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:

 Young people receive care from staff who are committed, caring and focused on meeting their individual needs.  Young people are safe.  Young people have opportunities to access the wider community, and new social and leisure experiences and activities.  Staff communicate effectively with parents, schools and health professionals to best support young people to achieve continuity of care and to make progress.  The management team provides staff with effective support.  There is a culture of everyone doing their best for the young people accessing the short-breaks service.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risk on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) In particular, young people’s risk assessments should be regularly reviewed and the date of this review recorded.  Restraint also includes restricting a child’s liberty of movement. This includes, for example, changes to the physical aids (such as turning off a child’s electric wheelchair). Restrictions such as these, and all other restrictions of liberty of movement, should be recorded as restraint. Some children, perhaps due to impairment or disability, may not offer any resistance, but such measures should

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Recommendations

still constitute a restraint. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph 9.42) In particular, review the use of locked rooms and keypads to allow young people the freedom of movement around all parts of the home and grounds. When required, record any restrictions of movement in care plans and/or risk assessments.  A child’s plans should form the basis of their care, and the providers should use their judgement as to what is relevant in each case, taking the plans listed in the definition in the regulations as a starting point rather than a complete list or a tick-box exercise. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.1) In particular, ensure that each child has clear goals documented in their plans and that the staff report on the progress of these goals.  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities

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Recommendations

and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the homes. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) In particular, ensure that all mandatory training is kept up to date, including that on behaviour management, and that physical intervention training is provided to enable all staff, including casual/agency staff, to meet the needs of young people.  The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24) In particular, build further on monitoring systems to detect shortfalls in the case files, care plans, risk assessments, health information and the training matrix

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority children’s home. It is registered to provide short-break care and accommodation for up to six young people who have physical, learning and sensory care needs.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

16/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

03/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Young people thrive because of the care that staff provide. Staff build trusting relationships with young people. As a result, young people actively seek staff out to spend time with them, engaging in the activities on offer that promote their self- confidence and social skills Young people make choices about how they wish to spend their time during their short breaks. They benefit from meeting their peers and forming new friendships. Together they enjoy frequent trips out into the community and engage in a range of activities in the home and the garden. A young person said: ‘I like to play board games.’ Parents retain responsibility for their children’s health and educational needs. Staff work in close partnership with them and with education and health professionals, to ensure that, during their short breaks, young people remain in good health and are able to continue with their usual routines. For example, staff ensure that young

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Good

people have a good night’s sleep and awake refreshed to attend education. They ensure that medication regimes are adhered to and that young people’s complex health needs are met. The strong and established working relationships between school and the home further assist in supporting young people to prepare for independence. This includes attending to aspects of their own personal care needs and developing their social skills in the wider community. Care plans and other records give staff clear guidance on how to provide consistent care and promote young people’s independence. However, these documents do not always capture the progress that young people make towards achieving their goals and targets. Parents said that they are kept very well informed about the care of their children. There is regular contact by phone, and staff complete a daily diary for each young person. This enables parents to be reassured that their children have enjoyed their

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Good

short breaks and alerts them to any concerns that may arise. The home is well equipped, spacious and designed to meet the needs of young people who have complex needs. However, some doors are locked or require the use of keypads, with which young people require staff assistance in order to gain access. This restricts young people’s free movement to particular parts of the home and grounds. In addition, individual young people’s care plans and risk assessments do not set out these restrictions, as they are a form of restraint. Judgement grade

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Good

Young people feel safe here, and their parents feel reassured that this is a safe place for their children to stay. A young person said: ‘It’s safe here,’ and a parent said: ‘My son is safe and cared for very well here. He loves to visit, and this helps us as a family.’ Young people’s behaviour is managed well. They respond positively to the clear boundaries and routines set by staff. Behaviour management strategies take into account young people’s specific complex needs. This ensures that any response is sensitive to their individual medical diagnoses. Young people enjoy their short breaks in a safe environment where health and safety and fire checks are consistently undertaken to promote their safety and well- being. Medication is dispensed safely, and any specialist equipment is suitably maintained. Utmost importance is given to young people’s safety. Young people benefit from high staffing levels. This allows staff to supervise and support the care and

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Good

activities of young people exceptionally well. As a result, there are no opportunities for young people to go missing from the home, and there are no concerns about child sexual exploitation. Staff clearly demonstrate awareness of the individual risks and vulnerabilities relating to each young person. However, not all risk assessments have been reviewed at regular intervals. This means that new risks may not be quickly identified.

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Good

The service had temporary management arrangements until the appointment of a new manager in September 2016. The new manager has the relevant experience and qualifications. He is about to commence registration with Ofsted. The management team leads the staff team in aspiring for the young people to enjoy their stays and make continued progress. The manager is working in line with the home’s statement of purpose and has a good knowledge of the home’s strengths and areas of development. The staff team members have a wealth of experience, and they have a child- focused approach. They receive suitable support and guidance through the established communication systems of daily shift handovers, weekly staff meetings and regular formal supervision. All hold the level 3 qualification for caring for children and young people. In addition, they receive more specialised training, in areas, such as epilepsy, medication, gastro tube feeding, first aid and the

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Good

use of nebulizers . However, not all staff, including casual and agency workers, have received training in team teach. Thus, there is a missed opportunity to ensure that all staff receive this essential training to support consistently and safely young people’s behaviour. Health professionals provide assistance and guidance to staff on young people’s specific health needs. This promotes the continuation of young people’s good health. The senior team and staff work inclusively with parents, supporting health professionals, social work teams and education professionals. A professional said: ‘We have a very good working relationship with [Name of home], constant calls and sharing of information. The staff are supportive to parents and [liaise] with us all, which is so helpful. They always come to child in need meetings when held at school. We have young people with very complex [needs] and they support them

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Good

well.’ This strongly demonstrates partnership working with all relevant persons in the best interests of young people. There are clear and detailed internal and external monitoring systems. The requirement made at the last inspection has been met. The effective safeguarding of young people is now reported in the regulation 44 monthly monitoring reports. This meets the regulation. These reports routinely identify shortfalls and recommend areas for improvement. This assists in maintaining the quality of care to a good standard. However, during this inspection, shortfalls have been identified in some records. These relate to young people’s case file information, risk assessments, the training records and matrix not being up to date.

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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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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