Children's Home run by City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council in Bradford

SC033492 Unique reference number 27 July 2010 Inspection date Nicola McEvinney Inspector Key Type of Inspection

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10 November 2009 Date of last inspection .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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You can obtain copies of The Children Act 2004, Every Child Matters and The National Minimum Standards for Children's Services from: The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Cripins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcome for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and relevant National Minimum Standards for the establishment.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is strong Good: this aspect of the provision is sound Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is not good enough Inadequate: 3 of 9 Inspection Report: SC033492

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Brief description of the service

This home is situated in a small rural housing estate. It backs onto fields to the rear and has a garden with a greenhouse, seating areas and areas to play. The home is close to a number of schools and other appropriate health and leisure facilities.

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Brief description of the service

The building is on two floors and has 12 single bedrooms currently in use for two separately housed groups of children. There are separate entrances provided for each of the two groups which are split based on their needs and care plans. The main unit accommodates eight children admitted to the home where their needs are assessed and an intensive package of support is undertaken preparing them to be able to move towards a permanent placement. The other unit accommodates up to four children who move from the main unit and have reached a point where alternative placements are being sought. There are lounges with television, video and music equipment. There are additional communal areas for art and craftwork.

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Summary

The purpose of this unannounced full inspection was to ensure compliance with the national minimum standards.

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Summary

This is an extremely good home with many outstanding features. Children are cared for in a nurturing environment by experienced, caring staff who obviously enjoy their work. Every aspect of the care delivered is child centred and children's needs are central to how the home is organised. Children are consulted about how the home operates and there are excellent systems in place to ensure that they can share their views.

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Summary

Staff have an excellent understanding of attachment issues and how this impacts on children's behaviour. There is excellent co-operation and communication with the child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) who work with the staff to develop behaviour management strategies. Many behaviours identified prior to children coming to the home, which have led to placement breakdowns have not manifested in the home. Such is their success, staff have been invited to attend a national residential childcare forum to share their good practice and experience.

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Summary

Throughout the inspection the children were extremely well behaved, they were polite and responded warmly to the staff caring for them. Children say, 'us lot, we are very lucky to be here, it's really special'.

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Summary

There were no requirements or recommendations made at this inspection. The overall quality rating is good. This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

There were no requirements or recommendations made at the last inspection.

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is outstanding. 4 of 9 Inspection Report: SC033492 The home employs a cook Monday to Friday and children are provided with healthy and nutritious meals. Individual's likes, dislikes and cultural preferences are taken into consideration when devising the menu. At weekends staff prepare meals and occasionally some children may be involved in this. Some children enjoy baking with staff. Fresh fruit is readily available. Mealtimes are a social occasion with staff sitting with the children. The home has embarked on a gardening project and the children were proud to show off their achievements, for example, fresh carrots were picked ready for the meal the following day. Children say, 'the food is really good'.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's health needs are well attended to, their individual development plans identify any health needs and sets out how these are to be met. All children are registered with doctors, dentists and opticians and individual development plans give clear detail of outcomes of all appointments and when next appointments are due. The consent for the administration of non-prescription medication and first aid has been obtained from the person holding parental responsibility.

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Helping children to be healthy

