Children's home run by Bradford Children and Families Trust

Inspection report for children’s home: 2727307 1 Registered provider: Bradford Children 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 and Families Trust. It provides care for up to six 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 April 2024. This is therefore the home’s first inspection since opening.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager in post. The manager has still to make their application to register with Ofsted.

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

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2727307 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Careful consideration is given to any new child moving into the home. Vital information about the new child is gathered from a range of agencies and family members, which helps to inform the manager’s decision. When it has been decided that a child will come to live at the home, the manager ensures a thoughtful and child-centred transition plan is in place. Children benefit from opportunities to visit the home and meet staff and other children already living there. The manager and staff also ensure that they visit the child in their current home to have conversations with the child’s staff team. This helps to understand how best to support the child.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children appear happy and confident in the home. They said that they like living there and enjoy the variety of activities on offer to them. One child described the staff as ‘astounding’. The manager has formed effective links with other agencies to provide positive opportunities for children’s enjoyment and learning, such as scuba diving experiences, camping trips and cultural celebration parties. As a result, children are developing their skills and confidence while also having fun.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children are in full-time education and doing well with 100% attendance. One child is not yet attending an education provision. However, they are accessing tutoring, and staff regularly support them with educational opportunities at home. There have been delays in obtaining a school place for the child, which the manager has consistently escalated with the appropriate professionals and advocated for the child’s right to education.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers have developed strong relationships with the children’s families. This has supported children to have positive quality time with people who are important to them. There is a good recognition of the needs of families, especially for those that have struggled to spend time with their children in the past due to financial or transport issues. The manager recognised this and supported staff to collect one parent for a planned day at the beach, which was greatly enjoyed by the parent and children. As a result of these positive relationships, all children are being supported to make happy memories with their families.

p.2

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

Children have provided consistent feedback and said that they feel safe at the home. They can identify staff to talk to if they have any worries. There have been minimal safeguarding concerns raised since the children have lived at the home.

p.2

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

Staff support children to take age-appropriate risks and ensure that children are taught how to keep themselves safe. Staff understand the importance of encouraging resilience and independence, and they balance safety with opportunities for children to learn through experience. Children have been encouraged to engage in a range of activities Inspection report for children’s home: 2727307 3 that carry a level of risk, such as camping and bike riding. They are safely supported by staff throughout.

p.2

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

A collaborative approach is used to support children’s safety through discussions with other professionals. For example, there was an incident that raised concerns about one child’s use of their electronic device. This was addressed sensitively with the child, and the manager involved the local police community support officer, who engaged all children in a piece of direct work about using their devices safely. Appropriate monitoring is in place, which helps staff to have oversight of the children’s devices and has meant that there have been no further concerns of this nature.

p.3

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

When necessary, staff physically hold children to keep them and others safe. Staff ensure that the holds are the least intrusive for the child and use them for the minimum duration possible. Children are emotionally supported throughout and offered the opportunity to share their feelings after the incident. Staff record incidents of holds in detail and are supported by the manager to reflect on what happened and what could be done differently in future to support the child.

p.3

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

Risk assessments are in place for each child, which account for most of their risks. However, risk assessments are brief and do not include enough information about what these risks look like and what staff should do to safeguard children. There is no information included about children’s triggers and what staff can do to de-escalate presenting behaviours that may cause a risk to the child. Despite this issue, staff know how to support children safely when their risks emerge.

p.3

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

There is not a consistent understanding among staff of how to manage allegations made by children. In one instance, a child made an allegation of harm against a member of staff during an activity. The child retracted the allegation. However, some staff responded in a dismissive way towards the child. There was no evidence of the manager exploring the retracted allegation further with the staff involved, and information about the initial allegation was not appropriately recorded. This prevents effective managerial oversight.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff are not yet receiving good quality supervision. Some supervision sessions have been brief and do not adequately explore important areas, which may impact staff’s development of their practice. While this has been identified, and the manager has plans to address this, changes have not yet taken effect consistently across the staff team.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There have been some issues in the consistency of staff members’ abilities to provide therapeutic care to children. These have been evidenced in the staff recordings. The manager is aware that some staff require additional support to improve their practice. However, there is limited evidence to show that the manager is addressing this inconsistency in a timely and appropriate manner. Inspection report for children’s home: 2727307 4 Safer recruitment processes need to be improved to ensure that satisfactory information about new staff members is available. The employment history for one member of staff who is working at the home was not available during the inspection. This lack of oversight could have an impact on children if unsafe persons are employed to work with them.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has positive ambitions for the home and can speak about the changes he wants to make to improve the experiences of the children. The manager has started to make some of these changes. However, these are not yet consistent or embedded throughout the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff said that they feel happy working at the home and that they have a lot of support from the management team. One member of staff said the manager is ‘brilliant’ and has ‘fresh ideas’ to improve experiences for the children. Equally, professionals said that the manager’s and staff’s communication with them is ‘fantastic’, and they feel that the children are receiving positive experiences and opportunities through the support of a strong team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2727307 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.5

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;

p.5

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.5

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vii))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that any allegations from children are explored in line with the home’s policies and ensure effective management oversight of any investigations. 30 January 2026

p.5

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—

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 30 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2727307 6 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;

p.5

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.6

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that:

p.6

Requirement Due date

 staff receive regular, reflective supervision, and that clear actions are set from staff supervision sessions and team meetings;  staff consistently respond to children in a therapeutic way in line with the statement of purpose;  staff recordings are written in a child-friendly manner; and  full employment history for staff is recorded and any concerns about staff practice are explored and recorded appropriately.

p.6

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: 2727307 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bradford Children and Families Trust

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspector

Ladean Wilson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2727307 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.

p.7

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8