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

Inspection report children’s home: SC061005 1 SC061005 Registered provider: City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority children’s home. It provides care and accommodation for up to six children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 28 November 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children and young people enjoy good standards of care, provided by a stable and committed staff team. Inspection report children’s home: SC061005 2  Children and young people engage in education and are making sustained and steady progress. Young people on the cusp of leaving care have aspirations to further their education and have enrolled in college.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children and young people continue to be protected by good staffing levels. The retention of staff is good.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children and young people are safeguarded effectively. Risk assessments underpin good practice. Where risk is identified, staff take appropriate action to ensure the safety and well-being of children and young people.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager has good leadership qualities and leads by example. She is transparent in her approach and has a clear understanding of what the home does well and where it needs to improve.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager and staff continue to make significant improvements in the quality of care. Systems have been revised and as a result outcomes for children and young people are enhanced.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/11/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 11/07/2016 Full Requires improvement 17/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 13/07/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC061005 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from the good-quality care and stability offered by an established and committed staff team. Young people have grown up in the care of the same staff group. As a result, positive attachments, based on trust, have been developed and nurtured. One young person said, ‘I have been through some difficult times, but X (key worker) has stood by me and supported me, even when I have made big mistakes.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are involved in the planning of their care and transition to independence. The work undertaken with the young people is individualised and child-focused and their views and feelings are central to this process. One young person has successfully completed the home’s tailored ‘semi-independent living training programme’ in participation with the leaving care team. ‘I have really learned a lot,’ said the young person. ‘I now feel ready to move into my own accommodation and staff are now viewing properties with me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager works in partnership and in consultation with other services and professionals is effective and helps to achieve good outcomes for young people. Residents’ meetings have involved professionals coming to talk to young people about issues such as drug and alcohol misuse and child sexual exploitation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Work undertaken with one young person, relating to a serious drug-related offence, has enabled the young person to reflect on risk to himself and to others. Staff have witnessed a positive change in attitude, with his key worker commenting, ‘Our timely response in addressing this through a restorative approach has curtailed this behaviour. Criminalising the young person would not have been as effective.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people to work through and explore past traumas and experiences, alongside building the skills that they need to live in today’s society. All children and young people are engaged in some form of education, ranging from college courses, mainstream school and private tuition run by the virtual school. Staff promote learning and support young people in extra-curricular activities. One young person has received a number of awards for good attendance and for having a positive attitude to learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home’s ability to embrace diversity and meet the young people’s cultural, dietary and religious needs has enabled young people to practise their faith. As one young person stated, ‘I have a prayer mat, I attend Friday prayer meetings and there is a member of staff who supports me during Ramadan.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The care that children and young people receive is warm, loving and nurturing, and staff focus on meeting their immediate and long-term needs. Staff are effective at adapting their approach depending on young people’s individual needs and characteristics. One- to-one staffing is in place and young people have opportunities to engage in, for example, mountain biking, free-running and trampolining. A professional reported that Inspection report children’s home: SC061005 4 staff ‘do a brilliant job’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are a variety of approaches. Residents’ meetings take place weekly and young people enjoy a takeaway meal. The manager acknowledges that, for some young people, this forum can be overwhelming and their voice is unheard. She makes a point of completing individual consultation sessions on a one-to-one basis and young people have other opportunities to make suggestions and to air their moans and groans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Recent attention has been focused on the home’s refurbishment, with young people contributing to the choice of wallpaper and colour scheme. One young person said, ‘I have very high standards. I have been allowed to choose Laura Ashley wallpaper for my room!’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people know how to raise a complaint. However, complaints are few and far between because young people feel listened to. Young people also have access to advocacy services, and they know how to contact the independent visitor.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people are safeguarded by an experienced and skilled staff team that has a consistent approach that is underpinned by good-quality risk assessments. These run alongside behaviour management plans that are drawn up in consultation with each young person.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff go out to look for young people when they go missing, and they work in close collaboration with safeguarding agencies to protect young people. As a result, there has been a significant reduction in incidents of going missing from home and risk-taking behaviours associated with child sexual exploitation.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people’s admissions into the home are well thought through. Impact assessments are completed to identify any potential risk and the safeguards required to minimise risk. On occasions where the manager has concluded that the risk cannot be managed, action is taken in a planned way to move young people to more appropriate placements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and suitably qualified for the role of registered manager. She has introduced new ways of working, particularly around safeguarding practice, and strongly encourages professional development. The manager aspires to ensure that any member of staff ‘is equipped to do my job if I am not around’. This helps staff to develop new skills and areas of expertise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staffing ratios ensure that young people enjoy good standards of care and receive the attention and support that they need. Staff sickness has significantly reduced. However, the manager ensures that support plans are in place when staff return to work following a period of sick leave. Inspection report children’s home: SC061005 5 The manager has a clear understanding of what the home does well and demonstrates a strong commitment to improving the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people. Her ‘hands-on’ approach ensures that she knows the children well, their likes, dislikes and anxieties. Young people feel comfortable in their surroundings due to the homely and warm atmosphere.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager monitors the quality of care that the home provides through a range of processes. Feedback from surveys, consultation documents and learning from complaints and compliments informs areas of strength and improvement. One member of staff is proficient in analysing data taken from the range of monitoring tools and produces graphs that have been particularly useful in identifying areas of development. Effective action has been taken to address the recommendation from the previous inspection and the independent visitor’s report is being sent to Ofsted in line with the guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose is regularly kept under review. All admissions to the home are in accordance with the home’s ethos of providing medium- to long-term placements. This ensures that the home is able to meet the individual needs of each child or young person in their care.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC061005 6

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Registered provider: Bradford Council

Registered provider address: City Hall, Centenary Square, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD1 1HY

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Inspector

Cath Sikakana: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC061005 7 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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