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

Inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean that children and young people are not protected or that their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Young people become less, not more, safe at the home. Safeguarding practice does not adequately protect young people. Some risk assessments lack clear analysis and planning. Staff do not always implement plans to reduce risk to young people.  Monitoring by managers does not improve young people's lives. It is ineffective in highlighting patterns and trends, and fails to make life better for young people. Independent scrutiny does not reassure the provider and others that young people are safe..  Leadership and management are ineffective. The lack of direction created by the registered manager vacancy has led to some drift for some young people. Ofsted is not always notified about young people at risk of child sexual abuse. Not all requirements set at the last inspection have been fully met.  The statement of purpose does not address all of the matters it should in describing the service. This makes it difficult for the home to measure

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

whether it is delivering the support that it promises to young people.

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The children's home strengths

 The home provides young people with stability. Young people stay here for a long time and feel some attachment to staff.  The majority of young people persevere with their education. They are supported to maintain good health, to engage in activities and to keep in contact with their families.  Partnership working has improved and this has been particularly appreciated by some family members.  The new manager had already identified several of the areas of concern highlighted at this inspection. She is acting quickly to address these shortfalls and to improve safeguarding arrangements.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that must be taken so that the registered persons meet 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 persons must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

12. In order to meet the protection of children standard*, the registered person must ensure that staff (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; (iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;(vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare. 8 August 2016

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Requirement Due date

13: In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children's home that (b) promotes children’s welfare In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. 8 August 2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children's home a statement (‘the statement of purpose’) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1 and send to HMCI. (Regulation 16(1)). 8 August 2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant 29 July 2016 person without delay if (a) a child is involved in, or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation. (Regulation 40(4)(a)).

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ('the independent person's report') which sets out, in particular, the independent person's opinion as to whether (a) children are effectively safeguarded; and (b) the conduct of the home promotes children's well-being. (Regulation 44 (1)(2)(a)(4)(a) and (b)). 29 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating (a) the quality of care provided for children; (b) the feedback and opinions of children about the children's home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive. The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (2)(a)(b)(5)*. 8 August 2016

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to statutory requirement notice.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Make best use of information from independent monitoring to ensure continuous improvement ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 55, paragraph 10.24). Specifically, ensure that the independent visitor's report is sent to Ofsted before theend of the month that follows the month in which the visit took place.  The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact that the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 64 paragraph 15.2)

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Information about this children's home

This is a local authority children’s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to eight children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

1 March 2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

4 March 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Inadequate

Poor safeguarding practice and ineffective leadership affect the quality of young people's day-to-day experiences. There is no real monitoring or evaluation of their safety and progress. This hampers their ability to reach their full potential and, for some, to prepare fully for the challenges of independence. However, given their starting points, there are many positive achievements demonstrated by young people. Some young people feel that their lives have improved since they have lived at the home. They find staff friendly and supportive. One young person is very self-motivated to succeed in her in education and said, ‘Staff are very helpful with school.’ The majority of young people receive, and participate in, 25 hours of education each week. One young person is not in work, education or training, but staff work with other professionals to support her to pursue these options. Staff convey the message to young people that education is important. They work

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Inadequate

hard to ensure that young people attend their place of education each day. For the most part, this is successful. Staff attend parents’ evening and work well with colleagues in education to make sure that young people are doing the best that they can. A requirement to improve staff learning about young people's educational needs is met. This helps staff to understand better, for example, the reasons for school refusal and how to address these. Young people's physical health is promoted through healthy eating. One young person grumbled about the home not having any biscuits, but she understood that this was because, 'Staff want us to choose healthy options.' Those young people who smoke or use drugs receive support and advice on how to stop. This is an ongoing problem, but staff continuously give the message, reinforced by specialist professionals, of the long-term health problems associated with prolonged use.

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Inadequate

One of the positive aspects for young people living at the home is the stability that the home provides. Once there, young people stay for several years. This is beneficial to their sense of security and promotes their attachment to adults whom they can trust. This helps to improve their emotional health. A requirement to improve young people's engagement with staff and in the home is met. As older teenagers, young people largely decide for themselves what they want to do in their spare time. They are not too grown up, however, to enjoy activities with staff, such as baking, shopping trips, arts and crafts, cinema and computer games. Young people have a voice in the home. Their views are listened to and acted on, whenever possible. Several attend the local authority Children in Care Council. This gives them the opportunity to have an impact on the corporate parenting agenda. The majority of young people will not be moving on to independence for some

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Inadequate

time. However, they are helped to learn the basic skills of housekeeping and personal care. These include some budgeting, cooking and aspects of housework. This is good preparation and encourages young people to take part in the day-to- day running of the home

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Inadequate

Young people are not fully protected against child sexual exploitation and other risks. This means young people are less, not more, safe at the home. At the last inspection, the provider was required to take action to improve practice relating to the assessment of risk. Although some paperwork has been streamlined, this requirement has not been met fully. Risk factors are not always analysed. Risk assessments and other documents often give contradictory information about the agreed level of risk to child sexual exploitation. For example, in one document, a young person is described as being at high risk, in another medium risk. Another young person's risk level is noted as being, 'raised to medium', when she was already determined to be at high risk. One young person is deemed to be at risk of child sexual exploitation when there is no risk assessment to support this analysis. This creates confusion for staff. It does not support them to take the right steps to

