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

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Children benefit from the consistently excellent quality of care that they receive from staff. They make significant progress in key areas of their lives from their starting point on admission to the home.  Children’s quality of life is greatly improved and they participate in many enjoyable activities. Children respond well to the nurturing, affectionate approach taken by staff. This allows children to experience good quality attachments to adults they can trust.  Staff are highly competent and caring. They have an excellent understanding of children’s needs, and in particular their emotional needs. The work that staff undertake with children makes a significant difference to their emotional well-being.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person 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 must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, with specific reference to ensuring that the statement of purpose matches the conditions of registration, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to –

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 6 (2)(a)) 30/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure, with specific reference to defining ‘short-term emergency placements’, that the home is at all times conducted in a manner consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (5)) 30/09/2016

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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 children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children's well-being. (Regulation 44 (4)(a) and (b)). 30/09/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  To meet the aspirations embodied in the Quality Standards, children's homes need to connect with and be part of the wider support system for each child in their care. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 11, paragraph 2.3). Specifically, ensure concerns are escalated to the independent reviewing officer when actions agreed at statutory reviews, are not being met.

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Recommendations

 Regulation 45 sets out requirements for the registered person to have a system in place which allows them to monitor the matters set out in regulation at least once every six months. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 64 paragraph 15/2).

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Recommendations

Specifically, ensure that the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff are taken into consideration and evaluated as part of this monitoring exercise.

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Information about this children's home

This is a local authority children’s home. It is registered to take 12 children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home’s statement of purpose states the home will accommodate only eight children.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

02/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

25/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Outstanding

The quality of care provided for each child is excellent. Children enjoy a high level of individual attention that is appropriately affectionate, clearly focused and intensely nurturing. This provides a strong foundation from which children are able to flourish, reap the benefits of positive parenting and enjoy their childhood. Each child makes substantial progress from very challenging starting points. They have generally experienced the type of adversity that impacts negatively on emotional and psychological development. Staff are highly effective in providing children with care that begins to lessen this impact. They do this by being the kind of adults that children can rely on; by being emotionally available to children and by giving them predictable routines. This approach has a significant positive effect on children. This is clearly evident in the excellent progress they make at school, their improved relationships with

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Outstanding

others and their willingness to be soothed and comforted. This is reflected in the thoughts of one child who felt that one of the best things about the home was that, ‘Staff snuggle us into bed at bedtime.’ This emotional security helps children to get on with their lives. They achieve 100% attendance at school, and are meeting, and sometimes exceeding, their educational targets. Children get excellent educational support from the in-house tutor. His focussed attention has helped individual children to make fantastic progress, particularly in numeracy and literacy. Children take part in a wide range of after-school and holiday activities. Scouts, Rainbows, cooking, choir, rock climbing and swimming lessons are just some examples of how children spend their spare time. As well securing individual progress, this helps children to benefit from being part of a group, club or team, building their confidence and helping them to form friendships outside of the

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Outstanding

home. A good deal of these activities have the added benefit of helping children stay fit and healthy. A balanced diet, regular health checks, up to date immunisations and good sleep routines also contribute to children enjoying good health. Children live in a home that is spacious and filled to the brim with books, toys and board games. They make good use of a huge enclosed garden and play area with plenty of outdoor play equipment, such as bicycles, scooters and trampoline. Their home is shared by two cats, several fish and rabbits. The children’s guide gives children who are new to the home get a great introduction to how things work, from the point of view of the cats. This novel approach makes the guide both friendly and humorous, and helps to lessen the anxiety of coming into a new environment. Staff are adept at helping children move on to foster care, or back to their family home, in a positive way. Staff make effective use of the ‘transition’ flat, where

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Outstanding

children and their key workers live separately from the main group, in preparation for leaving the home. At the same time staff work closely with parents and foster carers to prepare for this transition. This gives children every chance to achieve long term stability and security. At the last inspection the provider was asked to improve consultation with children where the redecoration of their bedrooms was concerned. This has been met.

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Good

Children at the home are safe because they are under the constant supervision of adults due to their young age. This means the chance of bullying, sexual exploitation or children running away from home is minimal. Children made several comments confirming that they feel safe and secure here; ‘I feel safe because staff hold my hand.’, ‘I don’t get picked on or bullied at the home.’; ‘I feel safe because staff are with me and watch me play outside.’ The safety of children is further enhanced by clear and prompt action following any allegations against staff. Risk assessments for all the activities that children participate in are regularly reviewed and updated. Staff understand the risks that may occur for children where contact arrangements with family or friends are concerned. Any concerns are escalated through well- established safeguarding procedures. Behaviour management strategies are appropriate to the age of children, and

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Good

rarely involve physical restraint. However, a requirement to improve recording after a restraint has occurred, has been met. Judgement grade

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Requires improvement

The registered manager has recently moved to another organisation. Interim arrangements are in place for the deputy manager to become acting manager. He is suitably qualified and experienced and was registered by Ofsted in a previous home. The home fulfils the obligations to children, as set out in the statement of purpose, ‘to provide a high quality service tailored to individual needs.’ However, the home does not always operate in a way that is consistent with some aspects of its statement of purpose. For example, the home states that it, ‘would not offer short term emergency placements to minimise the disruption of placements of children already living at the home.’ On one occasion, two children were accommodated for one day, and on another occasion two children were accommodated for approximately six weeks. The home does take emergency placements, but clearer definition of what constitutes ‘short-term’ emergency placements would help to meet this aspect of

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Requires improvement

the statement of purpose. There is also confusion about the number of children that the home accommodates. The home is registered to accommodate 12 children, but the statement of purpose states it accommodates eight children. There is insufficient staffing to look after any more than eight children, but there has been occasion when up to nine children have been accommodated. This has been in exceptional circumstances when, to safeguard children, emergency beds were needed. The manager and staff stepped in to ensure staffing levels were sufficient on that occasion. To the emergency duty social work team, this understandably gives the impression that there are empty beds that can be used. The provider needs to address this discrepancy to ensure that the conditions of registration meet the content of the statement of purpose, or vice versa with increased staffing. Partnership working is good, and the previous manager has appropriately

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Requires improvement

challenged other professionals, within the local authority, to ensure they fulfil their corporate parenting role. Concerns have not been escalated however when actions agreed at statutory reviews remain unfulfilled. For example, a decision for a placement order to be revoked in 2013 still has not been achieved, despite it being raised as an action in the last two statutory reviews. This creates unnecessary drift and delay for children. Monitoring by the previous manager is thorough, ensuring that children’s progress is clearly tracked and measured. This process helps to identify where changes can be made to enhance the quality of care provided, but the six-monthly report could be further improved by including and evaluating feedback from children, parents and other professionals. The staff team are well-established and take every opportunity to keep their skills and knowledge up to date. For example, the team have all recently completed a

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Requires improvement

foundation course in attachment, and one member of staff has undertaken training in ‘theraplay’, a specialist attachment-based intervention. This has a direct impact children’s emotional progress and well-being.

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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, work based 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

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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 Text phone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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