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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2728924 1 Registered provider: Bradford Children and Families Trust Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by Bradford Children and Families Trust. It is registered to provide full-time care for one child who may experience a range of social and/or emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities and/or mental disorders, excluding learning disability.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager re-registered on 1 April 2023, when the local authority arrangements were taken over by a trust.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2728924 2

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improvement to be good

Decision-making and planning for the child to move out of the home have not been timely. The child was told about the plan five months ago. They have visited the proposed new home and started to build relationships with the staff team, but the child has not been able to move due to circumstances outside of the provider’s control. This delay has impacted on the child’s emotional well-being and led to increased anxiety.

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improvement to be good

The court-ordered restrictions ensure that the child is better protected. However, the approach taken by staff has hindered the child’s social development and independence because staff have limited their activities in the community. This means that the child spends considerable time inside the home. This impacts on the quality of their day-to-day experiences.

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improvement to be good

The child has lived at the home for over two years. Staff have developed positive relationships with the child during this time, and they provide consistent and nurturing care. This has helped the child to find better coping strategies when they experience difficult emotions.

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improvement to be good

Day-to-day care and support are provided by a blended team of care staff and agency mental health nurses. This provides the child with the support to meet their emotional and mental health needs. Staff work collaboratively with health professionals to ensure that health appointments are planned and that the right support is in place when they attend. This has led to a reduction in the child’s anxiety. The child now also accesses services to support their dental and optical needs.

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improvement to be good

Home tuition is in place to support the child’s education. Staff understand the barriers to the child’s learning, and they advocate for them to ensure that the right support is available to meet their additional learning needs. The child’s tutor said, ‘Despite the challenges, [name of child] is committed to learning and this has led to them making progress.’

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improvement to be good

Staff use social stories to talk to the child about a range of topics specific to the child’s individual needs and to capture their wishes and feelings.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment procedures have not always been followed. The manager has not ensured that full and satisfactory information is available on all staff working at the home. This relates specifically to the employment of staff through an external agency. Inspection report for children’s home: 2728924 3 The child’s known risks are identified in their risk assessment, which provides staff with clear guidance. Staff understand the child’s vulnerabilities and risks and the additional restrictions emphasised in the legal order. This limits the risk of the child going missing from care. Staff provide the child with high levels of supervision at home and when they go into the community. As a result, the child has not gone missing, but there is a plan for staff with clear actions for them to take if this was to happen.

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improvement to be good

Incidents leading to the child being held have reduced. This is because staff use their relationships with the child to respond when the child shows unwanted behaviour. When the child has been held, the measures used have been necessary and proportionate, and staff and the child are provided with the opportunity to talk about the incident.

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good

The manager’s systems for monitoring and review of practice and care are not always effective. Shortfalls in staff recruitment checks and training records have not been identified. Some staff have not completed core training and most staff do not have up-to-date safeguarding training in line with the timescales identified in the home’s development plan.

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good

There is a lack of multi-agency working because the manager and the placing authority do not agree about the strategies used to promote the child’s plan. One professional said, ‘Staff do not always promote the child’s independence plan. This could be better to ensure the quality of the child’s life experiences are improved.’

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good

The manager has not consulted and considered the views of each relevant person when reviewing the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises. Busy roads present a risk to the child currently living at the home, but this has not been considered or recorded in the document.

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good

Staff receive regular supervision which provides them with the opportunity to discuss the child’s plan and reflect on practice. The manager and clinical lead provide joint supervision for the mental health nursing staff. This ensures that the quality of care provided to the child is consistent. Staff said that they feel supported by the manager.

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good

Complaints are taken seriously and are investigated and responded to in line with the relevant procedures. Three complaints have been made about the staff. These have been unrelated to the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2728924 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, The 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

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the manager ensuring that the strategies used to promote the child’s independence and their day-to-day experiences are agreed with the placing authority. 22 January 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

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that staff training is reviewed and kept up to date. 22 January 2024

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 22 January 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2728924 5 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d)) 22 January 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2)) 22 January 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2728924 6

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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: 2728924 7

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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 Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2728924 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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