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

Unique reference number SC061005 Inspector Lynne Busby Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Registered person address City Hall Centenary Square BRADFORD West Yorkshire BD1 1HY Responsible individual Julie Jenkins Registered manager Gillian Ann Martin Date of last inspection 14/01/2014 2 of 8 Inspection date 28/05/2014

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Previous inspection satisfactory progress Enforcement action since last inspection None

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Overall effectiveness good

Outcomes for children and young people good Quality of care good Keeping children and young people safe adequate Leadership and management good

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Overall effectiveness

The home is well managed and staff are motivated and enthusiastic to provide a caring environment where young people can develop and reach their full potential. Young people who stay at the home benefit by making good progress. Care planning is individualised and has clear measurable outcomes. Young people are encouraged to contribute to their plan and are consulted at their reviews about the plans for the future.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are safe and feel listened to and any concerns are promptly acted upon. All say they like living in the home and have someone they can talk to if they have a problem.

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Overall effectiveness

A particular strength is that young people are engaged in education and they are supported to achieve by staff. There is a multi-agency approach to the care of young people. The staff work closely with education and health to support young people.

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Overall effectiveness

Shortfalls identified during this inspection include educating young people about smoking; improving maintenance of the home and evaluating the learning programme. 3 of 8

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/01/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 11/09/2013 Full good 24/01/2013 Interim good progress 25/09/2012 Full good

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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 the home provides a comfortably environment and is well maintained (NMS 10.3)  ensure staff actively promote the welfare of children living in the home particularly in educating young people on the dangers of smoking in the home (NMS 4.2)  ensure the learning and development programme is evaluated for effectivenes at least annually and if necessary updated. (NMS 18.2) 4 of 8

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are benefiting from the consistency and stability of staff. Following a difficult period of working with young people with varying needs and difficulties staff have managed to continue to provide a nurturing environment. Social care professionals say staff are 'child focused and actively listen to young people'. This has resulted in young people settling and engaging with staff which helps build their self- confidence and emotional resilience. Young people say 'it is like home'. Young people who have moved on from the home continue to visit as they have built sustained attachments with staff.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are encouraged to lead healthy lifestyles. Young people say they are supported to attend health appointments which ensures their health needs are met. Health eating and exercise are promoted as part of being healthy and young people are encouraged to go to a gym, play sport and go swimming.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people develop their independence by looking after themselves through budgeting for food and other daily living expenses and completing tasks such as laundry and keeping their rooms tidy. Plans are individualised depending on the young persons needs. However, regardless of the young persons age, learning skills for life are an integral part of the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people have very good attendance and attainment at school in relation to their starting points at the time of their placements. This has enhanced their life opportunities.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people benefit from regular contact with family members and those people who are important to them. Staff support young people to maintain contact where appropriate arrangements are clearly set out in placement plans.

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Quality of care good

Young people have developed strong and constructive relationships with staff and say that staff 'really care' about them. Staff respect young people's uniqueness and cultural background and personal identity, which is positively addressed and reflected in care planning. Young people's needs are assessed and care plans are individualised. Young people are clear about their plans for the future and have opportunities to attend their reviews to share their views.

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Quality of care good

New admissions to the home are, wherever possible, planned. Lessons have been learnt from previous admissions. Staff now ensure young people's needs can be met 5 of 8 and take into account the impact on other young people. Consequently, the young people settle and outcomes are improved.

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Quality of care good

Young people enjoy a range of activities these include trips out and attending youth clubs. They can follow hobbies and interests such as dancing and rugby which are supported by staff. This gives them opportunities to broaden their knowledge and skills. It also allows them to make friends in the wider community.

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Quality of care good

Young people's educational opportunities have been enhanced by staff's encouragement for them to attend school or training. This has resulted in excellent achievements and improved attendance comparison to young people's histories of no engagement in education for long periods. Young people are positive about education and have real aspirations for their futures. Staff are proud of the young people's achievements and offer praise and encouragement. Young people say that staff will help them with homework and some resources such as computers are available to promote this.

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Quality of care good

Young people benefit from the close working relationships staff have with professionals to help meet their needs. Advice, guidance and support on choices which impact on having a healthy lifestyle such as smoking and sexual health are available through health professionals and staff. In addition, there are appropriate services which help young people with emotional and personal issues where necessary. There is a robust medication system in place and for those young people moving towards independence they are assessed and supported to manage their own health needs.

