Children's Home run by Elements Care Services Limited in Bradford

Inspection report for children’s home: 2837185 1 Registered provider: Elements Care Services Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager at the home since 16 January 2026. The current manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living at the home at the time of this inspection, and both were spoken to.

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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

Date of last inspection: 10 December 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

At a monitoring visit carried out on 3 February 2026, compliance notices were issued under Regulations 12 and 13. Inspection report for children’s home: 2837185 2 A monitoring visit was carried out on 4 March 2026. During that visit, Ofsted found that Regulation 13 was met. The compliance notice for Regulation 12 was restated as sufficient progress had not been made to meet the steps within this compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2837185 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/12/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2837185 4

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Summary of findings

Children live in a safe, nurturing home where consistent routines, clear boundaries and positive relationships help them to feel settled and supported. Staff understand children well, promote their views and provide personalised care. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff aware of children’s risks. Staff follow agreed plans and support children to understand how to stay safe. This contributes to children reducing the times that they go missing from home. Leaders and managers provide clear direction. They support staff development and work effectively with partner agencies to advocate for children. While some safeguarding documentation and staff confidence in whistleblowing require further development, children continue to make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a well-organised daily structure that provides predictability and stability. Staff apply agreed boundaries consistently, which helps children to feel safe and understand expectations. As a result, there have been noticeable improvements in daily routines, sleep patterns and children’s engagement with staff. Children are more settled and spend increased time interacting positively in communal areas.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between staff and children are warm, trusting and nurturing. Staff show genuine care and empathy, which children respond to positively. Children are increasingly open with staff, share their feelings and actively seek staff company. They spend less time isolated in their bedrooms and show greater confidence in forming relationships. Staff demonstrate a strong understanding of each child’s personality, needs and experiences, which supports the delivery of personalised care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are well promoted. Staff actively seek children’s opinions about their care plans and day-to-day life in the home. Children know how to raise concerns or make complaints and feel confident that they will be taken seriously. When issues are raised, staff respond appropriately and involve children in decisions and feedback, ensuring that outcomes reflect children’s perspectives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has moved away from consequence-led approaches towards a positive, incentive-based system of support. Children have actively contributed to designing this approach, which has increased their motivation and engagement. Encouraging progress has been made in the areas linked to incentives, demonstrating that this approach is effective and better suited to children’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education support is developing. Staff understand the importance of education in providing structure and future opportunities for children. Staff are beginning to embed learning into daily routines and support children at an appropriate pace. Clear plans have helped one child return to school, while actively seeking an education provision that aligns more closely with their needs and interests. Inspection report for children’s home: 2837185 5 The home is welcoming, well maintained and finished to a high standard. Staff show pride in how the home looks and ensure it remains a pleasant place for children to live. Bedrooms reflect the personalities of the children and offer valued personal space. However, the garden entrance area is affected by litter from the nearby main road, which detracts from the otherwise positive presentation of the home.

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

There has been a notable reduction in incidents where children go missing. When incidents do occur, staff follow established procedures and persist in their efforts until children return safely. External agencies are involved only when appropriate and once other options have been explored. On return, children are spoken to in a sensitive way to gather information to help prevent the need for children to go missing in the future. Staff use their trusted relationships with children to explain risks and support safer decision- making.

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

Staff regularly engage children in purposeful conversations about staying safe. These discussions are matched to each child’s level of understanding. They address specific concerns, including exploitation, sexual health and substance use. Staff are confident and open when addressing difficult topics and work with external professionals to strengthen children’s understanding and awareness of risk.

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

Safer recruitment procedures are followed to help to ensure that staff working in the home are suitable to care for children. Recruitment checks confirm that staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities. This supports a safe environment in which children are protected from harm.

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

Staff understand children’s individual risks and consistently follow safety plans when supporting children, particularly in the community. Risk assessments clearly identify known risks and outline actions staff should take to reduce harm. However, some documentation contains repeated information and unnecessary detail, which makes it less accessible. This may create difficulties for newer staff who are still getting to know the children.

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

Not all staff are fully confident in whistle blowing procedures or in how to escalate concerns about practice. Given the home’s previous challenges, this limits staff confidence in raising concerns promptly. Further guidance is required to ensure that all staff understand how and when to report concerns without delay.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides clear and effective leadership. She is a consistent presence in the home and sets clear expectations for staff practice. The manager’s values are reflected in the care provided, and the manager has a clear vision for improving outcomes for children. Issues are addressed promptly to ensure consistency across the team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2837185 6 Improvements in staff consistency have been achieved through regular supervision and team meetings. These sessions focus on children’s needs, reflection on practice and maintaining agreed standards. Supervision also provides staff with encouragement and recognition, which is particularly important in a team that has experienced change. Team meetings are used effectively to develop staff knowledge and understanding through shared learning and discussion. This supports cohesive working and strengthens confidence in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that they are well supported by the manager and speak positively about the changes made to the home. They describe the manager as approachable, accommodating, and supportive, and feel that the developments introduced have strengthened practice. Staff also said that these changes have improved the quality of care for children and increased staff confidence and clarity in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works well with other professionals. She maintains regular communication, seeks advice when needed and works collaboratively to reduce risks. Partner agencies speak positively about the manager and the progress made within the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a strong advocate for children and places their needs at the centre of decision ‑ making. She appropriately challenges decisions when these do not sufficiently reflect children’s wishes or best interests. She works constructively with professionals to help ensure that children receive suitable care and support. Inspection report for children’s home: 2837185 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff provide a nurturing environment that is homely. In particular, ensure that the outside of the property is tidy and free from rubbish. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their plans must include details of the steps staff will take to manage any specific risks on a day-to-day basis. In particular, ensure that the plans are easy for staff to follow and not overly complicated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff are familiar with the home’s internal whistle blowing procedures. In particular, ensure that the whistle blowing procedure is covered early in the induction process for all new starters. ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.9)

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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: 2837185 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Elements Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: First Floor, Rosemount House, Huddersfield Road, Elland, West Yorkshire HX5 0EE

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Inspector

Deirdre Silkstone, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2837185 9 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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