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Inadequate

protect young people and to reduce, rather than simply to manage, risk. Staff sometimes do not agree that young people are at risk of child sexual exploitation. They are not clear about the type of risk that young people are exposed to. Some young people have very clear plans on how to eliminate risk of child sexual exploitation, but staff have not consistently implemented these. Emerging dangers are not always incorporated into formal risk assessments. This leaves young people without a plan of action to safeguard them. There are other risks to young people that are not adequately addressed. For example, one young person is at risk from an abusive relationship. Advice and guidance on emotional abuse has been shared with the young person, but there is no clear plan of action to reduce this danger. Young people present little serious behavioural challenge to staff. Although still a feature of young people's behaviour, missing-from-home incidents have reduced

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Inadequate

significantly over the last year. Staff go out looking for them in the neighbourhood and follow local police protocols, when this becomes necessary. This affords young people some protection from harm. Young people occasionally get into conflict with each other, but there is no bullying in the home. Their relationships with staff are, on the whole, cordial. Staff rarely need to use physical restraint to manage behaviour. On those occasions when this measure is used, staff intervention is scrutinised to ensure that it has been used appropriately. This safeguards young people against poor practice.

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Inadequate

Due to an unfortunate set of circumstances, there have been three managers in the past year, and the home has not had a registered manager for over a year. The last appointed manager is now off work, because of long-term sickness. A very experienced manager from another of the local authority's homes was appointed at the end of May. Her application for registration is underway. During this time of change, the provider has not ensured that all requirements from the last inspection have been fully addressed. A requirement to improve monitoring is not fully met. The manager's six-monthly report now reflects young people's views, but only in a minimal way. It lacks evidence of consultation with parents, staff and professionals. The report itself is inaccurate in parts, when compared to information available at the home. There are recurring problems for young people about education and drug use. There is no plan on how the home is to address these matters over the

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Inadequate

next six months. As a means of evaluating young people’s day-to-day lives, monitoring is not effective. There is no real evaluation of the work that staff are doing, or the impact of that on the lives of young people. For example, no one had noticed an unopened school letter in a young person's files describing the progress and dips in her predicted grades. No one had spotted the discrepancy in young people's assessed levels of risk, or that staff were not implementing agreed plans. The individual development plan is the home's main care planning tool for planning, reviewing and tracking young people's development and progress. No one has raised the matter of these being largely incomplete and lacking in evaluation. Monitoring processes are failing to bring to light emerging patterns and trends. For example, since the last full inspection, there have been 114 occasions when young people went missing from the home. Young people were offered return-home

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Inadequate

interviews in less than half of these cases. This key intelligence is needed to inform the type of support, and perhaps additional services that young people need to succeed. Without this, it is hard to see how they can fulfil their full potential. Independent scrutiny is useful in helping the home to improve and in highlighting shortfalls in, for example, the quality of risk assessments. The visitor does not, however, form an opinion as to whether young people are safeguarded or their welfare is promoted. This is a missed opportunity to alert the provider to any serious concerns. A requirement is raised to address this issue. The reports that the independent visitor produces take some time to reach Ofsted: often two months after the visit has taken place. This prevents the regulator from taking swift action, should it be necessary, to address any concerns about young people's safety and welfare. A recommendation is raised to help the provider to

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Inadequate

speed up this process. Staff say that they do feel well supported, through supervision and team meetings. All have the required qualification for working with young people. They feel that their training needs are met and that the workload is manageable. They have managed for a considerable period without a strong management presence. Staff say that they have missed this and have felt a lack of direction. This has not affected their commitment and motivation to support and encourage young people. It has, perhaps, had an impact on the extent to which they are able to find a way forward for young people, and to ensure that they are all safe and achieve good outcomes. There is a sense of helplessness among staff about what to do, particularly for those most at risk. They recognise that some young people are in risky situations, but feel powerless to do anything about it. There is little reflection on whether decisions always work in young people's best

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Inadequate

interests. A lack of clear leadership has meant that the actions, or inaction, of others is not challenged. There is no one in a position of authority to ask the question, on behalf of young people, 'Is this good enough?’ A requirement is raised to improve this aspect of management. The home meets the broad objectives of the statement of purpose. However, the document does not cover all the matters in Schedule 1 of the regulations. This is a procedural shortfall that has no adverse impact on young people. Its completion is necessary, however, to provide staff with a clearer sense of direction and a requirement is set to address this. The new manager's approach is already having an impact. Although in post only a few weeks, she has put actions in place to begin to reduce risks to young people. Boundaries for young people are being more strongly imposed, and a thorough quality assurance check on files is being conducted.

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Inadequate

A requirement to improve the extent of partnership working is met. There are frequent meetings, contact and consultation with a range of other professionals. Encouraging good working relationships with family members is high on the manager's agenda. One family member said, 'I got a letter from the new manager, introducing herself. I thought it was wonderful that she did that. She asked me if I wanted to be kept informed.' The provider has met the requirement to inform Ofsted 'without delay' about serious incidents. There has been less diligence in notifying the regulator about young people who are at risk of child sexual abuse. A requirement is set for the provider to ensure that this is addressed.

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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 children looked after 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 that 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 that 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 whom 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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