Medication records are in good order with clear direction to the staff on how medication is to be administered. Half the staff have attended training on the safe handling of medicines and it is planned that the remaining staff will attend this course imminently. This ensures that staff have a good understanding of good medication procedures.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is outstanding. Children are looked after in a safe and secure environment by staff who have a good awareness of safeguarding issues. Each child's individual development plan contains details of how they are to be kept safe and staff discuss with the children issues, such as road safety and stranger danger.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Some children require assistance with personal care, this is undertaken with sensitivity ensuring the older children's dignity is preserved. Staff are vigilant in supervising bath time routines but also make sure that they protect themselves by keeping one another informed of their whereabouts. Young people's files are kept securely ensuring confidentiality.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home access the services of a children's rights organisation who may act as advocates for the children. There have been no complaints since the last inspection although an allegation made has been thoroughly investigated. There are no safeguarding concerns at this time. All staff, including ancillary staff have received refresher safeguarding training and there is a good awareness of this issue. The home access an organisation that holds group sessions with the children to discuss issues, such as stranger danger presented with a child-centred approach.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The children were very proud to show off their anti-bullying display. This display depicted the children in role play of what it is like to be bullied. They have a good awareness of the unacceptability of this and say that they feel safe in the home. When new children are admitted to the home the anti-bullying message is reiterated ensuring that this topic is alive. The home has an anti-bullying champion, although children are aware that they can approach any member of staff to discuss this.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff have an excellent awareness of why children behave as they do and individual support is given to help the children to manage their behaviours. Each child has a positive handling strategy 5 of 9 Inspection Report: SC033492 plan giving clear guidance to the staff on how each child is best managed. These plans are developed at team meetings with the CAMHS professionals to ensure a consistent approach is maintained. Staff have a very nurturing approach with the children who respond positively to the consistency offered. Many behaviours identified prior to admission in most cases have not manifested since the children have been at the home. There are a number of sanctions recorded, these are appropriate and are discussed with the CAMHS team if it is thought necessary. A number of restraints are recorded, these are again appropriate and are generally safe holds to help a child regain composure. The home also has a positive behaviour reward scheme that the

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

children buy into receiving stars, each week the home has a star of the week and after attaining a number of stars of the week they receive monetary vouchers.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

None of the children leave the home without telling staff where they are going. Risk assessments are in place for each child, the premises and activities clearly identifying the risk with strategies in place to minimise this risk. All health and safety checks are carried out as required, for example, portable electric appliances and gas installation are checked annually, the electrical installation has a five year inspection and the boiler is serviced annually. Fire records are in good order with drills held regularly including at night to ensure all staff including night staff know what action to take in the event of a fire. The environmental health department has recently undertaken an inspection at the home and have awarded them a five star rating.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Although there have not been any new appointments made to this home, the recruitment files of all new staff employed to the residential services were seen at the human resources department. The local authority has robust systems in place to ensure only suitable people are employed in the home. The identity of all visitors to the home is checked and they are requested to sign in. A number of children have taxis transporting them to school; there is an arrangement that each child has a designated taxi driver and escort who have been appropriately vetted to ensure suitability.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Many of the children who live at this home have been through some traumatic experiences and have had a number of foster care placement breakdowns. The home has been proactive in arguing their case to have younger children admitted before they have been irrevocably damaged. They work with these children and access intensive psychological services to help prepare these children to once again live within families. This initiative has had a great deal of success with some children leaving the home to live and maintain stable placements. The CAMHS team work closely with the staff team and attend fortnightly staff meetings to support and guide the staff team; this ensures that everybody has a good understanding of issues that impact on the developing child.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The home are highly committed to ensuring the children attain their educational potential. The education authority have recognised this and have awarded the home a 'Helping Hands' award for the support the children receive with their education. The home has an education room with computer access. A tutor from the education department attends the home weekly and spends time with each child to promote their education. Each child has 20 minutes homework each evening and staff listen to them read. The home has bought a reading scheme and there are numerous books available to the children. This term the home has concentrated on spelling and have had a spelling challenge that the children have bought into. They were very proud to 6 of 9 Inspection Report: SC033492 show the inspector winners and runners up cups. Staff recognise the importance of maintaining children in their school placement to ensure continuity and arrange transport for them. Most

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

of the children have achieved 100% school attendance; this is excellent.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The home has an ethos of integrating the children into community activities. The home is sited in a village where they are involved with many village activities, for example, the 'in bloom' competition, and the home have adopted a couple of planters in the village. Children attend, for example, the local brownies, cubs, summer play scheme, a local carnival procession and some attend the local church. The home has numerous age-appropriate toys and there is an extensive outside area with different areas for the children to play. The home have embarked on a gardening project and there are many examples of their horticultural successes, such as strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers in the greenhouse; carrots, broccoli and onions in the garden. A recent acquisition are two rabbits that the children are responsible for; a rota is being organised for feeding and cleaning, this teaches children to be responsible. Holidays

