Children's Home run by Bradford Children and Families Trust in Bradford

Inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 1 Registered provider: Bradford Children’s and Families Trust Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home transferred from local authority ownership to Bradford Children and Families Trust on 1 April 2023. The registered manager at the time of transfer has remained in post.

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Information about this children’s home

The home offers a short-breaks service and provides care for up to six children with physical or learning disabilities and/or sensory impairment.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the home’s first inspection since it transferred to the trust.

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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 and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 2

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inadequate

There are significant shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home and in the safety and protection of children. Consequently, despite some progress for some children, their overall experiences are poor.

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inadequate

In most cases, children have access around the home unless it is assessed as unsafe for them to do so. However, there have been occasions when some staff have not consistently responded when children need help. On two known occasions, children’s needs have not been prioritised above those of the staff. One child’s liberty was restricted, and they were left alone and unsupported by staff during a period of high anxiety for the child. The child was not appropriately cared for or reassured. Another child also had their access and freedom of movement restricted to prevent their behaviours from escalating. This practice increases the risk of children feeling unsafe and insecure.

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inadequate

Most children benefit from positive relationships with staff and managers. Inspectors observed staff to be responsive to children’s needs. During the inspection, children were seen laughing and having fun through sensory activities.

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inadequate

Most staff see the children as children first. Children are not defined by their disability. When talking about children, staff describe them by their strengths and needs and not their disability. The staff spoken to have a detailed understanding of the children’s needs. They are empowering children to overcome barriers and make progress.

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inadequate

Children are generally listened to, and their wishes and feelings are considered when planning their stays. Children who visit this home communicate in various ways, including symbols, signs and vocalisation. Most of the staff are attuned to children’s individual communication methods. When children change their mind, staff adapt plans to suit their wishes. Staff recognise changes in a child’s presentation and can read their non-verbal cues. In most situations, they quickly respond to children in distress and offer comfort. Children were observed to seek reassurance from staff when feeling uncertain, for example, when a taxi to take a child to school was late. Staff have a wide range of skills to help children to feel calm.

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

Not all staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children. One child was not afforded safe levels of supervision as identified in their care plans and risk assessments.

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

When significant incidents occur, there is a lack of urgency given to informing relevant people. When children’s movements have been restricted and they have Inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 3 been deprived of their liberty, parents have not always been informed in a timely way. In one example, it took five days to inform the child’s parent. The parent said that they have lost trust in the management of the home.

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

Following concerns about practice, some staff have continued to work with children without additional support and supervision. In one example, staff were prioritising the completion of their paperwork above the needs of the children. This led to a child being left alone in a locked area. While the local authority designated officer was informed, the response from the home was not sufficiently robust to keep children safe. In another example, staff pulled a sofa in front of the door to prevent a child from playing with the door release button. Effective action was not taken in response to this incident.

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

Staff records do not highlight the use of restrictive practice. Leaders and managers had not identified themes arising from the practice of individual staff. Therefore, no appropriate action to safeguard children’s well-being has been taken.

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

Leaders and managers do not provide staff with sufficient guidance to understand risk to children and understand their responsibilities to raise concerns or whistle- blow. The staff involved or witness to these incidents have not escalated their concerns to managers. This does not ensure that a culture of safe practice is adopted in the home. Whistle-blowing procedures are not embedded. Staff have failed to report incidents of unsafe practice of other staff.

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

Staff have received training to use children’s specialist equipment. The physical environment of the home is well equipped to support children’s physical needs and keep them safe. Specialist adaptations, such as ceiling tracking and hoists, mean that children can be safely transferred, for example, from their wheelchair to their bed. The garden is accessible and securely fenced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Weaknesses in the monitoring and evaluating of incidents have contributed to leaders and managers failing to identify and address poor staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Concerns about children’s care and complaints about staff practice are not always recorded. For example, records do not sufficiently demonstrate that any action has been taken following a complaint from an educational professional about the care of a child. There is no record showing the investigation process and audit trail. Similarly, a concern about the poor supervision of a child is not reflected in records to show whether any action has been taken to address this. This does not promote transparent practice and does not support the management to have good oversight of the practice at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The provider has not consistently informed the regulator about serious incidents. Ofsted was not notified of an incident in relation to a child who was deprived of their liberty in January 2023. In addition, there was delay in the notification in respect of another child who was also deprived of their liberty in April 2023. Despite being Inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 4 assured that the notification was made within 24 hours, this was not a true reflection of the timeline. This has prevented Ofsted from having oversight of the incident and the actions taken by the provider .

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff monitor children through their waking night staff. However, one child has a baby monitor in their room. While there is clear rationale to support the use of this monitoring device, a risk assessment and appropriate consents are not in place to support the decision for the child to have their privacy affected.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff say they feel supported. Supervision takes place regularly. This allows them to speak about any personal issues and discuss the children. However, when practice issues arise, supervision has not been effective in addressing the concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and the manager have failed to take decisive action in response to the identified failings. This has led to inconsistencies in staff practice, which is not in line with the aims and objectives set out in the home’s statement of purpose. In addition, the statement of purpose is not kept up to date. This does not help Ofsted to understand changes that are occurring in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Most of the staff are committed to getting it right for children. Many staff have worked at the home for several years and are well-established. Inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 5

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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 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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)) 18 June 2023

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 18 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 6 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;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(f)(h))

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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.

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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 each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(c)) 31 July 2023

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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)(b)) 31 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

*Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or 18 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 7 a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2))

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the use of monitoring devices is assessed on an individual basis and correct permissions are sought and recorded on the child’s file. 31 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, where there are concerns relating to the direct care of children, managers must ensure that these concerns are discussed and that actions are set and reviewed through supervision and staff appraisals. 31 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 8

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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: 2729412 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bradford Children and Families Trust, Sir Henry Mitchell House, 4 Manchester Road, Bradford BD5 0QL

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Picklu Roychoudhury

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Inspectors

Rachel Walker, Social Care Inspector Joanna Beal, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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