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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC486606 1 SC486606 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 home is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides care and support for up to four children aged between 10 and 18 years who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides emergency, short-term or medium-term placements.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since June 2020.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: compliance action was taken against the home’s provider on 3 August 2021 as inspectors found serious and widespread concerns about its leadership and management, and the protection of children. At the monitoring visit on 7 September 2021, the inspector found that the provider had made progress and the actions set out in the compliance notices were met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC486606 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/08/2021 Full Inadequate 09/03/2020 Full Good 20/11/2018 Full Good 04/07/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC486606 3

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improvement to be good

Children are being cared for by a committed staff team. However, the care provided to children is not yet good enough. The progress children make is limited because their needs are not suitably matched to the home or the care that staff can provide.

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improvement to be good

A recent decision to move a child into this home was made by the responsible individual. The matching and suitability of a child was overlooked, and admission agreed outside of the scope of the home. The expectations of how staff provide day- to-day care are not aligned with supporting children to make progress.

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improvement to be good

Staff struggle to engage children in education. Children have a tutor in place during the week, which has been arranged with the local authority. However, despite the endeavour of staff to engage them, children learning with the support of the tutor is rare.

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improvement to be good

Children have access to all the local health services. Emergency medical intervention is also sought when needed. Staff work with a range of professionals, including a child psychologist. The group of professionals assess the children’s needs and formulate plans to meet these needs. However, the impact that the staff and others have is limited because children are not suitably matched to this home.

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improvement to be good

Staff have regular conversations with the children. Staff are consistent in their approach and they are responsive to the children’s needs; for example, talking with children about keeping safe in the community, emotional well-being, and the children’s future plans. Children also have conversations and help from other professionals, such as the youth offending team and the police. Children are able to share their views and receive guidance and support on their current needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff offer children the opportunity to take part in positive activities. These have included go-karting, bowling and going to the gym. However, the children’s engagement is limited.

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improvement to be good

The team’s ability to reduce the risk of harm for children is limited because children are not living in a home that is best suited to their needs. The high level of staff supervision is helping to manage the risks children take from escalating while care planning occurs for their future. For example, staff supervise children when in the community, which is preventing them from contacting unsafe people.

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improvement to be good

Children are often admitted to this home in an emergency, in line with the home’s statement of purpose. However, the admissions procedure is not always followed for Inspection report for children’s home: SC486606 4 children with high risk-taking behaviour. A sufficient strategy was not adopted for one child with self-injurious behaviour. This resulted in an opportunity for the child to self-harm.

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improvement to be good

The risk assessments provide guidance to staff about the children’s daily routines and information about incidents that have occurred. However, not all information in the plans is up to date. For example, information from a child’s matching risk assessment was not part of the child’s safety plan. In a missing-from-home protocol, an action agreed at a strategy meeting was not in the action plan for staff to follow. This does not support staff to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Medication is not always administered and stored in line with children’s prescriptions. Staff training in safe handling of medication has taken place; however, not all staff have completed this. This could result in children being harmed if their medication is given incorrectly.

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improvement to be good

Staff work in partnership with the police to increase the protective factors for the children in relation to their needs. However, for one child, this has resulted in a number of arrests, leading to an increased risk of criminalisation.

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improvement to be good

There have been no incidents of children going missing. The high level of staff supervision reduces the risk of children going missing from this home. Staff also work in collaboration with the police. Staff escalate their concerns for children with the police when they are worried for the children’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Staff use physical intervention when needed to protect children and staff from harm. When an incident of restraint has occurred, staff have held reflective conversations with children. This is helping them to recognise the impact that negative behaviour can have on others.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Progress from the last visit by the regulator has not been sustained. Decisions to move children into the home are influenced by a lack of local suitable placements for children rather than according to children’s needs. This demonstrates that the provider’s own referral procedures are not followed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Decisions made by the senior managers relating to the admission of a child have overlooked the registered manager’s delegated authority and have disempowered his ability to lead his team. Staff feel disillusioned. Staff morale is low and there is now instability in the management structure of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The provider does not have in place sufficient systems for the use of agency workers. The checks completed do not provide the regulator with reassurance that managers are aware that the skills and knowledge of the agency workers are aligned to the needs of the children. Checks completed are inconsistent. Safe recruitment practice to protect children is not followed effectively. This could result in unsafe people having access to children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC486606 5 The manager’s quality of care review does not demonstrate consultation with children or other relevant people about how to improve the service. This limits the progress and the experience that children have living at this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers make effective use of staff coming together at team meetings. Children are at the centre of conversation among the staff. Meetings provide staff with a forum to keep up to date with the children’s needs as well as an opportunity to reflect on the demands of their roles. This helps staff to plan strategies as to how to care for the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC486606 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, 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that the staff team is able to help and care for children placed at the home in an effective manner, and that care plans are aligned to the home’s statement of purpose. 19 December

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; 19 December Inspection report for children’s home: SC486606 7 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)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the children’s risk assessments have all information known about children included, so that strategies can be put in place for staff to follow.

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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

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential;

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(a)(b)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must demonstrate that decisions in relation to the admission of children are made by the registered manager, and that the home is managed as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. 19 December

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and 19 December Inspection report for children’s home: SC486606 8 have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must not undermine the authority and responsibilities of the registered manager as bestowed by the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that all decisions in relation to children coming to live in the home are underpinned by risk assessments and plans which demonstrate how the service will meet their needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that when children are admitted to the home in an emergency, the admission process prevents the risk of children being exposed to a harmful situation, in relation to their assessed needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must have in place a storage and recording system that reduces the risk of errors occurring. 19 December Inspection report for children’s home: SC486606 9 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure the recruitment process for the use of agency workers does not put at risk the safety and well-being of children. 19 December

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that information in the report is accurate. 19 December Inspection report for children’s home: SC486606 10

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when the registered manager conducts the quality of care review, children, families and other relevant professionals are consulted as part of the process. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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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 for children’s home: SC486606 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: City of 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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Inspectors

Aaron Mcloughlin, Social Care Inspector Alexandra Howitt, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC486606 12 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 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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