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

Unique reference number SC472977 Inspector Monica Hargreaves Type of inspection Interim 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 Balvinder Kaur Gill Date of last inspection 13/08/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 29/01/2015

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

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This inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness .

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This inspection

Young people are happy and settled and they make good progress in all areas of their lives. They are cared for safely in the home itself and supported to stay safe in the community. Parents and professionals make positive comments about the quality of care in the home and the progress young people make. For example one parent said 'I would like to thank all the staff for their good work looking after (name). He has thrived in all aspects of his life' and a professional commented, 'Every time I visit the home I am welcomed from start to finish. All staff are very good with the young people and understand their needs.'

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This inspection

Young people attend school very regularly and consequently they are reaching their individual education targets. Some young people have been able to make excellent progress in education since their admission to the home. This is reflected in the certificates of achievement that they have received. All young people are supported to develop life skills at a pace that is appropriate to their individual needs and abilities.

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This inspection

Young people enjoy good health. There is very good oversight of their general health needs and they are supported to have a healthy life style. Young people eat a balanced diet; they have a good daily routine that supports their health and they are encouraged to take part in activities that promote exercise, such as walking and using the trampoline and other play equipment. The home works closely with the child and adolescent mental health service. The psychiatrist from this service is able to give advice to staff as well as undertake assessments of young people and monitor their emotional well-being and progress.

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This inspection

Young people benefit from taking part in a number of activities, both inside and out of the home that broaden their experiences and promote their general development. 3 of 6 For example, they go out on trips to the coast and to local wildlife parks and farms; they cook and do arts and crafts with staff and they enjoy spending time in the sensory room. Some young people attend a local youth club and go to dance classes. Some young people enjoy gardening and are becoming involved in a gardening project with members of a local church. This supports their inclusion in the community.

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This inspection

Young people have regular contact with their families and others who are important to them outside the home. This enables them to maintain a positive sense of their identity, their history and their place in their family.

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This inspection

Young people benefit from being cared for by a consistent team of competent staff. Care staff have a very good knowledge of young people's complex needs and their plans and they understand how individual young people communicate their wishes and feelings. This enables them to keep young people safe and to support them to achieve positive outcomes. Because of their complex needs, some young people's behaviour can be challenging. Staff manage this very well to ensure the safety of all young people. As a result of the way they are looked after, young people's behaviour improves over time. There is no evidence of bullying in the home. Good staffing levels ensure that young people are appropriately supervised at all times and lessen the likelihood of this happening.

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This inspection

Staff make clear plans to support young people's preparation for adult life. They work effectively with adult services teams to ensure that transition and pathway plans are developed at an early stage so that appropriate arrangements can be put in place for young people when they leave the home. Young people also move into the home in a planned way. Their needs are assessed to ensure that they will be met at the home. They are able to visit to look around the home and to meet staff and other young people before they move in. These arrangements support young people and their families and help young people to settle.

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This inspection

The home is managed very effectively. The manager has an excellent knowledge of the needs of the young people in the home. She maintains good oversight of their care and progress. She ensures that there is regular consultation with young people, their families and professionals outside the home. She takes action on any issue that is identified through consultation. This enables stakeholders to influence developments in the home. Since the last inspection, the manager has been able to appoint an additional deputy manager. This additional post further strengthens the management team. The deputy manager is qualified and very experienced in working with young people with complex needs.

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This inspection

The requirement and all of the recommendations that were made at the previous inspection are met.

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This inspection

The manager's monitoring reports very clearly identify the consultation that has taken place with stakeholders and how this has been used to improve the quality of 4 of 6 the service given to young people.

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This inspection

The quality of the recording of restraints has been improved. Records show that following any physical intervention, young people are given the opportunity to be examined by a medical practitioner.

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This inspection

Staff have had training in child sexual exploitation. Although this is not an issue for the young people currently living in the home, this additional training has further developed the knowledge and understanding of staff. This contributes to their ability to protect young people.

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This inspection

The manager has ensured that staff records kept in the home reflect all the checks that have been made about their suitability prior to their appointment.

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This inspection

The young person's guide has now been produced in a format of simple language, signs and symbols. It is also currently being translated into another language. This helps to ensure that all young people are able to understand how the home will look after them.

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This inspection

In addition to addressing all the issues raised at the last inspection, the manager and deputy have further developed some of the systems in place in the home. For example, there is a new 'health passport' for each young person. This highlights their health and communication needs and can be given to health staff if young people need to attend the local hospital. Links have been developed with the hospital to ensure that young people can be taken through the system promptly when they attend. This is aimed at minimising the stress young people experience at these times and ensuring that the hospital staff have the information that they need about young people.

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This inspection

The deputy manager has also developed strong links with the adult health team and together with that team has produced a health action plan for young people who are preparing to move into adult services. This further strengthens the transition planning arrangements.

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This inspection

No requirements or recommendations have been made at this inspection. 5 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority run children's home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 15 children of either sex who have learning disabilities. Children and young people use this service for permanent and shared care placements and short breaks.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/08/2014 Full good Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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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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