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

Inspection report children‟s home: SC472977 1 SC472977 Registered provider: City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children‟s home is operated by the local authority. It provides care and accommodation for up to 15 children or young people who have learning disabilities. Children and young people use this service for permanent, shared-care placements and short breaks while undergoing assessments.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 20 to 21 September 2017

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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: 15 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC472977 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff know and meet the young people‟s care needs and vulnerabilities well.  All of the young people now have education placements.  The young people are safeguarded through the safe environment in which they live, and through the boundaries and strategies implemented by the staff.  The young people access community activities routinely, expanding their experience of the world around them. This builds their self-confidence and assists them in developing their social and independence skills.  Changes have been made to the senior staff team structure. This provides increased support and guidance for the whole staff team. In turn, this brings greater consistency to the quality of care delivered.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children‟s home‟s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Communication training should be provided for all of the staff in order to reflect fully the communication methods used by all of the young people who live in and access the home for short breaks and assessment.  All serious events must be reported to Ofsted in line with regulation 40 in order to keep the regulator up to date on all matters of concern.  All of the outcome star goals set for each young person should be specific and the staff should demonstrate and record how these goals have been met.  Some areas in the home‟s environment require some personalisation.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/05/2016 Full Good 03/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/10/2015 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC472977 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to 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 person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if–

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(e)) 20/10/2017

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Recommendations

 For children‟s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than an institutional impression („Guide to the children‟s home regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.9). In particular, all areas should be suitably personalised, including the dining rooms, bistro and all bathrooms.  Sufficient staff means 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 home regulations including the quality standards‟, page 51, paragraph 10.1). In particular, all the staff must receive training in the specific communication methods used by the young people living in or accessing the service, including Makaton.

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Recommendations

 Regulations 35–39 detail the records that must be kept in children‟s homes. All children‟s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely whilst they remain in the home („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.3). In particular, ensure that all outcome star goals are specific to support staff being able to demonstrate the work undertaken to meet the goals set for each young person.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Inspection report children‟s home: SC472977 4 The young people receive consistently good care from the staff who know them well. This helps them to flourish over time. A professional said: „Staff have done some “magic” work and the progress that [Name] has made has been tremendous. The change in [Name] is unrecognisable from when he was first admitted.‟ The young people have built trusting and secure relationships with the staff. This results in the young people seeking the staff out to spend time with them, and enables them to engage more confidently in the activities in the home and in the community. The young people make choices about how they wish to spend their time. This builds the young people‟s self-confidence and social skills. Since the last inspection, extended social and leisure activities have occurred throughout the week. These include sensory play, swimming, cycling, attending youth clubs, eating out in restaurants, going for walks, going shopping and going on trips out.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A young person beamed with pleasure as she spoke about her summer holiday and day trip to London. She said: „It was really great.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people respond well to the structured daily routines and consistent care that are delivered in a safe environment. This makes the young people feel safe and secure and enables them to develop and to enjoy the world around them. For example, staff ensure that young people have a good night‟s sleep and awake refreshed, ready to attend school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people‟s health outcomes have significantly improved, as they are able to access all of the appropriate check-ups. This has been enhanced because of the support and the care that they receive in regard to managing new environments, for example when they attend health appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people benefit from the commitment of the staff team that supports them with their attendance at school and engagement in learning. Consequently, the young people continue to have good school attendance. Effective and established working relationships between school and the home further assist in supporting the young people to prepare for independence. This includes the young people being able to attend to aspects of their own personal care needs and developing their social skills in the wider community. Care plans and other records give the staff clear guidance on how to provide consistent care and promote the young people‟s independence. However, the goals set are not always specific enough to enable staff to capture and evidence their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well equipped and spacious, and is designed to meet the needs of the young people. The young people benefit from improvements to their surroundings, which include new furnishings and the redecoration and personalisation of particular rooms. This provides them with a comfortable and homely environment to live in. Although a number of areas have been personalised, there are still particular rooms that are sparse and do not have many homely touches.

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

The staff carefully implement safety measures to keep the young people safe. They are Inspection report children‟s home: SC472977 5 clearly aware of the individual vulnerabilities and the potential risks to the health, well- being and safety of each young person.

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

The young people are safe. They benefit greatly from the support and close supervision of the staff, who implement protective measures and know the young people very well. Consequently, missing-from-home occurrences are very rare. These measures assist in effectively keeping the young people safe from harm.

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

The young people receive good support to manage their anxieties, which can affect their presenting behaviour. Staff support young people to follow individualised behaviour support plans and structured routines. This assists in reducing the young people‟s anxiety levels, as they respond well to a more predictable daily life. The young people are physically held when they are at risk of harming themselves or others. Close monitoring and assessment of these incidents occur in order to check that such events are required and to assist in preventing any future occurrences. As a result, such incidents reduce over time and the young people‟s behaviour becomes more stable.

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

Complaints and allegations are taken very seriously. The management team and the staff take appropriate action to address all of the concerns raised. All of the relevant professionals are notified. This ensures that the young people are protected and safeguarded.

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

In most cases, the manager does notify Ofsted of serious incidents. However, recently the notifications of two serious incidents have been overlooked. This prevents the regulator from checking that the appropriate measures have been taken to protect and safeguard the young people in line with the regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post since 2013. She holds a social work and management qualification. She has over 20 years‟ experience of working with children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that the service operates within the statement of purpose. Having awareness of the service‟s strengths and weaknesses helps the management team to continue to make improvements to the care that is given to the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff benefit from good support systems. These include formal supervision, regular staff meetings and detailed shift handovers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are qualified at level 3 in caring for children and young people. In addition, they receive training in behaviour management, first aid, epilepsy, health and safety, medication administration and child protection. This equips the staff to meet the needs of the young people. However, not all staff have undertaken training in the communication methods of those non-verbal young people who access the service. Inspection report children‟s home: SC472977 6 Staff work collaboratively with professionals and families. Comments from some of the professionals spoken to during the inspection were: „Communication is really effective and regular, and staff keep myself, school and parent informed of [Name‟s] care‟; and, „Staff are knowledgeable about young people, come prepared to meetings and always make me welcome when I visit the home.‟

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The one requirement and three out of the five recommendations made at the last inspection have been actioned. A number of areas around the home have been decorated and new domestic-style furnishings have been purchased so that the young people have a pleasant and homely environment. Staffing levels are sufficient to allow the close supervision of the young people. The young people have the freedom to access the garden without having to ask staff. The young people are able to access the internet for education, social and leisure activities and they are allowed to use their electronic devices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a partial implementation of two recommendations. Some areas around the home have been personalised to make the young people‟s space feel more homely. However, some bathrooms and dining areas are yet to be personalised. A number of the staff have undertaken communication training, with plans for the remaining staff to complete this training in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Detailed monthly regulation 44 visits identify areas for improvement. Action is taken to address the identified shortfalls. In addition, internal auditing takes place. This assists in maintaining the good quality of care given to the young people.

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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: SC472977 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Debbie Foster: social care inspector Cath Sikakana: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC472977 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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