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

Inspection report children’s home: 1271666 1 Registered provider: Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and run by a local authority. It is registered to provide care for up to four children and young people, irrespective of gender. It specialises in placements for children and young people who have experienced placement disruptions in mainstream homes. The manager has been registered since March 2018. This is the home’s first inspection since it opened.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Recent inspection history

This is the first inspection since registration. Inspection report children’s home: 1271666 2

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(vii)(e)) 30/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(b)(2)(d)) 30/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(b)) 30/09/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1271666 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home was registered in March 2018. Therefore, the children and young people have not been in placement for long. However, the quality of the individualised care and support offered to them by the staff is starting to positively influence their progress and experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The therapeutic expertise provided on-site through the home’s psychologist and speech and language therapist is shaping care practice. It offers the children and young people the opportunity to explore their feelings. The relationship between the therapeutic staff and the staff team is strong. The staff are developing a growing awareness of the effects of previous trauma on the behaviour of the children and young people. The staff’s developing expertise is leading to an increased sense of well-being for the children and young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff focus on achievement, however small, which is starting to build the self-esteem of the children and young people. Some children are gaining self-confidence. They take part in a wide range of activities such as learning to play the guitar. This is significant progress for some children and young people given their previous levels of engagement with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some of the children and young people are making good progress in education. One child is performing above their expected levels in some subjects. The staff work in partnership with the virtual school and social workers to secure suitable provision for those children and young people who are not engaging. The staff support the children and young people by undertaking educational activities such as reading stories with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people have experienced sensitive planning prior to their move to this home. Careful matching ensures that any negative impact on the children and young people is minimised. This is particularly important because of the children’s and young people’s complex needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have put very clear boundaries and routines in place, which they implement consistently. These are bringing stability to the lives of the children and young people and are creating a sense of security for them. The staff go the extra mile to strengthen the relationships between the children and young people and their families. They involve families where possible and recently threw a surprise family party for one young person. Another young person has re-established a relationship with his family after several years without any contact.

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

The home’s therapeutic model of care enables the children and young people to receive the help that they need to manage their feelings and behaviour more appropriately. With Inspection report children’s home: 1271666 4 the use of positive techniques to manage their behaviour, incidents of challenging behaviour and the need for physical intervention are reducing markedly.

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

The manager identifies children’s and young people’s potential risks and vulnerabilities before their admission. He ensures that thorough support plans are implemented. These plans are regularly reviewed, ensuring that the staff have the guidance that they need to keep the children and young people safe. Consequently, the staff are knowledgeable about the risks for each child and young person.

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

The staff are not following the home’s going missing policy when recording that a child or young person is away from the home. On several occasions, a young person has been recorded as ‘absent’ from the home, although he has not returned until late at night and his whereabouts have been unknown. This is not in line with the home’s policy. However, the staff have acted to secure his well-being by contacting family members and friends and have gone out to look for him.

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

The staff work closely with other agencies such as the drug and alcohol services. This helps the children and young people to understand the negative impact of some of their behaviour. There is an effective relationship between the police and the staff. The designated police officer invests time to develop relationships in the home. This is breaking down barriers between the police and the children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led efficiently by a permanent, qualified and registered manager. He is knowledgeable and committed to the therapeutic model of practice, working closely with the home’s specialist team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The culture in the home is characterised by high aspirations for the children and young people. This is mirrored in the manager’s expectations of staff practice. The staff receive training based around the specialist needs of the children and young people. The therapeutic ethos of the home is evident through the support and challenge that staff receive in supervision sessions. They are responding with a sense of enthusiasm to embrace change. A member of staff said that the ethos for the staff is to, ‘bring what you’ve found does work here, not what hasn’t in the past.’ This is creating the right environment for good practice to thrive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has made child-centred decisions about those coming to live at the home while maintaining a strong focus on the progress and well-being of children and young people. He understands that the children and young people need a significant amount of time to overcome their previous experiences. He is committed to helping them to achieve permanence at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is not yet fully staffed and there have been times when staffing ratios have been insufficient. This could have a negative impact on children’s outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has updated the home’s statement of purpose, but he has not sent it to Inspection report children’s home: 1271666 5 HMCI as required. This has not impacted on the care of the children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are good monitoring systems which include both internal and external oversight. The home is also part of a research project being evaluated by a university. This is measuring children’s and young people’s outcomes. This data is being used by the manager to inform the care offered at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed strong partnerships with the local community and neighbours. This led to some of the children and young people assisting with a community speed watch. The neighbours are supportive of the home, resulting in inclusion from the local community.

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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: 1271666 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bradford Metropolitan District Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Janet Black: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1271666 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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