Children's Home run by ISupport Children's Services Ltd in Calderdale

Inspection report for children’s home: 2812743 1 Registered provider: iSupport Children’s Services Ltd 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 company. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in February 2025.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2812743 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector spoke with all three children living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have warm relationships with staff. Staff understand that children need to be nurtured to feel happy and safe. This nurturing care helps children to feel cared for and understood. Staff and children engage in light-hearted exchanges, reflecting the comfortable and nurturing environment. Children speak positively about their experiences and the staff who care for them. One child said, ‘I really trust the staff.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences at the home. They participate in a range of enjoyable activities, such as spending days out at a local carnival, going on trips to the cinema, shopping and visiting theme parks. Photos of children engaging in various experiences are displayed in the home. Children also have memory books that capture their time living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spend time with people who are important to them. The manager advocates for children and supports them in spending increased time with their loved ones. This helps to ensure that children maintain relationships with their friends and families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress with their education. Staff are skilled in guiding and reassuring children; they understand and respond to any barriers to learning. Children attend school full time because of the care and encouragement they receive from staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children in taking age-appropriate risks as part of their development, helping them to build the skills needed to keep themselves safe. The children enjoy spending meaningful time with their friends in the community without any unnecessary restrictions. Staff monitor mobile phone and internet use in an age-appropriate manner. The staff engage in open conversations with the children, addressing any concerns through an educational approach.

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

Children have positive relationships with the staff who care for them. Staff invest their time in getting to know the children, and the children can identify a trusted staff member to confide in when they are worried or concerned. Staff provide consistent rules and boundaries and are skilled at de-escalating situations through their techniques. As a result, physical restraint has not been used on children.

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

Staff support children in understanding risks and guide them in making safer decisions. Direct-work discussions are regularly carried out with children to help them explore risk in a safe environment. Staff encourage children to reflect and consider how they can make positive decisions in the future. Children are helped to understand online safety. Inspection report for children’s home: 2812743 3 They know how to keep themselves safe, which helps to reduce their vulnerabilities and risks.

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

Children are encouraged to manage their behaviours and emotions. Staff help them understand the effect their lived experience can have on their behavioural responses. Staff efforts help children understand the link between their behaviour and its consequences.

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

Children do not go missing from the home. However, should a child go missing, procedures and risk assessments are in place, outlining specific actions for staff to follow. Currently, some of this information is not accurate and up to date. As a result, staff may face challenges accessing crucial guidance promptly in the event a child goes missing from the home.

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

The home is warm, homely and welcoming. The children’s views and opinions inform the decision-making about the decoration and furnishings in the home. The home is well maintained; however, the manager has not taken adequate precautions against the risk of fire. They have delayed sourcing and addressing immediate requirements recorded in the specialist fire assessment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a dedicated and caring manager who has a good understanding of the children’s needs. The children identify the manager as someone they can talk to should they need to confide in anyone.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they enjoy their role and feel supported by leaders and managers. Staff benefit from receiving regular supervision sessions and attending team meetings. The manager provides staff the opportunity to engage in practice reflection and learning. This helps staff to develop positive and effective strategies to support children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers understand the importance of building relationships with children’s families and the multi-agency network. Feedback from professionals and family members is positive about staff and their care of the children. Professionals recognise that children are making progress because of the care they receive from staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers maintain individual risk assessments for each child. Despite regular reviews, some information is confusing and inaccurate. However, staff are fully aware of the children’s needs and support them accordingly. Managers are addressing record-keeping shortfalls by removing outdated information to improve the quality and clarity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the home’s strengths and areas for development. They recognise that their auditing and monitoring systems are not fully effective, as discrepancies and inaccuracies in children’s records are evident. The manager believes that improved auditing systems will improve their oversight and refine staff practice and care for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2812743 4

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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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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

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

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirements Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s risk assessments and missing-from-home plans contain sufficient, accurate and up-to-date information to enable staff to understand and manage risks effectively. 17 October 2025

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Requirements Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirements Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)) 17 October 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. 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) Inspection report for children’s home: 2812743 5

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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: 2812743 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: iSupport Children’s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Scout Hall, Lyndhurst Road, Huddersfield HD3 3HZ

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Inspector

Rachael Lewis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2812743 7 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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