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

Unique reference number SC063978 Inspection date 18/12/2012 Inspector Bill Drumm Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 28/02/2012 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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Brief description of the service

This local authority children's home provides care and accommodation for eight young people who may be experiencing a range of social, emotional and behavioural problems.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are cared for by a supportive staff team who are enthusiastic and committed to helping them achieve their maximum potential. Young people are positive about the care they receive and the relationships they have with staff members. There are some very good examples of personalised care being delivered to young people which recognises their cultural differences and helps them develop socially acceptable behaviour.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff provide excellent role models and set clear consistent boundaries. This does help young people to develop from their starting points, however, placement planning does have some shortfalls. This means that staff and young people may not be aware of the overall aim and progress of the placement.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are making progress in their education given their starting points when they initially arrived at the home. Young people attend regularly and those who have left formal education are pursuing employment or training opportunities.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people say they feel safe at the home; that bullying does not take place and that staff talk with them regularly about keeping safe. There is a minor shortfall in the post incident recording for restraints. Consequently, individuals involved in the restraint don’t consistently receive an opportunity to discuss the incident. Independent visits help to ensure the home is run properly. The independent visitor speaks in confidence with young people and staff members. However, they do not routinely speak in confidence with the family members or relatives of the young people living there. This means that their opinions about the quality of care within the home are not always considered.

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Overall effectiveness

There are some areas for improvement within the home’s records. These include the home’s admission records; the statement of purpose; the young people’s guide to the home and records of employment history for staff. Not all young people who are eligible have formal pathway plans to aid their transition into adulthood and independent living. This means they may not receive the help and services they need to live successfully in the community.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) maintain in the children's home the records specified in Schedule 4 with particular reference to those relating to young people (Regulation 29 (1), Schedule 4 (1)) 28/02/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to all staff in respect of each of the matters specified in Schedule 2 (Regulation 26 (3)(d)) 28/02/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) interview, with their consent and in private, such of the children accommodated there, their parents, relatives and person's working at the home as appears necessary in order to form an opinion of the standard of care provided in the home. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) 28/02/2013

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure that each young person understands, within their level of understanding, the purpose and content of their placement plan (NMS 25.1)  ensure that placing authorities carry out a review of a child's care plan if there has been a significant change in arrangements for the child's care (NMS 25.5)  review the home's statement of purpose and young people's guide to ensure they fully comply with national minimum standards (NMS 13.3)  ensure that each young person who is old enough has a comprehensive pathway plan in place to aid their transition into adulthood (NMS 12.2)  ensure that young people and staff are given the opportunity to be debriefed by a responsible adult who has not been involved in the restraint. (Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 5: Children's Homes; paragraph 2.102)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people lead healthy lifestyles and take regular exercise. Young people are registered with all primary health care providers and, where appropriate, secondary health care provision such as mental health and sexual health services. Additionally, interpreters are commissioned to help young people, whose first language is not English, to attend appointments and to understand what is said to them.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people say they are encouraged to take responsibility for their own appointments. This enables them to have a consultation in private and promotes their independence. One young person said, ’Staff are always telling me to take care of myself. I listen to them sometimes but I like the things I do. I know they only want what’s best for me.' Young people are encouraged to understand the importance of looking after themselves and the dangers of excess.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy a variety of meals and a healthy diet. Individual requirements because of cultural or religious differences are fully catered for. Young people shop for food items and help to prepare meals which helps them develop life skills and become more self-sufficient. This helps to prepare them for the transition to adulthood and independent living.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Where appropriate, young people benefit from contact with family and friends and staff both support and facilitate contact. This helps young people to maintain positive relationships with those who are important to them and for some this has enabled them to begin to build positive relationships. Young people whose first language is not English are encouraged and supported to make friends with others of the same ethnic background and to attend religious services. This helps them to retain their cultural identity.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people, who are of school age, attend education provision and their attendance is closely monitored. For some, school attendance has improved since being admitted to the home. Those young people who are no longer of school age are considering employment opportunities or have enrolled onto college courses. Young people celebrate educational establishments and receive suitable support from education providers. This helps young people to achieve their maximum potential.

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Quality of care

Young people live in a caring environment and have good relationships with staff. One young person said, ‘Staff here are great they listen to what I have to say. They nag a bit but it’s only because they want what’s best for me.' The home has developed a number of care plans for meeting the individual needs of young people. However, not all young people have a placement plan in place written by their social worker, which outlines what the overall aim of their placement is. This means staff, and young people may not know what the placement at the home is specifically meant to achieve.

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Quality of care

Each young person has a key-worker. Key workers have formal and informal meetings with young people to discuss the care they receive. This helps to ensure that the individual needs of young people are met. One young person said, ‘I meet regularly with my key worker, we chat about all sorts of things. I know they’re there when I need someone to talk to.'

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Quality of care

The results of all statutory reviews are available in the home. However, one young person was placed at the home at short notice following a period of crisis in their previous placement. The young person’s needs and care have not been reviewed since their admission to the home. This means the needs of the young person have not been considered following a significant change in the arrangements for their care.

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Quality of care

The home has a culture of promoting each young person's life experiences and in ensuring they are able to participate in a wide range of activities. Activities which young people are involved in include, going to the cinema, ice skating and playing cricket. Young people, whose first language is not English, are fully supported to attend cultural events and religious festivals. This helps young people to develop their confidence and self-esteem and to retain their cultural identity. The home also has a programme in place to help young people learn about independent living and to develop skills associated with daily living. However, young people who are old enough do not have comprehensive pathway plans in place. This means they may not receive the help and services they need to make a successful transition into adult life.

