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

Unique reference number SC063978 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 Sandra Dawn Attwood Date of last inspection 19/09/2014 2 of 5 Inspection date 10/02/2015

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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 sustained effectiveness .

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This inspection

Two recommendations were made at the last inspection. One of these related to young people's knowledge of healthy lifestyles. This is met. The manager has taken action to ensure that young people have the information they need to make informed decisions about their own health. The home works closely with the looked after children's nurse and with substance misuse teams. These professionals visit the home and have discussions with young people about health issues. As a result of this input, some young people have stopped using substances. This has a positive impact on their health. Other young people who have more recently been admitted to the home smoke and at times use substances. Staff continue to provide information and guidance to these young people to support them to stop.

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This inspection

A recommendation from the previous inspection regarding young people's education is not fully met. When they come to live in the home, some young people have been out of education for some time. Staff work closely with education providers to ensure that an appropriate school or alternative provision is made available. They give young people practical and emotional support to promote their regular attendance. The work that staff do has been effective with some young people and their attendance has significantly improved. This maximises their opportunity to achieve. Generally young people recognise the importance of completing their education and are proud of their ability to engage. One young person said 'I go to school much more now than I used to before I came here'. Some young people continue to struggle to attend their education placement in spite of the continuing efforts of staff. This could impact on their opportunities in later life.

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This inspection

Young people continue to make steady progress in many areas of their lives. They have positive, trusting relationships with staff which helps them to develop a sense of security. They understand that staff are interested in their welfare and want them 3 of 5 to do as well as they can. This helps young people to feel settled. One young person said 'This home is the best ever. I'm definitely staying here until I'm 18.' Young people understand their plans. They contribute to the development of care and pathway plans and they attend reviews. They are confident that their views matter and that they can affect the decisions that are made about their lives.

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This inspection

Admissions are carefully managed to ensure that young people are supported at a time of transition. Wherever possible, young people also leave the home in a planned way. If an emergency situation makes this impossible, staff work with young people and other agencies to ensure that young people continue to be supported when they move to their next placement.

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This inspection

Staff manage young people's behaviour effectively. They respond to young people in a positive way and help them to learn to manage difficulties and conflict in their own lives. Young people generally behave appropriately towards one another and staff although some young people are at times unsettled at night. This can impact on their routine for the following day. Young people confirm that staff intervene to stop young people disturbing others. Staff manage challenging behaviour well and therefore rarely need to physically restrain young people.

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This inspection

Young people are cared for safely. Risk management plans identify young people's vulnerabilities. They ensure that all staff understand how to protect young people and they promote a consistent approach to young people. This ensures that risk is minimised.

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This inspection

There are robust multi-agency plans in place for any young person who may be at risk of sexual exploitation. Staff liaise very closely with other agencies, such as the police, social workers and the specialist sexual exploitation team. Work is undertaken with individual young people and regular multi-agency meetings are held to discuss concerns that arise. These strategies ensure that all agencies are working together and contribute to the protection of young people when they are away from the home. Staff have worked effectively with young people to lessen the likelihood that they will go missing. Consequently, young people are safer than they were before they came to live in the home. This is confirmed by professionals who work with young people.

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This inspection

The home is managed effectively. The manager has a very good understanding of young people's plans and the progress they are making. She regularly monitors the care that they receive. Since the last inspection, she has recruited senior care staff to the vacancies that have arisen in the team. In addition, she has appointed agency staff on short-term contracts whilst further recruitment is undertaken. This ensures that there is a consistent team of staff. This benefits young people as they are able to develop relationships with staff whom they know.

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This inspection

One recommendation is made as a result of this inspection. This relates to young people's education. 4 of 5

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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

19/09/2014 Full good 21/01/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 19/09/2013 Full adequate 31/01/2013 Interim good progress

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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

 improve young people's attendance at school, college or alternative provision. (NMS 8.3) Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Recommendations

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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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