Children's home run by Bradford Children and Families Trust

Inspection report for children’s home: 2730003 1 Registered provider: Bradford Children’s and Families Trust

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home re-registered with Ofsted on 1 April 2023, when the local authority arrangements were taken over by Bradford Children and Families Trust. The home provides care for up to four children who experience a range of social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home. There is an interim manager in post. There has been no registered manager since September 2023.

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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/or widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

The home’s accommodation was restricted on 16 May 2024 due to concerns around safeguarding practice and the leadership and management of the home. The restriction of accommodation remains in place.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Compliance notices were also issued under Regulations 12 and 13. Inspection report for children’s home: 2730003 2 On 10 July 2024, a monitoring visit took place to monitor the compliance notices and the restriction of accommodation. Both notices were reissued. Inspection report for children’s home: 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: 2730003 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There continue to be serious and widespread failures in how children are helped and protected and the leadership and management arrangements of the home. This continues to significantly impact on children’s experiences and progress. Professionals spoken to agreed with this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The practice of locking doors in the home has continued. This is despite clear management guidance that doors in the home should only be locked when there is no other option. This is taking time to embed across the staff team and children continue to have restricted access around their home which gives an institutional feel to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The interim manager has started to review children’s plans. She has liaised with children’s social workers to better promote children’s progress. Children have made minimal progress in education. However, clear plans are in place for children to attend from September 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children have some good relationships with staff. However, children’s records do not give a sense that children receive nurturing care from staff. Some of the language used in records is not appropriate or child centred.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s health needs, including around emotional well-being and mental health, are identified. However, staff are not equipped by managers to understand or meet these needs in a timely way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

An assessment of the home has been completed by occupational therapists and recommendations made to improve the environment to meet the needs of children. Children’s wishes were sought around updating of the decoration in line with the recommendations made in the assessment. These recommendations are yet to be fulfilled but are intended to be started as soon as there is funding agreement from leaders.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Clear transition plans are developed when children move out of the home. These are individual and focused on children’s needs. However, the date one child left the home is incorrectly recorded.

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

Children are not adequately safeguarded. One incident occurred in which a child shared significant safeguarding concerns with a member of staff. Poor recording and communication meant no plan was developed to protect a child from serious youth violence. Two incidents have occurred when a child has taken an overdose. The child’s room was not searched by staff to ensure the child’s safety on their return from hospital. No conversations have taken place between the staff and the child about their emotional Inspection report for children’s home: 2730003 5 well-being or to ensure their safety. The interim manager did develop a safety plan after the second incident in liaison with the child’s social worker.

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

Two serious bullying incidents took place in the home during this inspection period. This has not happened again since one child has moved out. However, staff have not spoken to the children living in the home about the impact of these incidents. They have failed to ensure that the child who was being bullied feels safe.

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

Children’s risk assessments remain inadequate. They still do not contain all the risks present for children and do not consider new risks. The interim manager has updated the format of one child’s risk assessment. However, this remains inaccurate and unclear about strategies to use to manage risk.

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

When children leave the home without permission, staff follow them and make every effort to support their safe return home. Return home interviews are offered. However, these are not always successful. Conversations with children outside of return home interviews do not take place. These are missed opportunities to understand children’s views and the risks involved.

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

Records relating to room searches and mobile phone checks are poor. They lack details and context. Information gained from searches is not evaluated and is not used to inform children’s plans.

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

Notifications of serious incidents to Ofsted have continued to lack sufficient information. Furthermore, Ofsted is not always notified of significant events; for example, when a child attended accident and emergency due to a head injury after a physical altercation with a peer. This does not allow Ofsted to have appropriate oversight of safeguarding incidents, or of the actions taken by the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has been without a registered manager since September 2023. An interim manager had been working in the home for two weeks prior to this inspection. The interim manager is suitability qualified and experienced. The interim manager has quickly identified areas of children’s care planning that needed to improve and is starting to address these areas.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The continued lack of appropriate management oversight has resulted in ongoing failure to address shortfalls in practice and safeguarding concerns. Lack of analysis after incidents has contributed to continued poor practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff remain very committed to children. However, a high number of staff are not in work due to sickness. This means there continue to be insufficient staff to fulfil the rota. Staff feel overwhelmed by the continuous changes in the home, including changes to leaders and managers. This impacts staff’s ability to provide consistent care to children and Inspection report for children’s home: 2730003 6 means the care being provided still falls short of the care described in the statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Mandatory training remains overdue for some staff. The needs-specific training has yet to be planned and available for staff. The system in place for monitoring training remains ineffective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Supervision has increased in frequency although it is not yet regular. Supervision has not yet been used to address practice issues but there is a clear plan in place from the interim manager that outlines monthly supervision for all staff. Team meetings have re- started and two have taken place since the interim manager has been in post. These are yet to impact on the quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The statement of purpose has not been updated to reflect the current management structure of the home. Compliance notices issued following the last inspection have been re-issued alongside the previous requirements. A restriction of accommodation notice remains in place which prevents the provider from admitting any new children to the home for the time being. Inspection report for children’s home: 2730003 7

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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, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person 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

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)) 13 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2730003 8 *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 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)) 13 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2730003 9 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

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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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. 25 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2730003 10 (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(vi)(ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b))

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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)) 25 November 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 25 November 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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b) (5)) 25 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2730003 11 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

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

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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.

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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)) 25 November 2024

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children’s documents provide an accurate reflection of their day-to-day life in the home. Staff should capture this with appropriate language. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.9)

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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: 2730003 12

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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 BD5 0QL

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Pamela Stanyon-Carr

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Inspectors

Joanna Beal, Social Care Inspector Jan Edwards, HMI Social Care Inspection report for children’s home: 2730003 13 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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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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