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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2727853 1 Registered provider: Bradford Children’s and Families Trust Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is run by Bradford Children’s and Families Trust. It provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home re-registered with Ofsted in April 2023, when the local authority arrangements were taken over by the trust. The provider decided to close the home for refurbishment, and Ofsted imposed a condition on the home’s registration. This required the provider to notify Ofsted three months before it intended to move any children into the home. The home reopened in October 2024.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2025.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There were three children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

p.1

outstanding

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2727853 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are making exceptional progress from their starting points. Staff support children to develop skills and knowledge, and they consider children’s individual needs, such as their preferred communication methods. Before coming to live at the home, one child struggled to have time away from their gaming device, seeing this as their safe place. One professional spoke of how staff have helped the child to feel safe and confident enough to step out of their virtual world and experience the real world. This child is now engaging in team sports and has regular time in the community with peers.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children consistently say that they are happy in the home. Staff speak highly about the children and provide them with continual praise for their achievements, regardless of how small their steps to progress may be. When children have struggles, staff are there to help them. They support children to understand that there will be difficulties in their lives. Staff provide children with strategies to manage their emotions, while continuing to tell children how proud they are of them.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children enjoy spending time with staff, and they actively seek them out, with the confidence that staff will quickly respond to their needs in a nurturing way. One child has sensory needs, and this is understood by staff, who support them with deep pressure touch, which also helps to regulate their behaviours. Children are always told how important and valued they are, and this is demonstrated in the high-quality relationships between staff and children.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff ensure that children are at the centre of decision-making on matters that impact their lives. Staff seek out children’s views, wishes and feelings on a range of topics and use these to inform changes in the home. Staff respond promptly when children make requests, and children receive decorative letters, which show that staff are listening to them and making changes in line with their voices. Children are praised for their confidence to advocate for themselves. One staff member said these consultations help children ‘to learn to be a valued member of society’.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are making progress in education. One child no longer meets the criteria for an education, health and care plan since living at the home. This is due to the extensive support and dedication of staff to develop the child’s skills and knowledge. Staff speak with the children to understand their interests, and they work hard with other agencies to build on these. For example, the children have regular cooking sessions with a professional in the children’s trust, which they thoroughly enjoy. These sessions have supported children’s education and independence skills in a fun and engaging way.

p.2

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

The manager thoroughly explores children’s risks before they move into the home. The manager develops strong relationships with the children and allows them to voice their Inspection report for children’s home: 2727853 3 opinions about their own risks and vulnerabilities. As a result, there have been no incidents of harmful behaviours for one child since they moved into the home. This means that the child has been able to engage in many positive experiences outside of the home with peers.

p.2

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

Risks for children are taken seriously by staff. However, they are not risk-averse in their approach and have helped children to turn potential risks into positive action. For example, one child is very skilled in using computer systems, which has led to incidents of hacking. Rather than avoiding this risk, staff have worked with IT professionals to channel the child’s skill into ethical hacking. There are plans in place to support the child into work experience in line with their interests and skills, which the child is very excited about.

p.3

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

Children do not go missing from home. Children said that they feel safe in their home, and they enjoy spending time with staff and peers.

p.3

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

Staff use knowledge and skills gained in training to keep children safe. Staff are dedicated to ongoing development to support them in understanding the individual risks of the children and how they can safeguard them.

p.3

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

Children are actively involved in their own safety planning. For example, there has been a safety plan in place for two children relating to their online gaming to minimise inappropriate risk-taking behaviours. The plan is regularly updated, and the children are consulted about any changes, and their voice is evident in the recordings.

p.3

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

Risks have significantly reduced for all the children since living in the home. Staff have an excellent understanding of children’s risks and how to manage these. However, the risk assessments would benefit from being clearer in relation to the severity of the risks.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is experienced and skilled in children’s therapeutic care. She takes a trauma-informed approach to the care of children, which is mirrored by staff. Children benefit from this style of parenting, and it has assisted them in the process of making sense of their life experiences and growing into confident members of society.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has excellent relationships with the children, who regularly want to spend time with her. She is present in the home, and children and staff know she will support them in the best way she can. The manager knows the children’s individual needs and ensures that care is personalised to meet these. She holds high standards for staff to make sure that children receive the high level of quality care they deserve.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Advocating for the children’s rights is central to the manager’s role, and she takes this very seriously. The manager understands what level of support children should receive, and she works well with professionals to ensure that this is in place. For example, one child was excluded from school for a behavioural incident. The manager explored the Inspection report for children’s home: 2727853 4 incident with the child and school, stressing the importance of education for this child. This positive advocacy resulted in the child’s exclusion being rescinded.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team continually devise innovative ideas with professionals to benefit the children. For example, the manager is planning a safety day at the home with the support of the home’s police community support officer s, which will be an interactive and age-appropriate way for children to be educated about risk. A garden party was also held at the home with neighbours, family and children from other local authority homes. Many compliments were received, and children thoroughly enjoyed their time. The manager encouraged the children to assist in sharing ideas and planning the event, which provided them with a sense of responsibility.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are happy in their roles and enjoy coming to work. They feel extremely supported by the management team, with one staff member stating that the manager has ‘built one of the strongest teams I have ever been part of’ and another saying the manager has supported them to build ‘an environment that fosters inclusion, respect and love’. Staff are supported with regular reflective supervision and take part in weekly team meetings where everyone has the opportunity to share their ideas, which further promotes the stability of the team around the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2727853 5

p.4

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that risk assessments state the severity of risks for the child and are structured in a clear manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

p.5

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: 2727853 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bradford Children and Families Trust

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sir Henry Mitchell House (5th Floor), 4 Manchester Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD5 0QL

p.6

Inspector

Ladean Wilson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2727853 7 regulates and inspects 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

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

p.7