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

Unique reference number SC431696 Inspector Parveen Hussain 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 Sharon Dawn Cooney Date of last inspection 11/06/2014 2 of 9 Inspection date 14/01/2015

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Previous inspection sustained effectiveness 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 good Leadership and management adequate

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides a warm, homely environment to children and young people and meets their complex health and medical needs. Children are kept safe during their stay at the home and enjoy good outcomes. Two areas for improvement are identified which relate to inconsistency in recording and frequency of supervisions. These shortfalls have no impact on the safety of children or the quality of care provided for them.

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Overall effectiveness

The Registered Manager and staff team are highly experienced and have a good understanding of the individual needs of children and young people. The Registered Manager has also a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development.

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Overall effectiveness

Care and communication strategies are personalised to meet the individual needs of children and young people. Children and young people’s needs, views and wishes are considered when planning their care. This helps children and young people develop strong, trusting relationships with staff. Feedback from stakeholders is positive and identifies the positive outcomes achieved by children and young people. 3 of 9

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children's home is registered to provide a short breaks service for up to 10 children and young people with a learning and/or a physical disability, many of whom have other very complex health needs, including sensory impairment.

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Information about this children’s home

The service operates from a building which has been specifically adapted to meet the needs of children and young people with disabilities. Accommodation is on one level with two separate sensory rooms and a hydro-therapy pool. The home is equipped with hoists, adapted bathroom and toilet facilities.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/06/2014 Interim sustained effectiveness 26/11/2013 Full good 19/08/2013 Interim good progress 06/02/2013 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 staff have access to support and advice, and are provided with regular supervision by appropriately qualified and experienced staff (NMS 19.4).  ensure that records are clear, up to date and stored securely and contribute to an understanding of the child's life. (NMS 22) 4 of 9

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Children and young people benefit from having short breaks in this nurturing home. They build safe, trusting relationships over time with a competent staff team who have a good knowledge of their individual needs and behaviours. Children and young people are cared for sensitively and respectfully. This enables them to develop at their own pace and make improvements and progress in accordance with their personal ability. Children and young people engage with their education provision and benefit from good attendance. Although this is the responsibility of parents, children and young people are supported in their learning through the caring staff team who work hard to break down barriers and negative self-perceptions. This helps increase their self- confidence and promotes good outcomes.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Children and young people’s complex health and support needs are recognised and effectively managed through the highly skilled staff team. Their health needs are met and medication is administered in the right dose at the right time.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Children and young people are provided with healthy, nutritious and balanced meals. These take into consideration individual likes and dislikes, health, dietary and religious requirements. The large dining area helps create an inclusive atmosphere and enables positive interactions which are not deterred by the variety of presenting needs. Children and young people make progress in different ways and reach their own individual milestones. For example, for some this has been through learning to use cutlery. Parents have made positive comments to staff and the Registered Manager about the progress their children make and the individualised support which makes this possible.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Children and young people enhance their physical health through the promotion of exercise. This involves walks to the park, discos, swimming and playing in the extensive garden area. During the spring and summer months, children and young people are involved with gardening and growing their own fruit and vegetables. This gives them a sense of achievement and fulfilment.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Children and young people enjoy close interactions with staff and benefit from the many specialised activities available. These are often experiences not otherwise available to the children and young people whilst at home. The sensory rooms and hydro pool provide stimulation and relaxation which children indicate they enjoy. They also go to trips to the coast, zoos and take part in community activities. This helps to increase their confidence, build on their existing skills and make new friendships: all of which contributes to maintaining good emotional health and wellbeing. This is further enhanced through regular consultations with mental health services. 5 of 9 Short breaks range from tea visits, day care to overnight stays and are based on individual needs. The management are flexible and consider all requests for support and where appropriate longer stays are facilitated. This along with good communication with parents helps reinforce strong relationships with the families and

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Outcomes for children and young people good

builds on the cultural and identity needs of children and young people.

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Quality of care good

Children and young people receive high quality individualised care from a well- established, experienced and competent staff team. Staff have a very good knowledge of the children and young people’s needs and over time have developed positive relationships with them and their families.

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Quality of care good

Despite the majority of children and young people having limited communication, staff are skilled at developing strategies for communicating and seek responses through facial expressions, gestures, movements and sounds. Staff reciprocate through appropriate means such as verbal communication, gestures, stroking and touching including massaging the hands and feet of children and young people. Such responses help reassure children and young people that their needs are recognised and responded to. In addition it helps staff gain insight into the likes and dislikes of the children and young people and ultimately contributes to care plans, staff practices and the running of the home.

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Quality of care good

Staff are proactive at promoting young people’s strengths and building on their existing skills. They gather information from family and professionals who contribute to the detailed planning that takes place. Staff commitment, perseverance and drive results in progress. The Registered Manager has devised new systems to help evaluate children and young people’s progress. This will help the Registered Manager and staff team identify strengths, goals, abilities and improve the quality of care afforded to children and young people.

