Children's Home run by Netheredge Care Limited in Kirklees

Inspection report for children’s home: SC489226 1 SC489226 Registered provider: Netheredge Care Limited

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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 operated by a private provider. It offers care for up to 5 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last full inspection, 3 children have lived at the home. At the time of this inspection, 2 children remained. Both children were spoken with.

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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: good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Ofsted carried out an assurance inspection of this home on 3 March 2026 after receiving specific safeguarding concerns. The assurance inspection found some serious issues in relation to the care and protection of one child. Following this, Ofsted issued a compliance notice under Regulation 14. Inspection report for children’s home: SC489226 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/05/2025 Full Good 12/06/2024 Full Good 08/01/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/09/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC489226 3

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Summary of findings

Children enjoy living in the home and make progress from their starting points. They enjoy positive working relationships with staff and enjoy a range of positive experiences, and staff are skilled at keeping children safe and supporting them. The manager has recognised the findings of the previous assurance inspection and taken action to address the shortfalls identified. The manager is an experienced and well-regarded leader. They recognise the need for staff to continue developing their skills and avoid complacency. Staff feel the manager supports them well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home is a comfortable place for children to live. It is well-maintained with no signs of damage or disrepair, and feels like a typical family home. Children sit to eat their evening meal with staff. Children enjoy the pet tortoises in the manager’s office. Staff promote a relaxed and welcoming environment. One child described the home as ‘lovely’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children generally make good progress because of the care staff provide to them. One child has improved their fitness and is developing their independence, including catching the bus and cooking meals. Risks for children have reduced.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have lived in the home for a prolonged period. They enjoy a strong sense of permanence and stability. Staff promote their relationships with their wider network. This includes advocating for the children to enjoy a family holiday abroad.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff supported a child who experienced a sudden and unplanned move out of the home. They gave the child the chance to say goodbye. The manager has kept in touch with the family. The child’s mother said that she had ‘no complaints’ in the way staff cared for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have found it difficult to help children maintain their school attendance and have not always been able to support children to sustain improvements over time. However, staff do promote the value of education to children and are proactive in trying to help them attend school on time. The manager promotes the use of incentives, as well as some consequences to support this. Staff have also not helped one child to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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

Children feel safe in the home. Staff foster a relaxed and positive atmosphere. Children can identify trusted adults and know how to raise any issues of concern. Staff support them to discuss sensitive topics in a supportive way and maintain child-friendly records of these discussions that show a nurturing approach. Inspection report for children’s home: SC489226 4 There has been one incident of a child going missing since the assurance inspection. Staff took a proactive approach to locate the child. They carried out local searches and liaised with all relevant partners. They kept a detailed log of every action taken. The manager has put in place extra measures to ensure children’s safety when they are missing. These include a revised missing from home policy.

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

Staff intervene as needed to protect children from harm. One child began a relationship with a peer. Staff visited the other child’s home to meet them and their parents. They put in place appropriate supervision arrangements, and the manager sought out the social worker’s opinion. In a separate instance, staff intervened to prevent harm during an altercation between two children. Staff used a least-restrictive approach that avoided the need for physical intervention.

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

Staff use clear and consistent boundaries to promote positive behaviour in the home. They prefer to use incentives rather than consequences. As a result, children show staff respect and appreciate the support staff give them. Staff use up to date risk assessments to support their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced and permanent manager leads the home. Staff report feeling well- supported by the manager, who they hold in high regard. The manager also maintains effective working relationships with other professionals. A social worker rated the home ‘excellent’ in all areas in a feedback form provided by staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has met the steps outlined in the compliance notice and has met the previous requirement. They have adopted a more robust approach to reviewing referrals for children to move in. The manager has rejected some referrals if they felt the risks were too high to manage in a safe way. They have also commissioned an external agency to provide extra staff when needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff carry out regular training that is specific to children’s needs. All staff have attended refresher training in how to support children at risk of exploitation and being missing from home. The manager has held regular staff meetings and discussed developments in practice. They recognise the need to avoid complacency are working to prepare staff for high-risk scenarios in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a strong level of oversight over children’s experiences. The manager reads and makes evaluative comments on children’s written records and tracks children’s progress each month. The manager is aware of the home’s strengths and weaknesses, and they promote an open culture of reflection and learning from practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC489226 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that, in line with health plans and the ethos of the home, children are offered advice, support and guidance on health and wellbeing. Staff should have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to help children understand, and work to change negative behaviours in important areas of health and wellbeing. (‘Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)

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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: SC489226 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Netheredge Care Limited

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Inspector

Sam Saxby-Brown, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC489226 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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