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

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2729358 1 Registered provider: 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 is operated by Bradford Children and Families Trust. It provides care for up to four children who experience a range of social or emotional difficulties. There were no children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 21 January 2025

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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. The inspector 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: 2729358 2

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Findings from the inspection

Ofsted 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

Leaders identified that staff struggled to keep children safe. There were identified shortfalls in staff practice and the management of the team. As a result, leaders made the decision to close the home temporarily.

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Findings from the inspection

Since the last inspection, three children have moved out of the home. Their outcomes greatly vary. One child had a planned move to their next home. However, staff struggled to help other children engage with their education, and some children had to leave the home due to risks escalating. Managers and staff have worked with several professionals to help meet the children’s needs and keep them safe, but the intervention was not effective.

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Findings from the inspection

One child frequently went missing from home. Staff followed agreed protocols. When children could not be found, the police were asked to assist. However, staff sometimes failed to take prompt action, for example, when there were clear indicators that a child’s level of vulnerability was significant.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff were not provided with clear guidance about how to respond when there were serious concerns about children’s mental well-being. Risk assessments were not updated after incidents, to reflect the gravity of concern or what action staff should take to keep children safer. Advice and guidance were sought from the child and adolescent mental health service about staff’s concerns for children. However, shared strategies were not added to the children’s plans.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff have not had regular practice-related supervision to help them to be effective in their roles. Furthermore, managers have been unable to prioritise support for staff and to ensure that staff worked cohesively. This was due to the manager and staff being overwhelmed with meeting the children’s needs.

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Findings from the inspection

Not all serious incidents have been notified to Ofsted. When Ofsted has been notified of incidents, the quality of the information has sometimes been poor. This does not help the regulator to scrutinise and be assured that the actions taken by managers and staff are keeping children safer.

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Findings from the inspection

The system used for recording room searches has been improved to clearly describe the event and management oversight. However, a record is not completed when room searches are completed by the police in the presence of staff.

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Findings from the inspection

Children have had a variety of enjoyable experiences. Staff help children to engage in activities and hobbies of their choice. Staff keep colourful memory books with photos that capture the children’s time with each other and staff. This will help children to look back on their time living at the home. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2729358 3 Transition planning for children moving on from the home was well considered, including when children moved on at short notice. Managers, with the children’s lead professionals, consider what works best for each individual child. Staff remain in contact with all children to help reduce the impact of relationships ending under difficult circumstances.

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Findings from the inspection

The requirements and recommendations issued at the last inspection remain unmet. Shortfalls remain in the leadership and management of the home, which impacted on the quality of care that children received. These shortfalls included the manager not sending Ofsted the quality of care review report. The procedure for using bedroom door alarms remains unclear. The use of an alarm has been reviewed but the rationale for the need for the alarm is not clear and is open to interpretation.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager and staff team are receiving training to re-establish the knowledge and skills needed to ensure that children are effectively safeguarded and have their needs met when children are admitted again to the home. There are also plans to refurbish and improve the home environment. The provider is in the early stages of making these improvements. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2729358 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2729358 5

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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

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated. 24 August 2025

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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

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; 24 August 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2729358 6 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’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; 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)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

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

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

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust; and

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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. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iv)(viii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated. 24 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected; 24 August 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2729358 7 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 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s risk assessments describe the action that staff must take when there are concerns for a child’s emotional well-being, and that staff have the knowledge and skills to recognise when children are at increased risk of harm. 24 August 2025

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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

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; 24 August 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2729358 8 there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e))

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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

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

supply HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days on which the quality of care review is completed.

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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)(c) (4)(a) (5))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 24 August 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2729358 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff deliver care to each child in a way that is aligned with the ethos and values set out within the statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)  The registered person should ensure that when considering whether children should move into the home, they have considered and recorded the impact on all children alongside consideration of whether staff have the skills to meet the needs of all the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2729358 10

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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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Inspector

Aaron Mcloughlin, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2729358 11 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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