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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC033492 1 SC033492 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 run by a local authority. It provides care for up to seven children and young people who have social and emotional difficulties. There are currently three children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 12 November 2020.

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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 September 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC033492 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/09/2021 20/01/2020 Full Full Good Outstanding 06/11/2018 Full Good 20/02/2018 Full Outstanding 15/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC033492 3

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good

Children experience positive relationships with staff who know them well. Children in the home are young in age and therefore need a high level of supervision. Staff spend time with children, show an interest in them as individuals and building positive relationships. The staff ensure children experience a wide range of activities that contribute to children making good progress.

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good

Children engage in social, educational, and recreational activities. Children are provided with a wide range of activities that they enjoy. This includes swimming, equine therapy, bike rides and camping. Staff support children to attend local community events; one example is the local Jubilee celebrations in the village. Weekly music lessons take place in the home. There is ample space for children to undertake additional learning through play, both indoors and in the garden.

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good

Children are in good health and their health needs are met. Staff ensure children attend health appointments. Management have ensured any follow up appointments are provided timely and as a result children experience good health.

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good

Children move on from the home in a planned way through child-focused transitions. Transition plans are clear and communication is effective. One foster carer said the home provided the best transition that she had experienced. The manager provided all the information needed to the foster carers, to best care for the child. The foster carer described the staff team as going over and above. This ensures children have the best opportunity for a successful transition.

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good

Staff support children to spend time with those who are important to them. Staff are aware of the impact that family time can have on children. One parent requested increased communication from the home; this is now provided. Another family commented on seeing a vast improvement in their child since living at the home. They described their child as being much happier. They put this down to the staff working well with the child’s school to provide excellent care and attention. The family said, ‘excellent work all round’.

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good

Children in the home are young and so need constant supervision to keep them safe. The home has a stable permanent staff team that understands the children’s needs well. The children receive one-to-one care, which

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Inspection judgements

Inspection report for children’s home: SC033492 4 enables staff to meet each child’s physical and emotional needs. This supports children to develop and maintain positive relationships and feel secure.

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Inspection judgements

Risk assessments are clear and give staff clarity on how to care for the children. Routines and boundaries are consistent. Staff provide children with praise and recognition for their achievements. This supports children in feeling safe and builds their self-esteem.

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Inspection judgements

Staff protect children from harm and understand how to safeguard them. Staff listen to children's views and take action when a child shares a concern. This was evident when an allegation was made against a member of staff. The management ensured this was appropriately investigated. This ensures children are listened to and safeguarded by the adults who care for them.

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Inspection judgements

Recordings of physical interventions are clear and detailed. They provide a clear record of each incident and are recorded in a timely way. There is good management oversight; children and staff are spoken to following the incident. This supports reflection and learning. On one occasion, the management oversight, following a physical intervention, was not completed by a senior member of staff. This can reduce the manager’s ability to identify shortfalls in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are cared for by an experienced and committed management and staff team. The staff are nurturing and have aspirations for children to reach their potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the children and their individual needs. However, on one occasion, the manager did not have full oversight of a significant incident. The response to the incident was appropriate and children safeguarded. Yet, due to the lack of oversight from the manager, information was not fully shared with professionals and Ofsted was not notified. This can reduce transparency and appropriate oversight when safeguarding children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision with the manager or a senior member of staff. Children’s needs are discussed, and staff performance is monitored. Guidance is provided by managers and practice is reflected upon. This ensures all staff understand the needs of the children in the home and children are provided a consistently high level of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have regular team meetings that are well attended, and all staff prioritise attendance. The meetings provide opportunity for reflection and sharing ideas. A good level of staff attendance and engagement supports a team approach to caring for the children and effective communication. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033492 5 The registered manager and assistant homes manager do not consistently receive one-to-one supervision. This had been taking place and was effective. However, a recent decision has resulted in group supervision replacing the managers’ one-to-one supervision. This reduces the opportunity for managers to seek individual support, raise issues or discuss performance management on a regular basis.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers seek feedback from children, families and a range of professionals. The home facilitates weekly chats with children and feedback has been sought by managers from both professionals and families. The manager does monitor the service and has up-to-date reports which give an overview of the home. However, the feedback and consultation from children and relevant others are not evaluated by the manager as part of the monitoring. This reduces the manager’s ability to use the views of children and others to develop services. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033492 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 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

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 (2) (a) (f) )

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Requirement Due date

The home’s manager must have full oversight of all incidents and ensure accurate information is shared with professionals to ensure informed decisions are made around risk management. 5 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4) ) 5 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC033492 7 In particular, the assistant home manager and registered manager are provided with one-to-one supervision in line with the home’s policies and procedures.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all records of restraint are reviewed in order to enable the registered person to respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. (’Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)  The registered person should ensure that they notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious (40(4)(e)). (’Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)  The registered person should ensure that they undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements

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Recommendations

for the children. Reviews should be underpinned by the Quality Standards as described in regulations 5 to 14. (’Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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: SC033492 8

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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 of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, City Hall, Centenary Square, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD1 1HY

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Phillip Segurola

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Inspectors

Sadie Mulkeen, Social Care Inspector Parveen Hussain, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Manager Inspection report for children’s home: SC033492 9 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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