Children's Home run by Waypoint Care Ltd in Doncaster

Inspection report for children’s home: 2789434 1 Registered provider: Waypoint Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private company. It provides care and support for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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: 28 January 2025

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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: 2789434 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/01/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2789434 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspectors spoke with both children during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use a playful and curious approach to support children. As a result, the children feel valued and heard, and they build trusting relationships with staff. Children’s views are acknowledged and addressed. They have chosen the decor in the home and are encouraged to express their preferences for activities and holidays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and team work closely with professionals, ensuring that children are at the centre of discussions and decision-making. Communication with education and social care professionals is good. The manager keeps everyone updated with the children’s changing needs, which supports consistency of care for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress in health and education. Staff encourage the children to attend health appointments. One child has been able to catch up on medical appointments and treatment they have missed. Staff also work closely with education colleagues to support attendance and achievement and to overcome barriers to education for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s daily experiences vary in the home. Both children initially made good progress and became actively involved in local activities, which encouraged them to pursue their interests. One child continues to engage in these activities, while another has recently disengaged.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and team offered sensitive and practical support to a child who left the home. Staff shared information with the new provider and helped them understand the child’s needs and worries. The child was given a memory book of their time in the home, and they remain in contact with the home’s staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff monitor the relationships between the children closely. When children’s needs were considered for living together, managers did not gather the views of all those who know the children well. Consequently, they overlooked valuable information about the children's vulnerabilities at that time.

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

Staff are subject to safer recruitment checks. The manager carries out checks to ensure that there are no known risks posed to children by new staff.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff respond quickly and follow each child’s individual plan. Staff work closely with professionals and family members to locate and return the child as quickly as possible. When children return, they are warmly welcomed by staff, who offer care and compassion. Return home interviews are carried out by an Inspection report for children’s home: 2789434 4 independent person. Staff take time to reflect on each incident, seeking to understand the reasons behind the child leaving to help prevent future episodes. Children’s voices are actively listened to, and their views are shared with professionals who can take appropriate action.

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

Staff use a calm and consistent approach to support children’s behaviour. Staff are trained to physically intervene but have not needed to as they have used effective de-escalation skills. Restrictions are put in place after consulting with the child’s wider support team to keep children safe. Both children were unclear about when the restrictions would end. The children asked what actions they should take for the restrictions to end, as they did not know what to do.

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

Children have individual, detailed risk assessments, which are reviewed and updated when new risks or vulnerabilities arise. Staff understand and respond to children’s plans. Sometimes, the information in the child’s plan can be contradictory, and it is not clear if staff have had sight of the most current information.

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

The out-of-hours manager took some steps to protect a child and staff member when they were first made aware of an allegation against a member of staff. While there was no immediate risk of harm, the actions were not robust. When they became aware of the allegation, the registered manager promptly acted and followed procedures to ensure a thorough investigation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers acknowledge the progress of one child, providing them with support to pursue their interests and achieve their goals. Another child made progress initially, and the manager is working with other professionals to try and help them engage again. Managers aspire for children to achieve their best in education and learn new skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a thorough induction and are trained to meet children’s specific needs. Managers strive to develop the team and use newly developed tools to help them grow.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager sources additional professional support from well-being specialists. The specialists support staff in formulating plans for children and provide supervision, which helps them better understand the children’s needs. The manager and staff value this support and question, reflect and put into practice their learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager recognises the team’s strengths and areas for development. Staff feel well supported by managers. A staff member was recently involved in delivering some training to promote equality, which a child also attended. Staff receive regular supervision, but the records of these sessions vary in quality.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is moving records over to an electronic system. Children’s records and other records contain inaccuracies. These inaccuracies do not affect the care provided to children. They may confuse children who want to look back at their records in the future. The children’s guide also needs updating, as some information about staff has changed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2789434 5 The manager uses regular staff to support the children and no longer uses temporary staff. However, staff rosters do not clearly reflect the temporary staff who have previously worked in the home and the hours that they have worked. This makes it difficult to identify who has worked with the children and determine whether they are trained and suitable. Inspection report for children’s home: 2789434 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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)) 24 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, rosters should contain full information of staff working in the home and the hours they work. 24 July 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children once they are satisfied through consultation with key professionals that they can manage the risks faced by all children in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.2) Inspection report for children’s home: 2789434 7  The registered person should review and update the children’s guide as necessary and ensure that any changes are explained to children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.23)  The registered person should ensure that all children’s case records are accurate, kept up to date and shared with staff in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the

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Recommendations

manager, receive supervision from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, allowing them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children in their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraphs 13.2 and 13.4)

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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 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: 2789434 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 38 Freemans Way, Harrogate HG3 1DH

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Inspectors

Carol Jagger, Social Care Inspector Ali Owens, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2789434 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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