Children's Home run by WPS Care Ltd in Wakefield

Inspection report for children’s home: 2812360 1 Registered provider: WPS Care Ltd

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

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

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Four children were living in the home at the time of this inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is the first inspection of the home. The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in March 2025.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

p.1

inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

inadequate

There are serious and 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.

p.1

inadequate

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

p.1

inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2812360 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The serious shortfalls identified relating to the help and protection of children have negatively affected their overall outcomes and experiences in the home.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not build positive relationships with children. Staffing instability and the regular use of casual staff results in inconsistent care for children. Children are struggling to make progress because the care and support in place does not meet their needs. Staff do not understand how a child’s needs or lived experience may affect their emotional and behavioural responses. Three children were spoken with during the inspection. One child said: ‘I do not even know the staff’s names, I do not know who they are.’ Children also said that staff do not play with them or offer them activities. Some children said they were ‘bored.’

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not listen to or respond to the children’s needs. Children are not happy living in the home, and they do not feel that staff understand their individual or cultural needs. Staff’s discussions with children are unhelpful. They do not focus on helping children to recognise and understand their risks and vulnerabilities. Conversations are often used as an opportunity for staff to revisit an issue or a perceived problem and not to help children to achieve their aspirations or understand their emotions. These discussions are not kindly worded and do not represent any nurturing care or support that could benefit children.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The children’s guide does not support children as they move into the home. It is not written in a way to meet the learning and comprehension needs of all children. Staff are not reviewing the guide with children to help them understand the contents and how it relates to their experience in the home. Children were unaware that staff may need to hold them, to keep them or others safe. This contributed to the distress of one child when staff restrained them.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s privacy and dignity are not promoted. Children’s bedroom windows do not have adequate coverings to provide children with privacy from the outdoors. Also, staff enter children’s bedrooms without permission and remove items without documenting this. A child said: ‘The staff touch my things, and they move my stuff, they break things and things go missing.’

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The children’s educational attainment is mixed. Two children attend school full time. This enhances children’s life chances. However, staff were described as ‘laughing and smirking’ when they were discussing a significant incident with educational professional. Education professionals do not feel supported by the home. One child had no education plan and was carrying out paid work. The legal parameters and assessment around this employment were unclear. Inspection report for children’s home: 2812360 3

p.2

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

Children are at high risk of harm. Staff do not have the skills and abilities to keep children safe, and there is regular use of the police to support and manage children’s behaviour. Numerous changes to the staff team, high levels of sickness and staff inexperience mean that managers are not assured that staff are providing safe care and support to children. Children are not helped to keep themselves safe.

p.3

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

Staff do not know or understand the risks to children, and they do not have the skills to identify when children are at risk of harm. Risk assessments and safety plans are not followed, and actions and responses from staff escalate the behaviours of children.

p.3

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

There is a lack of professional curiosity from staff about where children are going when they leave the home, and who they are meeting. Children have returned to the home with money that is unaccounted for and new expensive items. Inconsistent care and careless guidance from senior staff have put children at risk of significant harm.

p.3

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

Managers have failed to recognise, assess, and respond to the risks faced by children, including risks around knives, drug misuse, environmental hazards, and abduction. Managers’ decision-making about the compatibility of children living together is ineffective. Decisions are made without a thorough understanding of each child’s needs, background, and risks. Children feel extremely vulnerable, and harmful situations have escalated and compromised the care and safety of children. One child said they were ‘terrified’ during an incident.

p.3

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

Incidents and allegations against staff are not well managed. The actions taken by managers do not ensure that there is an independent investigation into these concerns, and staff continue to care for children. Staff fail to provide appropriate support and validation to children who make allegations. They do not reassure them during these critical moments.

p.3

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

Additionally, when incidents occur or allegations are made, they are not always reported to Ofsted. This reduces Ofsted’s oversight and ability to ensure that appropriate actions are carried out to protect children.

p.3

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

The home environment is unsafe and does not protect children and staff from harm. The provider failed to respond to concerns regarding the fire alarm system that was faulty. The fire alarm had been silenced, and fire safety checks were not being carried out. It was not recognised that the effectiveness of fire doors was compromised. This is a significant risk as children vape and smoke in their bedrooms, with evident burn marks on the carpets and bedding. Staff do not have any credible strategies to reduce or manage this risk.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Inspection report for children’s home: 2812360 4 Leaders and managers do not promote the welfare and safety of children. They recognise that children are not safe, and they are at significant risk of harm. The manager’s oversight of incidents is ineffective. There are incomplete records of incidents, including those when children are missing from the home. Managers do not always recognise the shortfalls in staff practice and their missed opportunities to protect children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not use monitoring and reviewing systems to make continuous improvements to the quality of care provided to children. Audits are regularly conducted by the manager, and these identify a number of hazards. However, maintenance issues are not responded to, and decisive and effective action is not taken to keep the environment and children safe.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff supervision sessions and team meetings are held regularly. However, these do not consistently consider and review the needs and wishes of the children or their presenting risks. Concerns were raised by some staff regarding the management support in the home and the protection of children. Staff were also concerned about staffing pressures and a lack of opportunity to make memories with children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Professionals who had regular contact with staff raised concerns about the continuity of staffing and staff’s ability to support the children. Professionals said, ‘Children have not made much progress and communication opportunities are routinely missed.’ ‘The language and behaviour of children has deteriorated since they came to live in the home.’ ‘Staff have not supported us to promote good routines and keep children safe.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2812360 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirements Due date

*The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirements Due date

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

p.5

Requirements 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;

p.5

Requirements Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.5

Requirements Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.5

Requirements Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.5

Requirements Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

p.5

Requirements 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;

p.5

Requirements 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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)(d)) 17 August 2025

p.5

Requirements 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— 17 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2812360 6 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.5

Requirements Due date

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

p.6

Requirements Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

p.6

Requirements Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications, and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.6

Requirements 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;

p.6

Requirements Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h))

p.6

Requirements Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirements Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

p.6

Requirements Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

p.6

Requirements Due date

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

p.6

Requirements Due date

ensure that an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child’s arrival about—

p.6

Requirements Due date

the children’s guide. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(d)(i)) 30 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2812360 7 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.6

Requirements Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 30 September 2025

p.7

Requirements Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should reduce unnecessary police involvement for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 47, paragraph 9.40)  The registered person should ensure that staff are respectful of children’s bedrooms, and that bedroom window coverings provide children privacy and maintain their dignity. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 16, paragraph 3.17)  The registered person should ensure that a child’s bedroom is generally not entered without their permission. Usually, a child’s room should only be searched if the child has been informed or asked for their permission. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 17, paragraph 3.20)

p.7

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: 2812360 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 10 Cliff Parade, Wakefield WF1 2TA

p.8

Inspectors

Jo Cansfield, Social Care Inspector Rachael Lewis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2812360 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.

p.8

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspectors

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9