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

Unique reference number SC063978 Inspector Monica Hargreaves 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 Sandra Dawn Attwood Date of last inspection 21/01/2014 2 of 10 Inspection date 19/09/2014

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Previous inspection satisfactory progress Enforcement action since last inspection There has been no enforcement action since the last inspection.

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Overall effectiveness good

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

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from the consistent and good quality care that they receive from staff. They make steady progress in many key areas of their lives from their starting point on admission to the home. They develop positive relationships with staff which helps them to feel secure. Their sense of self-esteem and confidence grows as a result of the way they are looked after and they settle into the home. They are helped to develop social and practical skills that will support them in later life.

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Overall effectiveness

Staff work effectively with professionals from other agencies to ensure that young people are protected. Young people say that they feel safe. The professionals agree with this view and report that staff work hard to engage with young people so that they achieve positive outcomes. Staff promote positive behaviour and manage challenging behaviour effectively. Young people's behaviour improves over time as a result of the way they are looked after.

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Overall effectiveness

The home is well managed. The manager has a good understanding of the home's strengths and the areas that she is working to develop. There are clear plans in place to support that development. Monitoring arrangements are robust, ensuring that there is good oversight of young people's welfare, the care they receive and the 3 of 10 progress they make. Staff are appropriately trained and qualified for their work which enables them to give young people the support they need to achieve positive outcomes.

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Overall effectiveness

Two recommendations have been made as a result of this inspection. These relate to further improving the health and education outcomes for some of the young people who do not achieve as well as the majority of children at the home. 4 of 10

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Information about this children’s home

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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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 19/09/2013 Full adequate 31/01/2013 Interim good progress 18/12/2012 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 that children understand their health needs, how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and how to make informed decisions about their own health (NMS 6.2)  improve young people's attendance at school, college or alternative provision. (NMS 8.3) 5 of 10

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Outcomes for young people are mixed. All young people are able to make steady progress in some key areas of their lives from their starting point on admission to the home. However, some young people make only satisfactory progress in some areas of their lives. Young people generally are able to make and sustain positive relationships with staff which helps to develop their sense of self-esteem: they begin to develop coping strategies to address difficulties in their lives; they understand about their history and background and know why they are in care; their sense of identity is supported by the contact they have with family and friends.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Education outcomes for young people vary. Many young people have not been at school for some time before they come to live in the home and consequently have not been able to achieve in education. Other young people have attended school, but not regularly. Staff ensure that all young people have an identified education provision. Some young people though continue to struggle to attend school in spite of the efforts of care staff and the local authority education team. Consequently they are not able to make the progress in education that they are judged to be capable of. Other young people are able to attend regularly, with improved levels of attendance from the point of their admission to the home, for example from 60% to 85%. This maximises their opportunity to achieve and consequently they are able to make good progress in education and work towards taking examinations. Those young people have plans in place for further education and employment. This in turn improves their

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people generally enjoy good health. Staff help them to develop good daily routines and provide them with healthy meals. They encourage young people to attend health appointments. Young people also have access to psychological services. These arrangements ensure that young people’s general and emotional health is monitored. Most young people do not smoke or use substances. This has a positive impact on their health. However although they are encouraged to stop, a small number of young people continue to smoke and use drugs. This can compromise their overall good health.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people report that they feel they are being well prepared for independence. They are supported to develop the emotional, social and practical skills they need for later life. One young person said, 'Staff have helped me to learn lots of things - I'm much more independent now'.

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Quality of care good

6 of 10 Young people are well cared for by staff who have a very good understanding of their individual needs. Staff develop positive relationships with young people and work hard to help them reach their individual potential. Professionals make positive comments about the quality of care. For example, 'Staff work really hard for young people. They are absolutely fantastic' and 'Staff provide young people with emotional warmth and safety.' Young people say that they get on well with staff. They feel that they are well looked and believe that staff are interested in their welfare. One young person said, 'Staff really care about kids here. It's definitely not just a job for them'.

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Quality of care good

Staff regularly consult young people about their care. Key work sessions enable young people to talk about their individual plans and issues that concern them. House meetings give them the opportunity to contribute their views to the general running of the home. Young people report that they feel they are listened to and that their views matter. They give examples of things that have changed as a result of consultation. For example, staff have put up a graffiti board in the dining room after requests from young people. Young people use this for drawings and comments. One young person said, ‘It’s really cool. I want one for my own room’.

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Quality of care good

Comprehensive placement plans ensure that young people's identified needs are fully addressed by staff. Plans are discussed and agreed with young people to ensure that their views are included. Professionals confirm that staff communicate well with them and fully implement the local authority care plans. Placement plans are underpinned by detailed individual risk assessments and behaviour support plans. All plans are routinely monitored and regularly updated. This ensures that they reflect the progress the young person has made, their current needs, and how staff will work to make sure these are met.

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Quality of care good

Staff value the importance of education for young people. They work closely with schools and the local authority education team to ensure that there are plans in place for all young people and to support those who do not attend regularly. This is effective for the majority of young people but, in spite of the work that staff do, some young people continue to struggle to engage.

