Children's Home run by Yorkshire Serenity Care Ltd in Bradford

Inspection report for children’s home: 2736509 1 Registered provider: Yorkshire Serenity Care Limited Full inspection 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. It offers care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been a change of manager since the last inspection. A new manager has been appointed and is awaiting registration with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2736509 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/03/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2736509 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Due to the good support provided by the staff, the child is continuing to make good progress at this home. The quality of relationships between the child and staff is a key strength at this home. This enables the child to positively engage, build trust in the adults who care for her, listen to the advice given and have positive daily experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The strength in relationships is something that has been recognised by professionals. One professional said:

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

‘This is the first time in a year that [name of child] is learning to trust and respect adults again. The staff appear to understand [name of child]’s trauma as well as her presenting needs. She is learning to listen and is more able to negotiate and appears happier and settled.’ Parents are equally positive and said, ‘I like the connection my child has with staff, and I can tell they care for her.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff highly value education, and in doing so, they have helped the child to overcome their barriers to learning. Staff work positively with education providers to resolve those difficulties. As a result, the child is making small, but significant, steps in the right direction. She is engaging and is more enthusiastic about her learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child enjoys regular and purposeful family time. This helps to ensure that she can sustain close relationships with the people who are most important to her. The arrangements for family time are appropriately and carefully assessed to ensure that it is an enjoyable experience for all.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the child’s views and opinions are central to how care is delivered. Every effort is made by staff to ensure that the child can contribute to the decisions being made about her life. However, the child does not have access to an independent advocate, which may be beneficial in helping her to express her views. In addition, this input is important for future planning and helps to make sure that the child has ownership over decisions that are made.

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

The child’s safety and well-being are central to daily practice. Staff have a good understanding of the child’s specific needs and vulnerabilities and take appropriate action to address them. Staff practice has resulted in sustained improvement in the child’s life, and the risk of engaging in harmful risk-taking behaviour has reduced significantly.

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

Staff work hard to provide a secure and reliable base from which the child can make progress in addressing what is difficult for them. This approach is recognised by professionals involved with the child. One professional said: Inspection report for children’s home: 2736509 4 ‘Staff have been very patient with [name of child] and help her to resolve conflict. [Name of child] was emotionally dysregulated for a long time but since residing at this home, I feel that she is becoming more emotionally regulated.’

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

The child has not gone missing from care since the last inspection. However, should this occur, there are effective procedures and arrangements to promote their safe return. There have been no allegations or restraints since the previous inspection, and the use of consequences is kept to an absolute minimum. The child benefits enormously from effective support through one-to-one key work that provides her with support strategies so that she can better manage and regulate her own feelings and behaviours.

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

The recruitment of staff is robust. The manager follows agreed procedures to ensure the thorough scrutiny of applicants before they are employed to work in the home. This means that as much as possible is done to prevent unsuitable people from being able to work with the child.

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

The home provides the child with a physically safe, appropriately secure, warm, comfortable and homely environment. Health and safety matters are addressed effectively to promote a safe environment for the child, staff and any visitors.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The child benefits from living in a home that is managed effectively. The newly appointed manager and the responsible individual are enthusiastic and committed leaders who place the welfare and safety of the child at the heart of their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All members of staff spoken with during the inspection talked positively about the new manager’s supportive leadership style. They also confirmed that the responsible individual has an inclusive, supportive and encouraging leadership style. Together, they provide visible and credible leadership, which results in staff feeling motivated and happy in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision of staff is regular and purposeful. Overall, training opportunities for staff have improved since the last inspection. There is a greater focus on ensuring that new staff receive a thorough induction and that continual professional development is encouraged. However, a small, but significant, number of new staff have yet to complete their safeguarding training. The manager and responsible individual took proactive steps during the inspection to address this shortfall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Case records are organised in such a way as to provide very clear and easily accessible information about the child. Records provide a clear sense of the journey made by the child during their time living in this home. However, on occasions, staff have used unhelpful and opinionated language in some records. The manager accepted that this is an area for improvement during the inspection. The manager has identified systems that he can implement to address this, to ensure that all recording is completed in a factual and non-judgemental manner. Inspection report for children’s home: 2736509 5 The manager regularly monitors the quality of care provided. He has a good understanding of activity in the home, staff performance and the child’s progress. Monitoring reports are sufficiently detailed. These reports clearly analyse how the child is cared for and highlight areas for further improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2736509 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand that looked after children are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure that they have the support they need to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

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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: 2736509 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Yorkshire Serenity Care Limited

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Inspector

Ceri Evans, His Majesty’s Inspector Social Care Inspection report for children’s home: 2736509 8 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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