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

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness . Young people continue to have positive experiences and achieve their individual goals. These include gaining independence skills and building their self-confidence. Young people benefit from the high levels of staff support. This allows staff to closely supervise young people and to keep them safe. Young people respond positively to the nurturing environment and clear structured routines that staff provide. This assists young people to feel safe and secure. Consequently, this reduces their anxiety levels, and their behaviour, overall, remains settled. Young people have good opportunities to access social and leisure activities in the home and the community. These include: arts and craft; sensory play; board games; visits to a play park, the circus and MacDonald’s; and drives out to the

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

countryside in the mini-bus. Staff work proactively with professionals and parents, maintaining good communication. Staff attend all meetings to provide constructive support to address the needs of the young people. A parent said: ‘The staff are brilliant. My son likes to visit; he always comes home with a smile on his face. He loves to play football.’ The monitoring of the home is to a good standard that supports continuous improvement. Work has begun to address the recommendations made at the recent full inspection. Some are complete. The review and updating of young people’s written risk assessments have been completed. Improvement to internal monitoring systems enables deficits in records to be detected and rectified promptly. The home has partially implemented the other recommendations made at the last inspection. These include recording targets and goals in each young person’s care plan and updating the staff-training matrix. Money has also been allocated to

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

facilitate changes to the current keypad security system. This will allow young people to have more freedom of movement around the home and garden. A noted shortfall in staff training records indicates that not all staff have received autistic spectrum disorder training.

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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 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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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.) (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9). In particular, the required number of ancillary staffing hours should be in place to ensure that the hygiene of the building can be maintained to the highest level to promote the well-being of young people and their specific health needs.  Sufficient staff means a home having enough suitably trained staff (including someone in a management role) on duty to meet the assessed needs of all children in the home (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1). In particular, all staff should receive training in autistic spectrum disorder.  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

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Recommendations

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 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.  The essential point is that 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

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Recommendations

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 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, and that behaviour management and physical intervention training is provided to enable all staff including casual/agency staff to meet the needs of young people.

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection, 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

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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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 children looked after 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

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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