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Quality of care good

Staff encourage young people to take part in a range of activities outside the home in order to develop their social skills and interests. Most young people have been involved in some activities at different times: for example, swimming, ice skating, go- karting and going to the cinema. Staff welcome young people's friends into the home which helps to support their friendships. Staff also organise holidays and trips for young people. Young people recently enjoyed a holiday with staff. One young person said, 'It's the best holiday I've ever had.'

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Quality of care good

Young people benefit physically and emotionally from living in a well-maintained and homely environment. The home is suitably located in a residential area. Staff make sure that repairs are attended to promptly and that the home is comfortably furnished well decorated and kept clean and tidy. Young people say that they feel comfortable in the home and that they can personalise their own rooms as they wish. 7 of 10

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home has good arrangements in place to ensure that young people are cared for safely. There are sound procedures and protocols to guide staff in their work. Staff are trained in safeguarding, including in the protection of young people at risk of exploitation. This ensures that safeguarding concerns are managed effectively and young people are protected.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people say that they feel 'very safe' in the home. They report that they can talk to staff and would let staff know if they had a concern. They understand how to make a complaint and are confident that complaints are dealt with properly. This contributes to their sense of safety.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people understand that there is a zero tolerance to bullying and they report that this is not an issue. Staff help young people to resolve any difficulties that arise between them in the home.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff have a very good understanding of the vulnerabilities of the young people they look after. They make sure that they are safe in the home and they help young people to understand about risks and how to stay safe when they are in the community. Staff develop detailed individual risk assessments for young people which they monitor regularly to ensure that the plans continue to be effective.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Some young people struggle to behave in ways that are socially acceptable and their behaviour can be challenging at times. Staff promote positive behaviour and help young people to learn to manage conflict and difficulties in their lives appropriately. As a result of this work, and the relationships they develop with staff, young people's behaviour improves over time. Staff are trained in behaviour management including in the use of restraints. However, they work effectively to minimise the need to intervene physically with young people to keep them safe. Consequently restraints are rarely used.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Some young people who come to live in the home have a history of going missing. Staff work effectively with young people in relation to these concerns and over time these incidents reduce. Staff liaise closely with police, placing social workers and other agencies. They ensure that there are agreed plans in place about the action to be taken to ensure young people's prompt and safe return to the home if they do go missing.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff recruitment practices are robust, ensuring that all staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before they start work. The identity of all visitors to the home is checked before they are allowed in. These arrangements help to protect young people from unsuitable individuals gaining access to the home. 8 of 10 Robust risk assessments and regular health and safety checks ensure that the home is kept safe for young people, staff and visitors.

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Leadership and management good

The home is managed effectively by a suitably qualified and experienced individual. The manager has a degree in social work and a National Vocational Qualification at level 4 in management. She is registered with Ofsted. Monitoring arrangements are good. The manager regularly checks the quality of care in the home and an independent visitor also completes monthly checks. This ensures that there is good oversight of the progress young people make and that work of the staff team is targeted to help young people to achieve positive outcomes. There is a deputy manager and senior care workers who ensure that the home continues to run smoothly in the manager's absence.

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Leadership and management good

There are sufficient staff on duty at any one time to ensure that young people are well cared for. Any gaps that arise on the rota are covered by a small number of casual workers and agency staff. The manager ensures that the same staff are used regularly so that there is consistency for young people. This continuity of staffing benefits young people as they are looked after by staff who they know.

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Leadership and management good

Care staff report that they are well supported by their managers. They have regular supervision where they can talk about their work with young people and their own training and development needs. Frequent team meetings enable staff to discuss the general running of the home and to talk about young people's progress and their emerging needs. This good communication within the team promotes consistency in the way staff work with young people. Staff are either qualified or working towards gaining a relevant qualification. They have access to regular training. This helps them to develop and maintain the knowledge and skills they need for their work.

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Leadership and management good

The home's Statement of Purpose provides clear information about the ethos of the home and how young people are cared for. The manager and staff work effectively to meet the aims and objectives detailed in this document. The guide to the service gives young people good information about the home and their rights in care.

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Leadership and management good

The manager demonstrates a clear commitment to ensuring that the home continues to improve for the benefit of young people. She responds promptly to any issues that are identified through the management monitoring process and has put in place a detailed plan for the home that has clear and achievable targets for development for the coming year.

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Leadership and management good

The requirement and recommendations from the previous inspection have been met, improving the quality of care young people receive. Sanctions given to young people 9 of 10 no longer include switching off the electricity in their bedrooms during the day if they are not in school. Care staff work closely with social workers to ensure that pathway plans for eligible young people are reviewed so that they reflect young people's emerging needs. Staff also work hard to ensure that young people have a personal education plan in place, so that they have information about young people's education targets. Staff continue to encourage young people to read and contribute to their individual placement plans so they have a good understanding of their plans and are involved in the decisions that are made about their care.

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Leadership and management good

The manager ensures that there are good relationships with neighbours. This is confirmed by professionals involved with the home who report that, 'Staff work with the community around them and look to resolve any issues that may arise.' This promotes young people's sense of safety and acceptance in their community.

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Leadership and management good

Staff keep good information about young people. Files are well-managed and information is kept up to date. Staff encourage young people to read and contribute to their files so that they know what is written about them and their views are included in their records. The information that is kept supports young people's understanding of their history and their time in the home. All information is stored securely to protect young people's right to confidentiality. 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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