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

Inspection report children’s home: 1271666 1 Registered provider: Bradford Children’s Specialist Service Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed 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.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since March 2018. This is the home’s first interim inspection since it opened.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children receive stability and consistent care from the nurturing and caring staff team. The manager and staff team spend their time with children in the home. They enjoy activities together and individually, including dance, swimming and music lessons. The manager creates a warm and committed ethos, and children and young people have regular holidays outside term time.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff support the children to maximise their educational potential and transport the Inspection report children’s home: 1271666 2 children to and from school as any good parent would. Consequently, children benefit from 100% attendance. Staff prioritise children’s learning through providing regular homework support. This ensures that the children are up to date with their school work and have access to help and support, should these be needed. Those not in a formal education provision are supported through a committed tutor attending the home on a daily basis. Children make significant progress from their starting points.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager and staff team understand the children’s histories and associated complex needs. Excellent collaboration between staff and the therapeutic team ensures that the staff’s care of children is highly individualised. The therapists are fully involved and work closely with the staff and the children. This helps with communication, relationships and stability at the home, which was filled with fun and laughter during the inspection. Children feel more confident as a result of the progress they make in relation to their social and emotional well-being. They trust the adults who care for them and they feel safe. This is reflected in the reduced staffing levels for one child who started off with two-to-one staffing on admission and in the reduction in the need for physical interventions. This demonstrates progress in children’s ability to regulate their emotions.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Admissions are well planned, allowing children moving into the home to become familiar with the environment, staff and peers prior to the move, supporting stability and good relationships.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager and staff have a good understanding of the safeguarding policy and share any concerns about staff practice or any allegations made against staff with the relevant professionals. A professional said, ‘I have never had any concerns about the home. They report and request advice appropriately and they know the criteria for safeguarding referrals.’ The regulator’s ability to maintain oversight of the home and the incidents involving the staff and children, however, has been reduced in the absence of Regulation 40 notifications. These have not always been shared in line with regulations.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has addressed the previous requirements from the last inspection. He has capacity to further improve the staff’s knowledge by ensuring that they have insight and are aware of the dangers and risks to children associated with county lines.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children are rarely missing from home. However, not all the information known to the staff and the manager about children’s friends and associates is logged in their care plans and missing from home records. This reduces the effectiveness of staff to identify the potential whereabouts of children if they are missing. Not all the children’s placement information records are up to date. Staff have requested records from placing social workers, but these are not received in a timely way. Although staff have a detailed knowledge of the children living at the home, the gaps in some of their records do not provide clarity about the strategies to use if children’s behaviours escalate.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection report children’s home: 1271666 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 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— there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 31/03/2019

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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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to:  staff having insight and knowledge about county lines  children’s risk assessments, records and care plans being updated to include appropriate and relevant information deemed necessary for their care. 31/03/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1271666 4

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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

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

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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sir Henry Mitchell House, 4 Manchester Road, Bradford, Yorkshire BD5 0QL

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Inspector

Parveen Hussain, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1271666 5 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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