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Quality of care good

Staff are creative and engage children and young people in extensive arts and crafts, reading, activities and games. One staff member has devised interactive story telling packages consisting of characters and props which are used to engage children and young people in the story. This is an excellent way of promoting communication and interacting with children and young people with limited speech and language skills.

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Quality of care good

Staff are highly experienced, sensitive and respectful in attending to the personal care needs of individuals. They show a high regard for individuality, religious and cultural beliefs whilst promoting dignity. As a result, children and young people feel comfortable having their personal care needs addressed and parents develop trust in the staff team. This enables children and young people to fully benefit from the extensive support available and promotes their relationships at home with family members. 6 of 9 Parental concerns are responded to appropriately and in a timely manner by the staff team and manager. Staff encourage interaction and promote communication with parents through handovers and home visits. They work closely with professionals and contribute to multi-agency meetings. Partnership working is a real strength of the staff team and is promoted by the Registered Manager. They have excellent links

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Quality of care good

with schools, consultants, nurses, therapists and dieticians and contribute to planning and sharing information. This ensures all professionals have an up-to-date understanding of the complex health and social needs of children and young people.

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Quality of care good

Staff ensure the home provides a warm, secure and nurturing environment for children and young people to safely explore. They benefit from a well maintained indoor and outdoor space and facilities which provide high levels of stimulation. Stakeholders reported on how responsive children and young people are to their surroundings and how enjoyable their time is at the home.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Children and young people feel safe and are kept safe while at the home. This is reflected through communication with children and young people and feedback from stakeholders. A social worker commented about how a young person doesn’t like to leave after her overnight stay. Staff take the safety of all children and young people seriously and make this a priority during their stay. This is promoted through staff receiving quality training which builds on their existing knowledge of policies and protocols and in turn contributes to keeping children and young people safe.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home has robust recruitment processes with the Registered Manager ensuring all staff, including volunteers, are subject to detailed selection and vetting procedures. This ensures children and young people are not exposed to unsafe people. New staff are subject to a rigorous probation period followed by a further 18 month traineeship. This enables the Registered Manager to identify and deter people that lack the necessary knowledge, commitment and focus from working in the home. A result of these stringent practices is that children and young people are cared for by an experienced and stable staff team.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Although instances of children and young people going missing from the home are rare, the short breaks service has developed good relationships with the police and safeguarding services. Their policies are aligned with the local authority and police protocol’s to safeguard and protect children and young people from harm.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

There is also effective partnership working with parents, social workers, schools, doctors, psychiatrists and therapists. This enables good communication, multi-agency working and strong advocacy, all of which help keep children and young people safe and happy. A stakeholder reported positively that staff always attend multi-agency meetings and advocate strongly on behalf of children and young people. 7 of 9 Children and young people do not engage in risk taking behaviours. This eliminates the need for sanctions and physical interventions. Instead the staff utilise reward, praise and positive communication methods to successfully promote positive behaviours. This helps create a warm homely environment where children thrive.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home is specially adapted throughout and consists of specialist fittings, adaptations and equipment. The large open space is wheelchair friendly and safe for children and young people promoting good access. A high level of security is in place, which prevents access to unauthorised people and helps keep children safe.

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Leadership and management adequate

The short breaks unit benefits from a significantly experienced and appropriately qualified Registered Manager who has been in post for seventeen years. The Registered Manager is supported by a highly experienced deputy and appropriately delegates down much of the management responsibility. The staff team are generally a long established team with the addition of some recent new staff.

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Leadership and management adequate

The last inspection identified the need for formal appraisal of staff performance. This has been met, but there is a shortfall in relation to the frequency of formal supervision. Although this does not impact negatively on children and young people, opportunities to improve staff performance for their benefit may be missed.

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Leadership and management adequate

Recording sometimes lacks accuracy and consistency, for example in staff and parent signatures being obtained. This does not affect the quality of care or safety of children and young people but these omissions do not always give a clear record of their achievements and progress at the home.

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Leadership and management adequate

The staff team benefit from training ranging from the basic requirements for new starters involving moving and handling, medication and safeguarding to more specialist training which includes looking at sleep patterns, consanguinity and genetic disorders. Such quality training results in the staff team having a better insight into the complex needs and difficulties children and young people encounter.

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Leadership and management adequate

The staff team is balanced with a good mix of age, gender and ethnicity. This is a key strength of the home and compliments the diverse children and young people using the home. In addition it ensures the staffing provision is respectful of the individual and personal care needs of children and young people.

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Leadership and management adequate

Independent scrutiny of the home is effective and compliments the existing management style with good levels of stakeholder consultation. The Registered Manager has development ideas and plans, although still in their infancy, aim to cement the gaps in provision and develop the service further. 8 of 9 The Statement of Purpose has been revised bringing it up to date with the services offered at the home. The document ensures stakeholders are provided with an insight to the aims and objectives of the respite unit. There is a separate child and family friendly children’s guide available on DVD. This enables the wide ranging and diverse interested parties to understand how the service functions. Social workers commented on how well the service meets its aims and objectives and the needs of the individual children and young people that receive short breaks. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management adequate

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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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