Children's Home run by Gravitas Care Limited in Calderdale

Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 1 Registered provider: Gravitas Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home and they were spoken with during the inspection. Two other children have lived in the home during this inspection period, one of whom had recently moved out.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2024 and has the required qualification. The manager is also registered to manage another children’s home for the same provider.

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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 good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/06/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home feels warm, welcoming and comfortable. The children are encouraged to personalise their own bedrooms in a way that reflects their interests and helps to reinforce their individual identity. There is an abundance of games and activities to keep children entertained and busy. Children appear happy in the home, and the staff help them to fill their time productively. Children talk enthusiastically about the wide variety of activities that they enjoy and are on offer to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in managing their emotions, and they are growing in confidence and maturity. Children have positive relationships with staff. The development of trusted relationships has helped children to navigate challenges and rebuild their family connections. These improved relationships contribute to children’s plans to return to live with their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers build good relationships with the children’s families. This helps to promote a consistent understanding of how to care for the children effectively. Children’s visits to their families run smoothly, and children have developed the ability to spend quality time with their families with reduced oversight from staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in education. Children attend bespoke education provisions in line with their individual needs and abilities. Incentives are used effectively to promote education attendance. Education and therapy are sometimes combined to help children to get the help they need seamlessly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are regularly sought and are central to their care. They are empowered by advocates to ensure that their rights are respected and their voices heard. Children attend their formal reviews and their views inform the care offered by staff and from other professionals. Key-work discussion sessions are of a good quality and directly relate to care planning for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged by staff to learn age-appropriate life skills, including basic cooking and cleaning. This helps children to be more independent. It also helps them to take pride in their home.

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improvement to be good

On one occasion, the manager and staff failed to follow a child’s safety plan. This reduced the effectiveness of the child’s longer-term plans and increased the child’s risk. This and other significant incidents have not been reported to the regulator. This reduces the regulator’s oversight and ability to ensure that appropriate actions are carried out to protect children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 4 Children’s risk assessments and plans are generally clearly written, and the creation of a basic chronology of events means that changing risks and vulnerabilities are easy to see. However, when new risks emerge, they are not incorporated into the children’s written plans in a timely fashion. This was a shortfall at the last inspection. This does not support a consistent response from staff as some risks are not adequately understood.

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improvement to be good

Clear policies are in place to ensure the safe recruitment of staff. However, there are identical gaps in the manager’s records where reference verifications have not been noted. This means that concerns could go unidentified. The manager recognises that this is an area for improvement.

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improvement to be good

On occasion, children have gone missing from the home. Although missing-from-home incidents are infrequent, children are at greater risk of being exposed to harm when missing. Staff take every precaution to prevent this. They diligently follow missing-from- home plans to help them to find the child and return them home quickly and safely.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not needed to physically hold a child to keep them or others safe. Additionally, the police have not been called to the home to support staff to manage children’s behaviours. This is a positive reflection on the staff and how well they know the children and help them to manage their emotions and behavioural responses.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has made a number of positive changes since she registered with Ofsted. She has achieved the required qualification and is implementing what she has learned. The management and review of the staff team have improved staff morale, and there is now an enthusiastic and cohesive team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff carry out training and receive supervision sessions to support them to fulfil their role. External monitoring by the independent visitor occurs each month and any recommendations made are acknowledged and actioned by the manager. These systems help to improve the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of the manager. They feel listened to and supported in their role. Families and professionals also say that they have confidence in the manager. The manager advocates with other agencies to ensure that children have access to education and health services. The manager’s actions have resulted in positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the importance of stability for children. Therefore, she ensures that children are compatible to live together and in the area that the home is located. She fully evaluates referrals to ensure that staff have the skills to meet the child’s needs and that any moves do not jeopardise the progress of any child currently living in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 5 Children’s files and care records are broadly well maintained, with good management oversight. However, a misunderstanding about the legal basis for care of one child meant that contradictory information was found in different documents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been no response to the annual survey sent out by the regulator. The manager was unable to demonstrate that she had circulated the request for information on behalf of Ofsted. This reduces the opportunity for staff, professionals, families and children to provide their views directly to the regulator. Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that new and emerging risks are identified and incorporated into children’s plans in a timely fashion. 20 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 20 July 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, including via the regulator’s annual survey. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they maintain good employment practice as set out in regulations 31-33. They must ensure that the recruitment of staff Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 7 safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s care plans are kept up to date and that information aligns in the children’s documents and plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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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: 2636225 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Gravitas Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1-3, Annes Place, Pellon Lane, Halifax HX1 5RB

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Inspector

Rachel Ruth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2636225 9 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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