Children's Home run by Midas Manors Ltd in Bradford

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2693113 1 Registered provider: Midas Manors Ltd

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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 provider. The home is registered to care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties. There are currently two children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager have been registered with Ofsted since 12 September 2022. At the time of this visit, the registered manager was away from the home. There are temporary management arrangements in place to cover their absence.

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This monitoring visit

Due to serious and widespread concerns identified at the full inspection on 19 and 20 April 2023, a case review was held. Ofsted issued two compliance notices under section 22 of the Care Standards Act 2000. These were in relation to regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to assess the progress made to meet the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

Ineffective leadership and management oversight of this home have resulted in poor risk-management practices and ineffective monitoring systems. There has been a failure to ensure that decisive action is taken in response to the failings found at the last inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have failed to provide written evidence of the actions taken in response to concerns about a staff member’s practice. Additionally, the responsible individual did not take sufficient action during the fact-finding exercise to explore the concerns. The internal investigation failed to demonstrate that other staff members were spoken to prior to reaching a conclusion about their suitability to return to work. A Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2693113 2 management action plan has not been completed to assess the staff member’s continued suitability after a disciplinary process was concluded. This failure means that serious shortfalls in practice have been left unaddressed as there is no system to monitor the staff member’s practice and offer them the appropriate level of support.

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This monitoring visit

There has been a failure to share sufficient information with the local authority designated officer (LADO) when there have been concerns about staff practice. This prevents the LADO from having independent oversight.

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This monitoring visit

In April 2023, the independent person raised concerns about poor management of risk in relation to a child using their phone in the bathroom. They reported a lack of monitoring and recording of this concern. During this visit, there was no reflection of this concern in the child’s risk assessment and neither the staff nor the managers could provide any clarity about it. Additionally, the risk assessments do not describe whether the children’s identified risks have increased or reduced.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s risk assessments do not clarify the action staff should take if children do not respond to phone calls when they are away from the home. On occasions, there has been no contact with children for several hours, with staff failing to escalate their safeguarding response in line with children’s plans. Managers were unaware of these serious shortfalls in staff practice.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have not engaged in conversations with staff to ensure that they understand the risk assessments. The current practice of staff signing to show that they have read the risk assessments is ineffective. Consequently, managers are unaware of whether all staff members are fully aware of the children’s risks and the necessary actions to ensure their safety.

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This monitoring visit

Inadequate guidance and support have meant that the deputy manager has not been supported to cover managerial duties in the absence of the registered manager. The responsible individual left at short notice and had not had any impact in relation to providing guidance and support to managers.

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This monitoring visit

Staff receive supervision but it is not practice-related and does not challenge or address their care practice. This significantly minimises the manager’s oversight of staff practice and prevents staff and managers from developing in their roles.

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This monitoring visit

The acting manager, who also has oversight of the provider’s sister home, has liaised with the children’s social workers through regular meetings to review the children’s care plans. This has enabled the acting manager to adjust the children’s day-to-day care arrangements so that they align with the expectations agreed with the placing authority.

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This monitoring visit

The use of internal door alarms is no longer used in the home as managers have assessed that this is not necessary or aligned to the current children’s needs. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2693113 3 Managers have notified the regulator when serious incidents have occurred, as required by regulation.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have discussed the home’s statement of purpose with staff during team meetings, improving their understanding of the document and its contents. This has helped staff to have more of an aligned understanding about the service they provide to children.

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This monitoring visit

Staff training has led to them having a better understanding of safeguarding and whistle-blowing procedures. Staff are clearer about what they must do should they have a concern about a colleague’s practice, including who to speak with should the concern be about the manager or responsible individual.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements issued at the last inspection with regard to the statement of purpose and the quality-of-care review will be reviewed at the next inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The findings from this visit confirmed that leaders and managers have not been effective in making sufficient progress to meet all of the actions set out in the compliance notices. As a result, Ofsted has reissued both compliance notices. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2693113 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/04/2023 Full Inadequate 03/01/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/11/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2693113 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 with 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

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

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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

- risk assessments are reviewed to demonstrate how children’s risks reduce or increase

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Requirement Due date

- they review the children’s risk assessments to ensure that they provide direction to staff about what action they must take if children do not respond to welfare calls

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Requirement Due date

- there is a system that demonstrates how leaders and managers have assessed and decided that risks no longer exist for children if they have been removed from plans

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Requirement Due date

- there are systems in place to ensure sufficient scrutiny and oversight of the care and protection provided to children. 30 July 2023 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2693113 6 * 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

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;

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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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

- there are sufficient management arrangements at the home to ensure that all staff, including the manager, are provided with guidance and support in their roles

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Requirement Due date

- all staff receive practice-related supervision, and there is adequate monitoring of staff when there are concerns about their practice, to assess their continued suitability to work with children

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Requirement Due date

- systems are in place to review staff practice to ensure that this aligns with the checks needed in children’s plans. Staff must make a record of these checks consistently. If staff have not completed the checks, a clear explanation must be given. Where shortfalls are identified, leaders and managers must take effective action to ensure the protection of children

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Requirement Due date

- there is a system for complaints and investigations to ensure that they are recorded in a way that shows the full audit of the investigation process, any actions taken in response to the complaint and the outcome 30 July 2023 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2693113 7 - there is a system for sharing sufficient information with the LADO when concerns are raised about a member of staff’s practice

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Requirement Due date

- there is a record showing the rationale for allowing staff to continue to work with children during any investigation process. This decision must be made in line with children’s best interests, and the safeguarding process.

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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)) 30 July 2023

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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)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

- they take decisive action in response to the registered manager’s probation. This must be reviewed in a timely way, and in line with the policy

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Requirement Due date

- staff receive practice-related supervision in line with the policy. 30 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (5))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the quality-of-care review includes feedback from staff. 30 July 2023 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2693113 8 *These requirements are subject of a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2693113 9

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Aaron Mcloughlin, Social Care Inspector Joanna Beal, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2693113 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 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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