Children's home run by Calderdale Council in Calderdale

Inspection report for children’s home: SC035154 1 SC035154 Registered provider: Calderdale Council

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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 run by a local authority. It provides care for up to five children who may experience emotional and social difficulties. At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home, and were all spoken with during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2024.

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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 outstanding

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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: 9 September 2024

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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: SC035154 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/09/2024 Full Good 26/09/2023 Full Good 26/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/07/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC035154 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have strong, trusting relationships with staff. These are underpinned by staff’s consistent knowledge of each child’s individual needs and preferences. Staff create a safe and nurturing environment where children feel valued and understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The premises are well maintained with child-friendly touches throughout. Bedrooms are personalised to reflect and celebrate the children’s individuality. This promotes children’s sense of belonging and stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One professional commented, ‘They just know what makes the child tick.’ This suggests a depth of insight and responsiveness that staff bring to their work. This intuitive and informed approach enables children to build emotional resilience and engage positively with their care plans. The quality of these relationships contributes to children’s progress and overall well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have an individualised and sensitive approach to supporting key connections for children. Staff recognise the significance of family and peer relationships and are proactive in developing these. Through thoughtful planning and effective communication with families, children benefit from increased time with those who matter the most to them. Alongside this, staff recognise the critical role of peer relationships in children’s social development. They actively support the formation of positive friendships while working collaboratively with education partners to disrupt peer dynamics that may be unhelpful.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s learning through targeted tutoring in subjects where they need improvement. They seek alternative options to a formal curriculum for children with disrupted schooling. Alongside this, independence skills and social development are actively promoted, with children making noticeable progress and increased confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to explore gender and sexual identity. These conversations are nuanced, respectful and informed by bespoke training provided to staff. This creates a safe space for children to explore and express their identity with confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is proactive and well-coordinated multi-agency collaboration to further understand children’s needs and vulnerabilities. Managers take the lead to find the most appropriate interventions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are central to their care. Children’s interests and hobbies are incorporated into activity planning, resulting in engaging and meaningful downtime. Children enjoy a mix of group and solo experiences that support both their social and individual development. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035154 4 When new children move into the home, this is widely consulted on and well planned. Records collated at this point and after are comprehensive and provide staff with the insight they need to care for children effectively. Children’s care records are kept up to date and are consistent across documentation.

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

Staff know children’s risks and vulnerabilities. They have clear mitigating plans in place that are regularly reviewed and overseen by managers. Since the last inspection, children have not gone missing, been subject to exploitation or experienced bullying or self-harm. This indicates that children’s safety and well-being are promoted.

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

Key work and journey work constitute a strength of the home. Staff take opportunities to have focused conversations which help children to develop a growing awareness and understanding of managing their own risks.

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

Behavioural incidents are generally well managed. If children need to be held to keep themselves or others safe, then staff consistently follow individualised plans. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of least restrictive practice and take time and effort to rebuild relationships with children if they have needed to hold them. However, staff do not always take medical advice when drawing up safety plans related to the use of restraint with children who have medical conditions.

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

Overall, children’s health and medication needs are met. Sometimes children are on a waiting list to see clinical specialists. While they wait, staff support them to manage any pain or discomfort. Sometimes this can be for a long period without a review of the appropriateness of the plan.

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

Managers take allegations of harm seriously. They make referrals to safeguarding professionals and investigate to ascertain what has happened. They also provide additional support to children, showing they understand the emotional impact of this. Records of actions taken and full information could be better organised, which would provide reassurance about timely and effective practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers demonstrate highly ambitious and forward-thinking vision for the development of both the premises and the staff team. Their leadership is rooted in a clear understanding of the children’s needs, with realistic and child-focused goals that promote progress and well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers act with compassion and professionalism in supporting the staff, which promotes retention and therefore stability and continuity of care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Training is strategically planned and forward looking, with topics carefully selected to reflect the current group of children. This ensures that staff are equipped with the Inspection report for children’s home: SC035154 5 knowledge and skills to respond to emerging needs with confidence and sensitivity. The identification of future training needs further reflects a culture of continuous improvement and high expectations. This approach contributes to a stable, well-informed and nurturing team, which in turn supports positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Recording and reporting practices have improved since the last inspection, contributing to greater consistency, clarity and accountability. The introduction of a new recording tool for observations during family time enables a more clinical and structured approach. This ensures that key emotional and relational dynamics are captured accurately to inform care planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Parents are kept informed about their children through regular updates. This helps to strengthen relationships and promotes a sense of inclusion, helping families feel more connected to their child’s daily experiences and progress. This has a positive impact on trust and collaboration between the home and families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Excellent relationships have developed. There is highly positive feedback from social care, health and education professionals and families. Staff say that the managers are supportive and effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers challenge and escalate effectively when they perceive shortfalls, gaps or lack of timely response from others. This promotes plans being on track, and progress for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Not all staff receive professional supervision at the frequency outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. However, sessions that are delivered are of a good quality. Managers have plans for a new system to monitor supervision delivery to minimise the chances of sessions being overlooked. There are also alternative opportunities for staff to discuss the children, personnel, training and personal issues which reduce the impact of missed formal supervision sessions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The previous requirements and recommendations have been met, except for the recommendation regarding the regulator survey, which will be repeated. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035154 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that supervision is delivered in line with the provider’s stated policy. 30 November 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that professionals and families are consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, including via the regulator’s annual survey, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The registered person should ensure that the health of looked-after children is assessed at regular intervals. This includes reviews which identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The child’s care plan must include an individual health plan setting out the approach that the placing authority will follow, and the desired outcomes required to meet the child’s health needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.4)  The registered person should follow the clear arrangements that are in place for the

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Recommendations

management and oversight of allegations against people who work with children. This includes retaining records in a format which provides evidence of what actions have been taken, when and by whom, and that all parts of the process have been followed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.18)  The registered person should be satisfied that the restraint training is appropriate to the needs of the children the home is set up to care for. They should see evidence that any restraint techniques have been medically assessed by someone with appropriate expertise, to demonstrate their safety for use in a context of caring for children who are still developing, physically and emotionally. The registered person should routinely review the effectiveness of any restraint system commissioned. In Inspection report for children’s home: SC035154 7 particular, they should check that the medical assessment of the system remains up to

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Recommendations

date (including as it relates to specific children and their individual health needs). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.58)

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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: SC035154 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Princess Buildings, Princess Street, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX1 1TS

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Inspector

Rachel Ruth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC035154 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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Inspector

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