Children's home run by Bradford Children and Families Trust

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2730003 1 Bradford Children’s 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

The home provides care for up to four children who experience a range of social and/or emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, four children were living at the home although one child is spending all of their time with their family.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since September 2023.

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This monitoring visit

The home’s accommodation was restricted on 16 May 2024 due to concerns around safeguarding practice and the leadership and management of the home. This visit was to monitor the compliance notices that were issued under Regulation 12 and 13, under Section 22 of the Care Standards Act 2000.

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This monitoring visit

The visit found that changes have been made to policies and procedures relating to the management of complaints. This has been complemented by staff receiving additional training to support them to recognise and respond to complaints in a way that safeguards children.

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This monitoring visit

The dynamics between children within the home have continued to be an issue. This led to a prolonged and significant incident where one child was targeted by another two children. The child was afraid for their safety and was left distressed after the incident. Five members of staff sustained an injury during this incident. This has led to one child spending increased time with their family to alleviate some of the concerns. Other agencies have been able to offer support to staff within the home and begin some relationship building work with children.

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This monitoring visit

The assessment of risk remains ineffective. Not all risks are captured for children. Risk assessments are not updated following incidents or when additional risks Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2730003 2 become known or have changed. Documents do not contain strategies for staff to use to keep children safe. This hinders the progress of children and the reduction of risks.

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This monitoring visit

Managers speak with children and staff after incidents and some documents are reviewed. However, opportunities to learn from incidents continue to be missed. When incidents are effectively managed by staff, they are not recorded. This further hinders learning opportunities and does not contribute to a comprehensive record of children’s experiences.

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This monitoring visit

Therapeutic practice remains inconsistent. Some of children’s documents contain blaming language. Poor management oversight of children’s documents means these things continue to go unnoticed and uncorrected. This impacts on the quality of care provided to children.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have made some progress with mandatory training, but this is not yet fully up to date. Specific, needs-related training has been sourced or planned but systems to assess the effectiveness of this are not yet in place. This continues to leave staff without the necessary skills to meet children’s complex needs and ensure their safety.

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This monitoring visit

There continues to be insufficient staff to safely care for children which has been compounded by some staff returning to their substantive posts in other homes. This has resulted in the management team continuing to work shifts to support consistency of care for children. This continues to impact management oversight.

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This monitoring visit

Supervision of staff is now taking place and future supervisions are planned. However, the records of these do not indicate reflective practice. There continue to be missed opportunities for supervision to support learning and development.

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This monitoring visit

Changes have been made to procedures around children moving into the home. Plans are in place to increase senior management oversight before any child moves in. However, as accommodation has been restricted, this has not been tested.

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This monitoring visit

There has not been a registered manager since September 2013. There is no acting manager in post to offer consistent and thorough oversight.

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This monitoring visit

The other requirements raised at the last full inspection have not been reviewed at this visit. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2730003 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/05/2024 Full Inadequate 11/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2730003 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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;

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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)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 18 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2730003 5 The registered person must ensure that appropriate and timely action is taken when children's relationships with each other may pose a risk. This includes individual and group work to ensure that children feel safe within the home. Children's safety must be prioritised.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that risk assessments relating to children are up to date and detail all known risks. Documents must include clear strategies for staff to follow to manage risks. Risk assessments must have clear guidance around how staff should support children in a crisis.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there are effective systems in place when children move in to the home. This should include an assessment of needs and risks and an understanding of the needs and risks of the children who already live in the home. Consideration must be given to whether staff have the knowledge and skills to meet the needs and manage the risks of all of the children. *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

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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to 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 18 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2730003 6 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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that management oversight, including senior management oversight, of the home is effective. This oversight will address practice issues with staff.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the arrangements for supervision are effective, including the availability of records. Supervision will consider the individual care provided to children by staff and address and practice issues with staff. Supervision will also support staff to deliver consistent care to children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the care provided to children is in line with the statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to meet the identified needs of children. This includes, but is not limited to, needs around fire setting, attachment, ADHD and harmful sexual behaviour. Mandatory training will be up to date.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there are enough staff to safely run the home on a day-today-basis so that the management of the home is not impacted. Staffing must be sufficient to ensure routines are supported. The care planning standard is that children— 5 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2730003 7 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.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)) The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child's behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child's relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child's behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child's age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child's age and understanding, personal, 5 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2730003 8 sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child's respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children's previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b)) The registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children's home's premises; and

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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 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 5 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2730003 9 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)) 5 August 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children's home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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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 (1) (2)(a)(b) (5)) 5 August 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children's home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

(2) The registered person must provide a copy of the statement of purpose to HMCI and make a copy of it available upon request to—

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 5 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2730003 10 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 28days of the revision.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (1) (2) (3)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject of a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. Creative thinking should be used to support children to learn from their actions. ('Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 46, paragraph 9.38)  Children should be encouraged by staff to see the home's records as 'living documents' supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. ('Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 58, paragraph 11.9)

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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: 2730003 11

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Bradford Children’s 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: Pamela Stanyon-Carr

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Inspector

Joanna Beal, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2730003 12 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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