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

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Children and young people are safe while they enjoy their short breaks. They benefit from a large warm, welcoming environment and a secure garden area.  Children and young people make trusting relationships with staff.  Children and young people benefit from stability and continuity of care.  Children and young people enjoy a wide range of activities and have opportunities for new experiences, which they may not always encounter at home.  The staff team are skilled, competent and experienced in caring for children with significant health needs. They work well together as a team.  Staff are motivated and passionate about their work. They show good levels of insight and knowledge about children and young people’s individual needs and personalities.  Staff are attuned to children and young people. They effectively read their face and body language where communication is limited.  Staff are well supported and valued helping them remain focused in their

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The children's home provision is good because:

work.  Managers and staff develop effective working relationships with partners and professionals making communication an open process.  The home continues to function effectively in the absence of the Registered Manager and demonstrates capacity for further improvements.  

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions, which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (case records) for each child which – are kept up to date are signed and dated by the author of each entry (Regulation 36(1)(b)(c)). This is with specific reference to showing progress made by children and young people and staff/parental signatures and consent. 31/10/15

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirements in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). (Regulation 46(1)) 31/10/15

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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

 Children with disabilities may have physical or emotional difficulties, which mean that participation in leisure or cultural activities in the community is difficult to achieve. The registered person, in conjunction with any relevant person should assess what would be safe, achievable and reasonable for each child. (The Guide to quality standards, Paragraph 6.10, page 32). This refers in particular to having the necessary risk assessments in place.

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Information about this children's home

The local authority children’s home is registered to provide short breaks for up to 10 children and young people. Children and young people using the short breaks service have physical and/or learning difficulties. In addition, many have other very complex health needs and sensory impairment. The building is specifically adapted to meet the needs of children and young people with disabilities. The building is on one floor and has two sensory rooms and a hydrotherapy pool. There is a large, secured garden area and generously sized bedrooms and bathrooms.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

11/06/2014 Interim Sustained Effectiveness

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good

Children and young people accessing short breaks develop trusting and secure relationships with the adults responsible for their care. They experience stability and familiarity of their surroundings. Positive staff interactions and good quality competent care help them to make progress at their own individual pace.

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good

The attuned staff team communicate with children and young people using individualised techniques helping them to read body language, gestures, sounds and facial expressions. Consultation with schools, parents and health professionals supports staff to develop their knowledge of how to communicate with children and young people further. This enables consultation, allowing children and young people to express their feelings and views. For example, staff playfully offered many suggestions of activities to a young person and knowingly avoided his preferred activity. His faced beamed with joy while he clapped his hands loudly when they led him to the keyboard.

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good

The dedicated cook ensures meals are healthy and nutritious while giving due consideration to children’s likes and dislikes. Food is prepared in line with individual dietary, religious and health related needs. Some children with complex needs are tube fed while others are encouraged and supported to feed themselves. Regardless of ability, staff promote meal times as a social occasion involving all children and young people to take part at the dining table. This helps children and young people develop confidence and make progress in line with their individual ability.

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good

Detailed health care plans provide clarity about the complex and individual needs of children and young people. Prescriptions are carefully prepared and administered timely and accurately keeping routines consistent. Aids and adaptations throughout the home promote and facilitate safe personal care and handling of children and young people. Sensitively managed and responsive personal care embraces individual cultural practices giving high regard to maintaining dignity and respect. This enables the stay to be comfortable allowing children and young people to form positive attachments and a sense of their own identity.

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good

Although parents maintain full oversight of their child’s education, staff ensure children and young people benefit fully from good attendance. Good communication with schools and transport providers ensure routines are consistently maintained allowing children to experience a seamless service to and from school. Staff are active participants in education review meetings. This ensures any changes to young people’s education plans are also implemented at the home to further promote consistency and good outcomes.

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good

Carefully planned stays promote relationships between peers. Staff are flexible and provide additional support when required helping families to overcome adversity. Parents and carers say they are confident to ring and ask if their children can attend on particular days as their children have developed good relationships with their peers and have fun together.

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good

Children and young people take part in stimulating activities, which include relaxing in the hydrotherapy pool, light and dark sensory rooms, soft play areas and a secure outdoor play area. Staff take children and young people on visits to donkey sanctuaries, museums, parks and other stimulating places. A range of toys, music and DVD’s are available including a piano, keyboard and iPad, which are very popular. The spacious and welcoming environment makes each stay, an enjoyable one.