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Quality of care

Young people said they have open and honest dialogue with staff. They feel listened to as their views are sought through regular young people's meetings. The home’s complaints procedure is effective as young people know how to make a complaint. One young person said, ‘I can speak up for myself. I’ll complain when I need to.'

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy living in a residential area close to open countryside. Each young person has their own bedroom. Bedrooms are individually decorated in a style of each young person’s own choosing. Young people have access to computer gaming equipment and a range of books. There is also a television in the lounge where young people can relax. The home has a dining area where members of staff and young people can socialise and enjoy a meal together. The home provides a very comfortable environment which young people enjoy.

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Quality of care

Young people are encouraged to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. Individual dietary needs are fully catered for and members of staff have undergone training in safe food hygiene. Each young person has written consent forms in place in order for members of staff to administer medication or first aid where this is necessary. Where they are able, young people take responsibility for administering their own medication. This helps them to take responsibility for their own health needs. Staff are in regular contact with the looked after nurse for children and other health care providers. This helps promote and safeguard the welfare of young people.

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Quality of care

Members of staff actively strive to provide an environment in which young people are happy and can develop. Young people spoken to said, ‘This is a good place to live’ and, ‘It’s sometimes quite noisy here, which I don’t like, but the staff I like.’

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Safeguarding children and young people

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

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people say they feel safe and that staff talk to them about keeping themselves safe, particularly, when in the community. Young people say there is no bullying in the home and that they generally get on well together. Staff are vigilant and have zero tolerance on bullying with any issues being swiftly dealt with. The manager and all members of staff are trained in safeguarding and receive refresher training to keep their skills and knowledge up to date. This ensures they are both confident and competent in dealing with any safeguarding issues should these arise.

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Safeguarding children and young people

There have been several instances since the last inspection when young people have been missing or absent without authority from the home. In these instances, staff have followed the home’s protocols and have developed good, positive links with the police. Written records show that the frequency of young people being missing or absent from the home is reducing. The robust response of staff when young people go missing is having a positive effect.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people benefit from consistent, clear boundaries. Staff help young people understand the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others. One young person said, ‘Nobody gets held or restrained unless it’s really necessary and then it’s not for long.' Another young person said, ‘I’ve never been restrained. I just keep myself to myself and do what I have to do.’ Written records are maintained of all instances when it has been necessary for staff to use physical restraint. There is a minor shortfall within these records, in that there are no entries relating to a review of the incident.

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Safeguarding children and young people

When asked about sanctions one young person said, 'Sanctions are ok; we don’t get them very often either. We can earn rewards for good behaviour and having a good attitude.' Staff place a great emphasis on using de-escalation techniques to calm situations which may occur. Young people are supported to develop socially acceptable behaviour.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Good systems are in place to ensure the physical safety of young people. All required safety checks are completed and regular fire evacuations are undertaken and young people are clear about the procedure. Young people are supported by clear risk assessments which identify hazards but allow young people to take reasonable risks as part of their growth and development. This helps young people to ‘learn through doing.’

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Safeguarding children and young people

Recruitment procedures are generally thorough and help to ensure that young people are looked after by suitable people. However, the recruitment records of one member of staff had discrepancies between the dates they gave as working for a care agency and those the agency gave in its character reference. This discrepancy has not been explored with the candidate as part of the recruitment process and is not explained. Therefore, the welfare of young people is not fully safeguarded.

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Leadership and management

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

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Leadership and management

The home meets the aims and objectives set out in its Statement of Purpose. The Statement of Purpose is well written but does not, fully describe the experience of all members of the staff team. This means that the document does not provide a clear picture of staff skills for the reader.

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Leadership and management

The young people's guide to the home provides important information which young people may need. However, the young people’s guide does not include the contact details of the Children’s Rights Director. Young people know what to expect from living at the home, but are not fully aware of the people outside of the home who they can speak to if they are worried about anything.

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Leadership and management

The home has an admissions and discharge register, which records who has been admitted to the home and how long they have lived there. However, the precise addresses of where young people have lived prior to admission and on leaving the home are not recorded. This does not provide the record required and does not contribute to a sufficient understanding of the young person’s life.

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Leadership and management

Monitoring visits from someone independent of the home take place every month. The person undertaking these visits speaks with staff and the young people regarding how the home is run. However, the opinions of family members or relatives of young people are not actively sought, this means that their opinions are not always considered. These monitoring visits do help to ensure that the home is run properly and that young people are well cared for.

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Leadership and management

Members of staff have received training in a number of areas which help to safeguard and protect the welfare of children. Written records indicate that, where training is not up-to-date renewal dates have been identified. All care staff have attained the relevant National Vocational Qualification at level 3. This means that staff members have the competence and skills necessary to care for young people.

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Leadership and management

The home's manager ensures that all members of staff receive formal supervision on a regular basis. One member of staff said: 'We get regular supervision but we're also able to ask the manager things whenever we like, her door's always open. The staff team here is great as well, we all support each other; it's a good place to work.’ In addition, weekly staff meetings are also held. This helps staff members to feel supported in their work.

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Leadership and management

The home's manager provides effective management and has systems in place to ensure that the quality of care is regularly monitored. Any problem areas identified are attended to and appropriate action taken. The home has an up-to-date development plan in place. The home's manager knows what the strengths and weaknesses of the home are and how they can improve the service they provide.

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

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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 and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

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