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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC063978 1 SC063978 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 run by a local authority. It provides care for up to six children with a range of social and emotional difficulties. The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2022.

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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: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A judgement of inadequate was given at the last full inspection on 29 June 2022. This was due to the widespread failings in the protection of children and the poor care-planning arrangements for children. In response to these failings, Ofsted issued a compliance notice under regulation 12. Additionally, Ofsted issued four requirements to address other shortfalls. A monitoring visit was carried out on 8 August 2022 to monitor the provider’s progress in meeting the compliance notice. At that monitoring visit, Ofsted identified that the provider had taken sufficient action to meet all of the steps in the compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063978 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/06/2022 Full Inadequate 23/03/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 24/08/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/03/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC063978 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, there was only one child living in this home. The home environment is welcoming and has been decorated by the child for the upcoming seasonal celebrations. The child’s bedroom has been decorated, personalised and carefully furnished for their comfort and enjoyment. The condition of the unoccupied bedrooms varies. Some have been redecorated and have newly fitted wardrobes and flooring. Others are in a state of disrepair and need attention to painting, new flooring and new furniture. They lack personality and would not be welcoming to any child coming to live in this home. The child benefits from positive relationships with the staff. Staff promote the child’s individual interests and hobbies. The child attends weekly swimming classes, which helps them to engage in activities in the wider community. The child also learns how to be independent and takes responsibility for attending their own appointments and

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

preparing and budgeting for household shopping and expenditures. This has helped to build the child’s confidence and independence. Staff consult with the child regularly. They provide opportunities for the child to voice their views and feelings. As a result, the child feels valued and listened to. Staff have supported the child to re-engage with their education and they are making progress in their learning. An alternative education provision has been sought and the child is preparing for, and committed to, sitting their exams. This helps the child to value the importance of their education and gives them opportunities for the future. Staff have a close relationship with the child’s family. Staff include the family in decision-making where this is appropriate. The family receive regular feedback about the child’s progress and are complimentary about the way staff communicate with them. The child spends time with their family, which gives them stability and

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

security and provides a strong family network for when they move to independence. Staff support the child to manage their health. The child has input from specialist health services and weekly support sessions. This helps the child to manage their emotions while also preparing for their future and learning new skills. Direct key- work sessions and conversations with the child reiterate that staff care about the child’s health and well-being.

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

The child has formed strong relationships built on trust and affection with the staff. The child’s safety and well-being are at the centre of practice at the home. As a result, the child said that they feel safe in the care of staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063978 4 Since the last inspection, the manager has implemented focused training on upskilling the staff in the home’s safeguarding policies and procedures. This means that staff understand what action to take to help to protect the child. Staff demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of the individual support needs of the child. The child’s risk assessments and behaviour support plans are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect the child’s presenting risks. This means that staff have up-to-date plans to follow. Staff work well with other agencies, including virtual schools, health professionals, the police and social workers. This effective joint-working relationship and regular

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

information-sharing help staff to understand the child’s emotions and feelings. This allows staff to help the child before their feelings become unmanageable. Direct work with the child is meaningful. The child learns to identify healthy relationships and how to keep themselves safe online. The sessions are well recorded and detailed and have contributed to the progress the child has made. There have been very few safeguarding incidents at the home. Allegations and concerns about staff are acted on quickly, and staff are quick to act and follow the safeguarding procedures. However, one incident was reported late to Ofsted. The manager has addressed this with the staff member. Learning and reflection on the incident have taken place to prevent this happening again.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The newly registered manager has addressed the requirements from the last inspection. Leaders and managers have made an informed decision not to admit any further children to the home until the current child is supported to move on to a more suitable placement that addresses their needs. This has enabled the manager to maintain a stable staff team that is committed to providing a high level of care to the child. The manager has recognised that they do not have a full complement of trained and experienced staff to support more than one child. The provider intends to vary their conditions and reduce the number of children they provide care for. However, staff are anxious about the potential impact of this on their roles and have not been given any clarity. The home’s statement of purpose does not provide clarity about the number of children the home is providing care for, and there are gaps in dates regarding when they intend to change their model of

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

physical intervention. The children’s guide does not contain information on how to contact the children’s commissioner. Information in the guide does not provide clarity about the number of children the service currently provides care for. The manager has developed effective monitoring and reviewing systems of the service. The manager has sought feedback from families and professionals and uses Inspection report for children’s home: SC063978 5 this to strengthen their practice. A development plan also identifies the home’s priorities and areas for improvement. The manager has identified gaps in the quality of staff’s recording. Staff have been supported through training to enhance their report writing. This has resulted in more thorough records of the child’s day-to-day care and the progress they are making. Supervisions and team meetings are reflective and child-focused. The meetings provide staff with opportunities to develop their practice and discuss the running of

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

the home. Staff receive direct input from a psychologist. This provides the staff with space to reflect and develop their understanding of children from a trauma and attachment perspective. Staff feel skilled at identifying the reasons for children’s behaviours and understand what they can do to help children. Staff spoke highly of the manager and said that the manager has helped them to develop confidence in their ability and practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063978 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

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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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)(a)) 28 November

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 28 November

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Recommendation

 The children’s guide should help children to understand how to contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)

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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: SC063978 7

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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 BD1 1HY

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Picklu Roychoudhury

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Inspector

Aasia Hussain, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC063978 8 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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