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good

Children and young people are safe in the secure, gated environment where staff take action to support and protect them. Prior to entry, visitors request access at the electronically monitored gates allowing time for staff to determine whether they are safe to enter. Parents are particularly happy with the actions staff take to safeguard their children. One parent says, ‘I know my child is safe and happy when he is on his short break. This is reassuring for us and allows us to have some time together also.’

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good

Trusting relationships with consistent and stable staff enable children and young people to discuss their concerns. One young person spoke to staff about how words used by his parent negatively affected him. Staff respond sensitively using their knowledge of family situations and tensions, helping children and young people to understand that literal meanings of words don’t always reflect how parents and siblings genuinely feel. This sensitivity helps children and young people to maintain good relationships with their parents and carers and safely explore their feelings.

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good

Staff have a good knowledge and skill base to identify signs of risk and harm. Where concerns about children’s welfare emerge, these are escalated to social workers and managers in line with the homes safeguarding policies and procedures. As a result, investigations of harm are swiftly investigated. Staff are vigilant and understand children and young people’s vulnerabilities in relation to their complex health needs. High levels of supervision enable staff to manage inappropriate behaviours promptly and sensitively in line with care and behaviour management plans. For example, some young people frequently remove their clothing. Staff tactfully escort them to the privacy of their bedroom, protecting others from witnessing these behaviours while maintaining the dignity of those involved.

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good

Re-direction and other distraction techniques are used effectively to guide children away from negative behaviours. Physical interventions are rarely used however, staff are trained allowing them to intervene where necessary. There are no concerns relating to bullying, missing, offending and other harmful risk-taking behaviours. A reflection of this is that very few referrals of a child protection nature are made to the local authority.

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good

Safe arrangements are in place for the storage and administering of medication. Two members of staff are accountable at any time. This ensures additional safeguards are in place. A review of medical and school nursing care plans takes place following consultation with medical professionals. This keeps them in line with children and young people’s changing medical needs.

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good

Risk assessments are not always in place addressing how staff will respond to the potential of harm. For example, while out on activities or when using the hydrotherapy pool. Records do not always show that staff pre-empt potential risks. However, discussions identify that staff use appropriate strategies such as clamping wheelchairs when on the bus and adequate staffing in the pool. It is fair to say there is little impact of this recording shortfall given the safeguards already in place.

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good

A recent building inspection has led to some additional measures taken to make the home environment safer. Robust testing of electrical and fire safety equipment ensures children and young people are protected from hazards. Regular fire drills means both staff and children know how to respond in an emergency.

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good

The home has a qualified and experienced Registered Manager who has been in post since registration in 2011. She has several years’ experience of managing another children disability service prior to this. In their absence of the Registered Manager, the assistant manager, who also has a wealth of residential experience and knowledge of children with disabilities, has demonstrated capacity to maintain the effective running of the home.

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good

There has been some progress with addressing the recommendations made at the last full inspection. Supervision is more consistently available to staff. Where used effectively, this helps managers address any performance and development issues leading to a better quality service to children and young people.

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good

The established and stable staff team are suitably qualified and trained to deliver quality care to children with highly complex health needs. The staff team consists of a good balance of gender and ethnicity. This reflects the children and young people using the service and helps make staff more approachable to parents who may face language barriers. Good partnership working with parents enables staff to understand the individual support needs of families, keep them informed, consulted and involved in care planning.

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good

Regular access, input and support from managers ensures staff feel valued in their work. Their own motivation and passion for the role further promotes relationships and outcomes for children. Children’s needs reflect the level of staffing at any particular time. This ensures children and young people are well supervised and supported in line with their ability and support needs. Complaints are rare, however, these are acted upon quickly.

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good

The Registered Manager has systems in place to monitor the homes functioning and quality of care. The independent visitor effectively applies further monthly scrutiny. Together, they are able to identify and act to address any shortfalls and deficits in practice.

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good

Case records and care planning documents have improved. ‘Personal information’ records provide staff with a clear picture of children and young people’s specific needs. They identify aims and goals for staff, children and their families to work towards achieving. However, records are not always effective at recording progress. Staff are not always obtaining parental signatures and consents. Some documents where parental consent is required are not available on children’s files. This makes it difficult for managers to measure progress and outcomes and justify their actions.

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good

The homes Statement of Purpose has been updated providing stakeholders with a good understanding of the homes ethos and functioning. The Children’s guide is available on DVD. The Registered Manager has not completed the location assessment.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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