Children's home run by Wakefield Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 2544274 1 Registered provider: Wakefield 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 owned and operated by a local authority. It provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties, or have learning disabilities and/or a sensory impairment.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home. During the inspection, both children spent time with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2022. The current registered manager is leaving and has been preparing the newly appointed manager to take over her role.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2544274 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/03/2025 Full Outstanding 07/11/2023 Full Outstanding 01/11/2022 Full Good 16/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2544274 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff talk positively about the children and enjoy spending time with them. The children have varying relationships with staff depending on their time living in the home. One child has lived in the home for a longer period than the other child and this has helped them form strong relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can confidently share their views and know how to raise concerns and make a complaint. Staff listen to children’s views and this influences decisions about their daily care, including the time that they spend with people who are important to them. For one child, this means that they enjoy increased periods of time with a close family member.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are healthy and staff ensure that children can access required health services, including specialist therapeutic support. Staff know the children well and use individual approaches to help children understand their feelings. The children’s social workers and a family member noted that the children are better able to manage emotionally difficult times because of the support offered by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff offer the children sensitive, individualised care and ensure that they are aware of any changes in their daily care routine. This helps reduce children’s potential anxieties and offers them a sense of security. Not all children are in healthy care routines. However, staff remain committed to encouraging the children to develop their wellbeing and progress essential life skills, such as budgeting and cooking.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education and learning opportunities for children. They are proud of the achievements and the positive progress children make regarding their learning. Furthermore, they work closely with education and college staff to help children overcome any potential obstacles, for example addressing issues around transport and other challenges that prevent some children accessing learning opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have sensitive, well-planned moves into the home. The support from staff helps reduce any anxieties that children may have.

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

The children talk about feeling happy in the home. On occasions significant incidents have taken place, resulting in concerns regarding children safety and wellbeing. Staff have taken action to protect the children. Additionally, leaders and managers have worked with social workers to review children’s safety plans. They have ensured that staffing levels are appropriate to provide the children with the required supervision and care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2544274 4 Staff are proactive and responsive when children go missing from the home, or do not return home on time. Staff are aware of the procedures for notifying and reporting incidents of children going missing from the home. Leaders and managers are responsive to addressing practice to ensure that children receive the best possible coordinated response from all specialist agencies. These actions help to keep the children safer.

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

The staff know how to raise safeguarding concerns and take actions to protect the children while investigations are ongoing. Leaders and managers share concerns with the local authority designated officer. Children’s complaints are taken seriously and children are provided with a timely understanding of the outcome.

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

Staff only use a physical hold on a child when required to safeguard the child or others from harm. Following incidents, timely, reflective discussions take place with the children. This helps children understand events and offers them the opportunity to repair relationships. Additionally, specialist trained staff have timely oversight of incidents and share any practice learning to improve the quality of care provided to children.

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

Overall, children’s risk assessments and behavioural support plans are detailed and provide staff with a clear understanding of actions that they are required to take to reduce risks to children. However, leaders and managers have not taken timely action to ensure that a child’s risk assessment and plan reflect changes associated with a known risk. One child’s bedroom contained hazardous items that could cause harm to both children living in the home. Action had not been taken to ensure that all areas in the home were free from hazardous items.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is run effectively by a permanent, suitably experienced and qualified registered manager. The registered manager is leaving and she is currently supporting a new manager to have oversight of the home and take over her role. Leaders, managers and staff have high aspirations for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers sensitively supported the children to move to a holiday home while essential work was done in the home. They ensured that all adaptations to the home centred on the children’s needs and that the holiday home remained homely. For example, they changed the layout of some areas in the home to reduce potential hazards for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been several staffing changes since the previous inspection. Leaders and managers have worked hard to recruit new permanent staff. The staff talk about feeling supported to carry out their role and have experienced a good induction. Staff benefit from receiving consistent, reflective supervision sessions. They provide the staff with the opportunity to discuss the children’s needs and their own development needs in detail. Inspection report for children’s home: 2544274 5 Leaders and managers ensure that regular team meetings take place which are well attended by staff. Other specialist agencies regularly attend these meetings. The reflective discussions and support offered to staff during these meetings help ensure children have the best possible support. Additionally, staff are supported to review and reflect on research topics that develop their understanding of the home’s model of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This approach improves the quality of care offered to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a detailed development plan and the provider’s internal monitoring system helps managers to identify practice shortfalls and develop the quality of care for children. However, these systems did not identify the absence of information in one child’s risk assessment and plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers work with the children’s social workers and carry out assessments when considering the compatibility of children moving into the home. However, gaps in assessments and a lack of professional curiosity have not ensured that all known associated needs and risk relating to a child have been given clear consideration. The children do spend positive times together; however, the dynamics can also impact negatively on children’s experiences in this home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2544274 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered persons 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 persons 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that children have risk assessments that provide staff with clear actions that they should take to ensure that children’s bedrooms are free from hazards. 22 March 2026

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Requirement 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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that children’s suitability assessments carefully consider all relevant information, including essential information that may impact or inform decisions regarding the compatibility and quality of care for children in the home. 22 March 2026

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: 2544274 7 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: 2544274 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Bond Street, Wakefield WF1 2QW

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Cheryl Whitehouse

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Inspector

Gina Lightfoot, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2544274 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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