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

Unique reference number SC061005 Inspection date 24/01/2013 Inspector Angela Whiteley Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 25/09/2012 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

Brief description of the service

This children's home is owned by a local authority and provides accommodation for up to eight young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

p.3

The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

p.3

Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making good progress .

p.3

Progress

At the last full inspection in September 2012, the overall judgement of the home was good. Since then, the service has demonstrated continued improvement in the quality of care and outcomes for young people. Two requirements and two recommendations were made at the last inspection. The Registered Manager has made good progress in meeting these.

p.3

Progress

The manager has established a system for monitoring matters within the home. Regulation 34 reporting now provides for consultation with young people, parents and placing authorities. This ensures their views are incorporated in the running of the home and identifies how resources will be improved. Young people’s views and wishes are consistently gathered by staff during keyworker sessions and informal chats; these are used to influence the homes’ operation and future direction. However, regular residents meetings have not been held for some time, which would give still further opportunity for young people to take ownership of their home and feel valued and respected.

p.3

Progress

Young people new to the home are enjoying the benefits of carefully planned admissions. This has enabled them to settle quickly and achieve improved outcomes in terms of health, education, managing behaviours and social interactions. Young people are learning to take some responsibility for their behaviours. As a result, incidents requiring sanctions and physical restraints have reduced. Physical intervention records contain all the required information. However, young people are not recording their views or signing their entry in the sanctions logbook. The manager is addressing this matter with staff by reviewing behaviour management recording systems to develop a new system that ensures all relevant information is recorded correctly.

p.3

Progress

The home has made good progress in other areas since the last inspection, which has had a positive impact on young people. For example, young people have been fully supported to make successful transitions to independence and others have successfully moved to live with family members. Young people have benefited from improved contact arrangements and better engagement with education. They have seen improvements in personal appearance and self-esteem. Young people confirm they feel safe in this placement and that they have good relationships with staff.

p.4

Progress

Young people are protected by strong child protection measures with regard to staffing, health and safety, bullying and behaviour management. Missing from home incidents are dealt with promptly and liaison with the police and other professionals is very effective. Young people benefit from the improved knowledge and understanding of staff who have a strong effective working relationship with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). This enables staff to provide specific therapeutic support to young people under the direct guidance of CAHMS professionals.

p.4

Progress

The manager maintains effective leadership of the home assisted by a competent deputy and a skilled and experienced staff team. They are well organised and clearly understand their roles. Staff confirm that they receive good management support. They are highly motivated to deliver a strong, child-focused service that helps young people fulfil their aspirations, and develops young people’s potential. However, supervision has not been regularly provided to all staff. This means some staff are not having the same opportunities as others to develop their practice. The manager is aware of the shortfalls and is dealing with the areas of weakness promptly. This ensures the standards within the home remain high and continue to improve.

p.4

Recommendations

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

p.4

Recommendations

 ensure young people's views, wishes and feelings are acted upon, in the day to day running of the home; in particular, hold regular young people's meetings (NMS 1.1)  ensure that where sanctions, disciplinary measures or restraints are used, children are encouraged to have their views recorded and sign the records kept by the home (NMS 3.18 and Volume 5, statutory guidance paragraph 2.91)  ensure staff are provided with regular supervision by appropriately qualified and experienced staff. (NMS 19.4)

p.4

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.6

About this inspection

The report details the progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection.

p.6