Children's home run by Bradford Children’s and Families Trust

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2729749 1 Registered provider: Bradford Children 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 run by Bradford Children and Families Trust on behalf of a local authority. Currently, the home provides care for up to 10 children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children can stay at the home on a short-break arrangement or live permanently at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager at the home since September 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, four children were living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted carried out this visit to seek assurances that the leaders and managers had sufficiently addressed the significant shortfalls identified at the last inspection. These had resulted in an inadequate judgement and two compliance notices being issued under regulations 13 and 27.

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This monitoring visit

A manager has now been recruited. Of note, leaders have implemented a supportive and thorough induction plan to support the new manager to embark on their role. This will give the new manager the best opportunity to succeed.

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This monitoring visit

The home is now sufficiently staffed. Fundamentally, when significant events occur with children, structures are in place to better support reflection and learning as there is more capacity to do this. Staff now say that the routines at the home are more organised and better support their role.

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This monitoring visit

Communication between senior leaders and staff is clearer. Therefore, staff are better informed and feel more connected to have an input into the planning and delivery of the service. In doing so, staff feel that they are in a stronger position to advocate better for the children. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2729749 2 In the absence of a manager, leaders have improved oversight of the children’s care to better support staff to manage the children’s right to privacy. However, the need for staff to have additional training to better inform their care in relation to children’s growth and development has not yet been met. Additionally, although there is a plan to enrol all staff on the appropriate residential qualification, several staff remain outside of the stipulated timescales for completion.

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This monitoring visit

The lack of an effective rolling training programme continues to have implications on practice. For example, managers and staff do not always respond confidently and proportionally to what children say and do. Targeted training will instil confidence in staff, which in turn will improve the children’s experience of the care that they receive.

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This monitoring visit

Important care planning practices are not recorded in some of the children’s written records. Indeed, children’s written records, such as incident reports, are unnecessarily lengthy and duplicate information. Leaders and staff are aware of this issue.

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This monitoring visit

The organisation has taken sufficient action for the steps within the two compliance notices to be met. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2729749 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/06/2025 Full Inadequate 11/06/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2729749 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, 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014,1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b)) 1 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date (Regulation 36 (1)(b)) 1 October 2025

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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. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2729749 5 This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2729749 6

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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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Inspector

Steve Guirey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2729749 7 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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