Children's Home run by Midas Manors Ltd in Bradford

Inspection report children's home: 2573447 1 Registered provider: Midas Manors Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home is owned and managed by a private company and provides care and accommodation for up to two children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in July 2020.

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Information about this children's home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020. We last visited this setting on 3 March 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on our website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor, and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2573447 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children's home: 2573447 3

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inadequate

Deficiencies in risk management and management oversight have led to poor experiences and outcomes for some children.

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inadequate

Children have opposing views about life at the home. One child is very satisfied with their care and treatment from the staff. The other child said they do not feel that all staff care about them. They asserted that some staff treated them with disapproval, miscommunicated information about them, which led to conflict, and have acted unprofessionally towards them. The relationship between a child and staff member remains fractured despite the attempts to resolve the issues through mediation.

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inadequate

Staff actively promote and support the children’s education. The staff work closely with education providers so that bespoke education plans are implemented. Progress has been notable for some children from their starting points. Staff continue to support children to improve their attendance and help them to achieve.

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inadequate

Children participate in their individual health plans and the staff support their attendance at health appointments. The staff encourage the children to live a healthy lifestyle in line with their individual needs. Leisure activities provide enjoyment and learning opportunities for the children.

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inadequate

Children engage with the staff in direct-work sessions on the support areas that are identified in their plans. The discussions with one child about keeping safe have not had the desired impact and has exposed the child to risk. An issue of concern that staff had planned to address with one child regarding attempts to influence a younger child’s mindset through sharing social media applications has not been done.

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inadequate

Children enjoy regular contact with their families and friends. Positive relationships between staff and families support effective partnerships. A visiting parent to the home has been involved in their child’s routines in the home. This allows the child to stay connected to their loved ones and promotes their identity.

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inadequate

Staff ensure that children feel welcome when they move into the home. They receive support and help in settling in. The transition of one child out of the home with the support from the staff team has been positive. Inspection report children's home: 2573447 4

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

The staff team’s care of the children is not delivered in a consistently safe way. Serious weaknesses in safeguarding practice and a lack of professional curiosity within the staff team has not protected a child from the risk of sexual exploitation.

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

Neither the staff team nor the placing authority were following the same safety plan for one child. This has increased the risk of harm to the child. Not all children’s risk assessments are up to date. This results in staff not having clear strategies and plans to follow to offer better protection to children who need it.

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

Visitors are welcome to stay overnight at the home, which promotes positive family values. However, risk assessments and the contract of expectations are not completed for all approved visitors. This could leave the children and adults in the home vulnerable.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. The use of the police has been kept to a minimum. This helps to avoid the risk of criminalising children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leadership and management of the home have improved outcomes for some children. However, there has been some exceptions, which have resulted in serious failures to safeguarding a child effectively. In particular, the registered manager has failed to raise their concerns with the team manager at the child’s placing authority as they had intended. This has delayed the planning, the support, and the agreement in respect of the safety planning for one child. Leaders have failed to oversee the management of the home and have not identified the manager’s shortfalls in this area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

By providing misleading information to the independent person who visits the home monthly, the registered manager has prevented the independent person from providing an accurate and rigorous opinion of the safety and the well-being of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

An allegation made against the registered manager was not notified to Ofsted, which prevents the regulator from overseeing the management of the process. Furthermore, the handling of the allegation did not have senior management oversight. A manager who is under the authority of the registered manager carried out this role. This does not promote impartiality and potentially undermines the integrity of the process. The responsible individual has accepted full responsibility. They understand that practice of this nature cannot be repeated. Inspection report children's home: 2573447 5 Recruitment practices are sound. Staff find their roles satisfying and they feel supported by their colleagues and the registered manager. Staff say they are regularly supervised and trained for their position. Despite training in child sexual exploitation, not all the staff, including the registered manager, demonstrate a

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

coherent understanding of this form of child abuse, which has been evident in the care of a child who has exploitation risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are de-briefed following incidents that have led to physical intervention. This enables staff to talk to managers and get the support that they need to manage their own feelings when children’s behaviours escalate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Professionals and a parent speak positively about the staff team and comment about the strengths of the provision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The requirements made at the last visit have been addressed. The provider has taken remedial action to address the shortfalls identified at the inspection. Inspection report children's home: 2573447 6

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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, the 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (c)(d)) 26 September

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. (Regulation 7(a)(c)) 26 September

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— 26 September Inspection report children's home: 2573447 7 meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(viii)(ix))

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child.

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(b)) 26 September

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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

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(f)) 26 September Inspection report children's home: 2573447 8 The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) 26 September

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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)) 26 September

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether— children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (1) (4)(a)(b)) 26 September

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 2573447 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 10 Joseph Street, Holme Wood, Bradford BD4 0PT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Alison Serefoglou

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Inspector

Jacqueline Malcolm, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2573447 10 to 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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