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Quality of care good

Young people say they feel listened to and know how to make a complaint. Complaints made have been promptly dealt with, ensuring young people's concerns are taken seriously. There is an advocate and young people are clear about their role. Young people have an opportunity to give their views about the day-to-day running of the home through children's meetings, key working sessions and in their reviews. However, all young people say they are happy and settled and like living in the home.

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Quality of care good

The home is appropriately located and has easy access to facilities in the wider community. The home provides young people with a safe and stable place to live. They have their own rooms which reflect their individuality and offers privacy. Although, some rooms which have been identified for decorating have not been fully completed. There are areas such as stairways which have some damage and detract from the homely feel.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

6 of 8 Young people say they feel safe; this is because safeguarding is given priority by staff. Safeguarding arrangements are good; staff are suitably trained and have a good understanding of their responsibilities to keep young people safe. Young people say that staff help them understand the risks and dangers they put themselves in and how to protect themselves.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Bullying is not currently an issue. Young people say 'when there was some bullying staff stopped it'. Staff have zero tolerance on any bullying and will challenge any issues. The incidents of missing has significantly reduced. Some young people have unauthorised absences but these are usually when they are late home. Young people say that staff will contact them by ringing or texting them to make sure they are safe.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Staff have developed strong working practices with partner agencies such as child sexual exploitation service and the police. This includes appropriate information sharing to protect young people and assess risk.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Young people are encouraged to develop positive behaviour. Staff are trained in care and control which includes restraint techniques but this is used as a last resort and de-escalation techniques are used to calm situations. Young people say that sanctions are fair. Staff provide consistent boundaries and individualised strategies which helps them manage behaviours effectively. This is supported with behaviour management plans and risk assessments which are clearly individualised.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

There have been no new staff recruited since the last inspection. However, there are sound procedures in place for recruitment and selection of new staff which protects young people from access to unsuitable people.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

Young people are protected by all health and safety checks being carried out regularly. Fire equipment and appliances are subject to regular maintenance. Fire evacuations are regularly held to ensure young people are familiar with the procedure. However, there have been issues with some young people smoking in the home. This has been addressed through one-to-one sessions and the vigilance of staff. Further work with the fire officer is planned. However, this has not yet been completed which does not educate young people in the dangers of this on themselves and others. Risk assessments are completed on fire and young people's activities which are regularly reviewed.

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Leadership and management good

The home is managed by a well qualified and competent manager. The staff group are committed and enthusiastic and strive to meet the young people's individual needs and provide positive outcomes. The manager is clearly aware of the strengths and areas for improvement of the home which they are working towards achieving. 7 of 8 The home is visited monthly as part of the quality assurance process. Young people contribute regarding the quality of their care during independent visits. Consequently their views are sought. In addition, the manager monitors all records kept in the home to identify any trends and patterns and address any areas of concern.

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Leadership and management good

Staff are supported through supervision, annual appraisals and staff meetings. This gives opportunities to discuss practice issues. The staff have completed mandatory training and have access to a range of other pertinent training, providing them with opportunities for personal development. This ensures staff are skilled and knowledgeable to meet young people's needs. There is a matrix of all staff's learning and development. However, this has not been evaluated to ensure it is effective.

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Leadership and management good

The Statement of Purpose provides a clear account of the way the home is run and has been recently updated. A young people's guide is available. Both documents allow young people, parents and other stakeholders to have an understanding of the care they will receive.

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Leadership and management good

The requirements and recommendations raised at the last inspection have been addressed. Staff have attended child sexual exploitation training which they found very informative. Staff say they receive annual appraisals. There are no electronic monitoring devices currently used, this is reflected in the Statement of Purpose. Staff have worked hard to improve young people's rooms by working with young people to choose decoration. This is progressing to ensure all rooms are completed.

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Leadership and management good

The culture and ethos of the home is to treat young people as individuals and develop mutual respect. The staff work well together providing a good mix of gender, culture and ethnicity that reflect the young people living in the home. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management good

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information 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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Information 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 framework of inspection for children's homes.

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