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

Unique reference number SC059635 Inspection date 28/03/2011 Inspector David Martin Type of inspection Random

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Date of last inspection 26/08/2010 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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 Crispins, 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.

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About this inspection

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 outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and the relevant National Minimum Standards for the service.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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Brief description of the service

This children's home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to eight young people of either sex, aged from 12 to 18 years, who may be experiencing a range of social, emotional and behavioural problems. The home offers a supportive living environment on a medium to long-term basis. There are communal rooms on the ground floor and individual bedrooms upstairs. The home is situated in a suburban area but close to local amenities.

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Brief description of the service

All of the young people were on holiday at the time of this inspection.

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Summary

The overall quality rating is outstanding.

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Summary

This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Summary

This unannounced interim inspection was carried out to assess the home's performance in meeting the requirements of the national minimum standards under the staying safe outcome. There were no actions or recommendations made as a result of the previous key inspection.

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Summary

The home strongly promotes the safety and well being of young people. It has in place robust systems to protect young people from harm which includes the young people's right to make representation, to be free from bullying and to have time and space for privacy. Staff have completed safeguarding training and are familiar with the reporting procedures. Socially acceptable behaviour is actively encouraged and the potential for confrontation is effectively minimised. The premises are safely maintained and the staff are subject to periodic checks to ensure their ongoing suitability to work with young people.

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Improvements since the last inspection

There were no actions or recommendations made as a result of the previous inspection.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home is very effective in promoting respect for the privacy and dignity of young people. They have individual lockable bedrooms and access to private bathing facilities. The young people are expected to be appropriately dressed when in the communal parts of the home. The staff have completed data protection training and have a very good understanding of issues of confidentiality. All records are held securely and there is sufficient space for meetings to take place privately. This protects information about the young people.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home actively promotes the right of young people to raise their concerns. Young people receive information about making a complaint in the welcome pack. This includes the details of outside agencies to which young people can turn. The young people have access to a local advocacy service and some are actively involved in organised participation events. There have been no formal complaints since the last inspection and only one issue has been raised informally. The home attempts to pre- empt complaints through open discussion with the young people in both house meetings and keyworker sessions. The measures in place ensure that young people have a voice and that their concerns are treated seriously.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The protection of young people from harm is one of the home's key priorities. All staff have completed mandatory safeguarding training and have a very secure knowledge of how to deal with safeguarding issues. Individual staff have accessed more advanced training courses, the content of which they have shared with colleagues. There have been no child protection issues referred directly to the local safeguarding board in the period since the last inspection. The staff are currently working with the young people on personal safety while using computers and the internet. Young people are effectively protected from abuse and their welfare is extremely well promoted.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people benefit greatly from living in a home where bullying is known to be unacceptable. All incidents of bullying are noted and addressed in keyworker sessions and house meetings. Information in children's guide and around the home demonstrate home's zero-tolerance approach to bullying. Clear procedures and risk assessments indicate the steps that will be taken to minimise the risk of bullying. The current group of young people living in the home, are rarely absent without permission. Detailed risk assessments have been completed to identify and manage any incidents of young people going missing.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home is very successful in supporting the young people to interact with others in a positive way. There are comprehensive behaviour management plans in place and any anti-social behaviour is explored with young people through keyworker sessions. The staff have undertaken training in managing confrontation behaviour, which has provided them with a range of skills and techniques to intervene without the use of restraint or physical intervention. Sanctions are used sparingly and, on the whole, consist of the fair use of financial reparation. The home’s approach strongly supports the young people in learning how to behave in a socially acceptable way.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The premises are extremely safely maintained. Environmental risk assessments are in place and no hazards were noted during the tour of the home's communal areas. Routine maintenance of fire fighting equipment and fire safety systems is up to date. The staff are subject to periodic checks, such as three yearly clearances through the Criminal Records Bureau. This ensures that staff remain suitable to work with young people.

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