colourful memory books that show how the children have celebrated festivals and grown in confidence.

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

Leaders, managers and staff have not consistently taken steps to keep children safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 1234317 4 The physical environment is not safe for children, with hazards both inside and outside the home. These include electrical and fire safety risks and damaged furniture and kitchen appliances that could cause injury to children. Leaders and managers have failed to recognise these concerns or take action to ensure a safe home.

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

The general cleanliness of the home is poor. Some areas of the home, such as the bathrooms, were dirty, looked mouldy and smelled unpleasant. The home does not represent a nurturing, homely environment for children to live in. Senior leaders have been responsive to the concerns regarding the home’s environment. During the inspection, they immediately took action to make the home safe. The responsible individual has submitted a comprehensive action plan to Ofsted that details the immediate changes that the provider intends to make to improve the environment and make it safe.

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

The manager does not respond appropriately to emerging safeguarding concerns and has failed to share concerns about a child’s risks and vulnerabilities with staff or inspectors. Essential safeguarding conversations are not taking place in a timely manner, and children’s risk assessments are not updated.

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

Staff are not following children's safety plans. Therefore, the processes that are in place to manage online safety are ineffective. Children have unsupervised time using online devices, which is contrary to their plans and does not keep them safe.

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

Children’s risk assessments do not consistently reflect their needs or known risks. When actions are required in response to the increased needs of children, these are not reflected in the children’s risk assessments, including the administration of prescribed medication or learning from missing-from-home incidents. Staff have not consistently followed children’s risk assessments and plans or demonstrated the ability to keep children safe.

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

The manager was unaware that staff used alarms on the children’s bedroom doors during the night. They have not ensured that the use of these alarms is necessary and effective. Written consent is not in place for the use of monitoring and surveillance equipment, including the door alarms and closed-circuit television. This does not demonstrate an honest and open approach to supporting children or allow for a timely review of the use of monitoring equipment.

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

Children know how to make a complaint. Children’s complaints are well managed by an external manager. Children are responded to without delay. The response is sincere and age appropriate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders have failed to identify that the manager does not demonstrate the ability to lead and manage the home effectively. Regular audits of the home are carried out, but these are not an accurate reflection of the home and contain incorrect information. They do not highlight any concerns regarding the environment. The manager does not have a Inspection report for children’s home: 1234317 5 sound understanding of the risks to children or how the environment affects their health and safety. The manager does not demonstrate an understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development and therefore has not identified the shortfalls and concerns, affecting their ability to take decisive and effective action.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The quality of recording is inconsistent, and numerous documents are inaccurate and do not reflect the support offered to children and staff. There are shortfalls in the review of the premises, the health and safety risk assessment and the statement of purpose. The language used in the statement of purpose is stigmatising and not helpful for children. Furthermore, information contained in the workforce development plan is incorrect and does not support the development of the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are monthly visits to the home by an independent person. However, they do not provide a thorough and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children. This does not support the manager and leaders in making improvements and developing the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff supervision sessions and team meetings are regularly held in line with the provider’s policy. Provider-led staff training is up to date and reflects the needs of the children. These systems are not effective in ensuring that staff understand their roles and responsibilities. Staff describe supervision sessions and staff meetings as ‘supportive’ and ‘helpful.’ They seek support from the manager when required. Some staff have not completed the relevant diploma qualifications within the necessary time frame.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Concerns regarding the leadership and management of the home were discussed with the provider’s senior leadership team. The team has submitted a plan to provide support to strengthen the leadership and management of the home and to help ensure the safety and well-being of children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1234317 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished, and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b)(d)) 8 June 2025

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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) (2)(f)(h)) 8 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must— 1 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 1234317 7 take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all fire extinguishers in the home are always accessible. Fire doors must not be propped open and must close securely into the frame.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure that fire safety audits highlight any hazards and concerns.

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)) 1 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)) 1 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. 1 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 1234317 8 The registered person may only—

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification, and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the staff record information about children in a non-stigmatising way. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will benefit 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

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 Inspection report for children’s home: 1234317 9 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: 1234317 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Your Chapter Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hobart House, Oakwater Avenue, Cheadle Royal Business Park, Cheadle SK8 3SR

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Inspectors

Jo Cansfield, Social Care Inspector Sarah McGow, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1234317 11 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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