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

Unique reference number SC033628 Inspection date 01/12/2011 Inspector David Martin Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 03/02/2011 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

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 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

p.3

About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

p.3

The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service that exceeds minimum requirements Satisfactory : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

p.3

Brief description of the service

This local authority setting provides four overnight places for short breaks care and also day and tea-time sessions. All the children have learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities and/or complex health needs.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

p.4

Overall effectiveness

This setting continues to operate in the best interests of children and young people. The home carefully matches children young people to ensure their compatibility and they are offered a package of care with children of similar interests and abilities. This minimises the risks of bullying and keeps children and young people safe. The children and young people enjoy warm relationships with the staff and benefit from one-to-one care and support. The home is particularly strong in the way in which shifts are planned and tasks are allocated to staff.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

Parents retain responsibility for meeting the health and educational needs of their children but the home is proactive in its communication with schools and healthcare colleagues. Children and young people's preferences and wishes are reflected well in short breaks placement plans. The staff are fully aware of their responsibilities to keep children and young people safe and secure and effectively minimise the individual risks that children and young people face.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

The home is well managed and there are established mechanisms for reviewing progress and identifying areas for development. Equality and diversity is actively promoted and underpins the home's work with individual children and young people. No requirements or recommendations are made as a result of this inspection.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Children and young people who attend this setting have a wide range of learning and physical disabilities and some have complex health care needs. As such they present a number of different challenges for staff and have varying degrees of ability and communication. Nonetheless, the home successfully manages to allocate staff and resources in a way which best meets the needs of all individual children and young people. Children and young people enjoy their time in the unit and have excellent opportunities to play and socialise with friends of similar abilities.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

The home carefully matches the groups of children attending the unit to ensure compatibility of need and this effectively minimises the risk of children becoming distressed by the behaviour of others. Staff work with young people on a one-to-one basis, providing personal care and promoting their interests and activities that they enjoy. For example, one young person enjoys making robots out of cereal boxes and outfits out of paper and the staff help them to tap into this creativity.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

As a result of the short-term nature of placements, parents retain responsibility for ensuring that the health and educational needs of their children are met. The home fulfils its duty to get children to and from school safely. It is also strong in its communication with schools and the staff have worked positively with schools to resolve issues concerning individual children. The input from the home is much appreciated by educational colleagues.

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

The health needs of children are clearly set out in placement plans and key workers highlight specific issues that need to be incorporated into daily routines. This ensures that all staff are familiar with children's health care needs and can meet them in a consistent way. Staff have undertaken training in the administration of medicines and invasive treatment to make sure that these particular aspects of children's care are delivered safely.

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are encouraged to make a positive contribution to the way in which the home is run. The extent to which they are able to do this takes into account children's abilities and levels of understanding. Children help set the tea table and can make themselves drinks and snacks. This approach assists children in acquiring independence skills and contributes to their confidence and self esteem. On the day of inspection, the children were having a birthday tea and actively made choices about what they wanted to eat. The home listens to children's views and there are good examples of the way in which care plans have been altered to reflect this.

p.5

Quality of care

Children and young people have very positive relationships with staff. This was apparent in the way they were warmly greeted from school. Team time was a lovely, relaxed social occasion in which children and staff enjoyed each others company and had friendly, good-humoured conversations. Staff are attentive to the needs of young people and are able to carry out personal care tasks discreetly.

p.5

Quality of care

Staffing levels are good, allowing one-to-one work with the children and young people. Each shift is carefully planned and each member of staff is allocated a child to work with throughout their stay in the home. This enables staff to work closely with individual children and encourage them to follow their particular interests. In addition, it promotes consistency of care and ensures that children and young people's wishes and feelings can be quickly identified and acted on.

p.5

Quality of care

Many of the children and young people have limited ability to understand the concept of making a complaint. They are reliant on their parents and other significant adults to raise any concerns. The complaints procedure is well publicised. It is used effectively and any complaints are investigated appropriately. Parents said that they are happy with the service they receive and one commented that the home is, 'Fantastic and a real lifeline for us as a family and a very important part of our child's life.'

p.5

Quality of care

Children and young people are cared for in line with their individual short breaks placement plan. The plans are comprehensive and identify the care and support that each child and young person needs. They address significant issues relating to the health and social care and include young people's preferences and choices. Key workers are responsible for ensuring that the plans are up to date and any developments or changes are discussed at team meetings. This ensures that all staff are familiar with the current care needs of children and young people. Each child and young person has a photographic record of their time in the home which provides them with a visual history that they can take with them as and when they leave the service. This is very good practice.

p.6

Quality of care

Equality and diversity issues are well understood by staff and this is reflected in individualised care planning. The staff are mindful of the fact that they look after a diverse group of children from a broad range of backgrounds. They promote highly personalised care packages which recognise the unique needs of every child and young person. This aspect of the way in which the home is run is valued by professional colleagues. One social worker observed that, 'It’s always absolutely great - a very positive experience for each child.'

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

Children and young people are looked after safely. Staff have undertaken training in the management of difficult or challenging behaviour. The approach concentrates on the use of de-escalation techniques, redirection and low arousal. Physical intervention is only ever used as a last resort. This is borne out in the record of restraint which demonstrates that the use of physical intervention is low and that gentle holds are usually all that is required to manage a situation. The home's response to negative behaviour is managed effectively and safely.

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

The staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities to protect children and young people from harm. They have completed safeguarding training and are confident about reporting any concerns to the senior team. They are familiar with the out of hours reporting arrangements. High staffing levels, careful shift planning and an assessment of the compatibility of children and young people minimises the incidence of bullying. These arrangements strongly promote the safety and well- being of children and ensure that the opportunities for children and young people to go missing are controlled effectively. To date, none of the children and young people have been absent from the home without permission.

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

Risk assessments have been undertaken for individual children and young people and are implemented effectively. Similarly, potential hazards within the premises and grounds have been identified and control measures have been put in place. This proactive approach to the management of risks contributes to the overall safety of children and young people.

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

All prospective staff are subject to robust vetting prior to being offered employment in the home. As an additional safeguard, all files are checked and signed off by a senior manager in the authority. The measures in place ensure that young people are protected from adults who may not be suitable to work with them.

p.7

Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good .

p.7

Leadership and management

As noted above, the home is always well-staffed, enabling children and young people to enjoy individual attention throughout their stay. The staff are appropriately trained and are effectively supported by the management team. The staff have good access to training which enhances their individual skills and enables them to keep their knowledge base up to date.

p.7

Leadership and management

Individual supervision of staff is undertaken at the required intervals and staff are encouraged to reflect on their practice. This ensures that staff are both adaptable and thoughtful in their work with children and young people. The staff appreciate the support they get from one another and one commented that, 'This is the first job that has given me a real sense of satisfaction.'

p.7

Leadership and management

The home's statement of purpose is reviewed regularly and accurately reflects the service that is offered. All other records are well-maintained and are stored securely. The annual development plan for the home concentrates effectively on the consolidation of progress and clearly identifies areas for development. The plan feeds into the local authority's overall improvement plan for children and young people and its residential care provision. This demonstrates a willingness and capacity to seek continuous improvement of the home.

p.7

Leadership and management

The home is subject to monthly Regulation 33 inspections which provide a detailed evaluation of the way in which the home is operating. The home has a good track record of responding positively to recommendations and requirements made as a result of previous inspections. These measures contribute to the safety and well- being of children and young people.

p.7

Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

p.7