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

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 1 Registered provider: Bradford Children and Families Trust

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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. It is a short-break setting and provides care for up to six children with physical or learning disabilities and/or a sensory impairment. The registered manager has not worked in the home since the last inspection. Interim management arrangements are in place.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At these inspections, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Children benefit from established relationships with staff, who know them well and genuinely care about them. Observations showed that children experience high levels of nurture and warmth. Staff understand children’s individual forms of communication and, when they are unsure, they work together to better understand the child.

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Findings from the inspection

Children who stay at this home have a range of complex needs and disabilities. The home environment is well maintained and designed to meet their physical and personal care needs. Parts of the home have been redesigned to provide children with additional spaces to relax and play.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are supported to maintain their usual routines. Staff encourage children to participate in fun activities that stretch their imagination and help them to learn new skills. Some children have recently been swimming and taken part in pumpkin picking and carving. Children’s experiences are captured in photographs that are displayed around the home.

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Findings from the inspection

There has been a further change in the interim management arrangements. A new interim manager has been recruited to oversee the running of the home. They have started their induction and are getting to know the children and staff. Senior managers have followed safer recruitment practice to assure themselves that the new manager is suitable.

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Findings from the inspection

Children who are preparing to move on to adult services, continue to receive short breaks at the home until a new arrangement becomes available. This gives them and their families consistency and continuing support. However, on one occasion, the manager did not recognise that appropriate legal orders had not been applied for. They did not raise this with the child’s social worker.

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Findings from the inspection

There has been one serious incident since the last inspection. Concerns over an agency staff member’s practice at another home were brought to senior leaders’ attention. The swift response meant that the individual is no longer working in the home. The detailed records set out the actions taken by the senior manager to ensure that children are safe. The senior manager notified Ofsted of the incident without delay.

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Findings from the inspection

Children have not been missing from this home. They receive high levels of supervision in line with their needs. Each child has a written protocol for staff to follow should they be missing from the home. The records sampled identified the children’s needs clearly and were individualised. However, some records do not identify when they were last reviewed. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 3 There has been one occasion where staff had to hold a child to keep the child and themselves safe. Staff managed this well and the child was quickly calmed. Records of this incident are detailed and show that the child was supported to talk about the incident and communicate their feelings. However, this was done by the staff who were involved in the hold and was not reflected in the manager’s evaluation. This does not provide the child with an opportunity to communicate their feelings with

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Findings from the inspection

Other records do not show how children are being supported to achieve their goals. The manager has recently identified this issue and has acted to resolve it. However, it is too soon to understand if this action has been effective. In addition, some records do not identify an author. This does not help the manager to hold staff to account.

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Findings from the inspection

Most of the staff have worked at the home for several years, so provide stability to children. When staff changes have occurred, the manager has not ensured that the statement of purpose reflects these changes and has not provided an up-to-date statement of purpose to Ofsted.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/05/2023 Full Inadequate Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 4

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, when children are nearing adulthood, the registered person must ensure that they challenge any delay by the local authority in applying to the courts for relevant legal orders. 28 February 2024

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that children’s progress is effectively monitored. 28 February 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 28 February 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 5 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))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c)) 28 February 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when children have been held to keep them safe, the child is spoken to by someone not involved in the hold, to ascertain their views. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bradford Children and Families Trust

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sir Henry Mitchell House (5th Floor), 4 Manchester Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD5 0QL

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Tereasa Denby-Wallis

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Inspector

Rachel Walker, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 7 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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