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

to Scotland and Wales are planned over the summer. The home has adopted a charity and have held fundraising events, for example a car boot and a plant sale and monies raised went towards buying their rabbits and also towards their nominated charity. The children can access the internet and see where their efforts have gone.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Each child has an individual development plan set out under the every child matters outcomes. These plans clearly identify the specific needs of the child with guidance in place to show how these needs are to be met. The home also produce a 24-hour daily living plan for each child setting out in detail their daily routine from how each child is to be woken up to their bedtime routine. These plans also include how negative times are best managed and give a clear picture of how each child is to be cared for. These are excellent and ensure a consistent approach to the care of the children.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The 24-hour management plan is a live document and evolves with the child, it is reviewed and developed with the staff team and CAMHS professionals. Statutory child care reviews are held as appropriate; staff produce a detailed report for the review outlining the progress made. Children's individual development plans clearly set out contact arrangements.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The management team have effective gate keeping strategies to ensure admissions to the home do not pose any unnecessary risk to the children accommodated. The home works closely with CAMHS who recommend placing some children at the home as they recognise the effective approach staff have with children placed. The home works closely with move on placements to ensure a smooth transition.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Despite the age of the children accommodated they are consulted over a range of issues. For example, the home has been awarded an amount of money to develop a play area; children were asked for their ideas and some drew pictures of what they would like to have in their play area. These ideas have gone forward to the planners and some are to be implemented. The home has a 'bright ideas' scheme where children can write their ideas on a slip of paper and posted in a box. At the end of each month these are responded to by the management team and posted on a display board. The children participate in this initiative, for example, there were about 16 bright ideas in one month all responded to. Children say one of the good things about the home is that there is always staff to talk to. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: SC033492

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The provision is good. Children are encouraged to have an awareness of money. They are involved with a charity and fundraise for this and other activities they wish to engage in; for example their pet project. They receive pocket money and are encouraged to save half. Staff take them shopping for clothes.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Although the home is a large building that on first appearance is rather institutional it lends itself to the work that is undertaken and the number of children accommodated. It is spacious with a number of rooms which children can use. For example, an art room, a computer room, the large open plan lounge, dining and play area and an outside play area. All areas of the home are well maintained and brightly decorated creating a homely environment for the children. Each child has their own bedroom which they can personalise.

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Organisation

The organisation is good. A detailed Statement of Purpose has been produced clearly informing interested parties what can be expected from the home. A children's guide has also been produced, this is a child friendly document showing children what it will be like when they come to live at the home.

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Organisation

The promotion of equality and diversity is good. Children are given individualised support in line with their needs. There is an established, highly committed and experienced staff team who provide excellent care for the children placed. A great deal of thought is put into the staff rotas; staff who put the children to bed will be on duty the following morning to wake them up; this is good practice. As children move through the home from the main unit to the transition unit, key workers move with them to ensure continuity. It is evident that staffing is arranged to meet the needs of the children placed. Many of the children have experienced a great deal of trauma in their short lives and staff have an excellent understanding of how their experiences impact on their behaviours. Such is their success the home have been invited to a national residential forum to share their good practice.

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Organisation

There are sufficient staff on duty, night time vacancies are covered by regular qualified and experienced agency workers. All staff have attained National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at level 3 or equivalent, or are working towards this qualification. The senior management team, including senior residential practitioners have attained NVQ at level 4 or equivalent. There is a good commitment to training, for example, behaviour management with regular refreshers, therapeutic containment, safe handling of medicines, allegations management and complaints handling. Staff from the residential services have also started a reading group to develop their professional practice. Staff read a relevant chapter and they come together to discuss this with CAHMS professionals and play therapists are involved. This is good practice and develops their understanding particularly on attachment issues. Children's files contain all the necessary

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Organisation

documentation to ensure that they will be able to follow their history

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Organisation

There are good monitoring systems in place to ensure that the home functions properly. Although the Registered Manager is on long term leave, the home continues to be well managed. 8 of 9 Inspection Report: SC033492

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered person meets the Care Standards Act 2000, The Childrens Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The Registered Provider must comply with the given timescales.

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Recommendations

There are no recommendations. 9 of 9 Inspection Report: SC033492

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