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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 1 Registered provider: Bradford Children and Families Trust

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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 transferred from local authority ownership to Bradford Children and Families Trust on 1 April 2023. It is a short-break setting and provides care for up to 6 children with physical or learning disabilities, and who may have a sensory impairment.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since May 2026.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/04/2025 Full Good 30/04/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/05/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 3

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Summary of findings

Over the last year there have been periods of high levels of staff absence, which includes the previous registered manager not always being at the home. This has had an impact on the level of service that staff have been able to provide to children and families. Staff work collaboratively together to ensure that children could stay for short breaks between Monday and Friday. However, from September 2025 to June 2026 children could not stay at the home during the weekend.

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Summary of findings

This reduction has led to children’s experiences being limited, such as not being able to access community activities. Nevertheless, children’s safety has not been compromised, and staff have ensured that children have been kept safe.

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Summary of findings

The recent recruitment of additional staff, and others moving over from another home has meant that children can begin to stay throughout the whole week. A new manager is in the process of being recruited.

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improvement to be good

Since September 2025, there have been staffing shortages and the lack of management support. This has had an overall impact on the experiences that children receive as they have been unable to stay at the home at weekends. Only being able to stay at the home during the week has naturally had an impact on the short breaks available to children and their families.

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improvement to be good

Children’s access to activities has been severely restricted, with very few opportunities for children to leave the home. This has primarily been due to staffing constraints, including insufficient staff to supervise outings or who can drive children to activities in the community.

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improvement to be good

The home is child ‑ centred and well presented, creating a warm and inviting environment. A small amount of aesthetic work remains outstanding to ensure that the home continues to look well maintained and hygienic. The attractive garden spaces have play equipment for children to access; however, there is not wheelchair ‑ accessible play equipment. Therefore, those children that use a wheelchair, are not able to have the same opportunity to participate as others.

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improvement to be good

Some children lack structured daily routines, which are essential for establishing and maintaining healthy sleep patterns. Additionally, for some children their files are significantly out of date, making it difficult for new staff to understand children’s needs and how to respond. Inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 4 Discussions with parents and staff indicate that positive and meaningful relationships have been established with the children and their families. Staff demonstrate a strong understanding of the children’s needs, with many of them providing long ‑ term, consistent support to the children.

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improvement to be good

Children have a sense of belonging when they come for their respite stays. Their bedrooms are personalised with their own pictures and belongings, and they are offered food that they enjoy, and that staff know that they will enjoy.

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

Parents are confident that their children are safe and well cared for. Staff also said that children who attend the home for respite stays are safe and happy. Staff know the children well, so that they can support them safely and sensitively when they are upset.

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

Staff consistently take appropriate action when risks arise, producing clear and concise records, and sharing information with the necessary agencies and parents. This ensures that safeguarding procedures are followed effectively.

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

Some children can use behaviours that harm themselves. Support plans for staff do not always have up-to-date information about these behaviours. This leaves staff without clear guidance on how to respond.

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

When a child has needed to be physically held to keep them and others safe, staff do not always have the opportunity to discuss and explore what has happened. Opportunities for staff to reflect on these physical interventions to identify lessons learned and improve practice are being missed.

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

Staff do not adopt creative and accessible communication methods to ensure that all children have the opportunity to feed back when there has been a physical restraint. This includes staff not always effectively gathering all children’s views and opinions about their time at the home.

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

The ongoing uncertainty about the registered manager’s position has been present since the beginning of the year. This continues to impact on the management oversight of the home.

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

Staff have raised concerns about practice, yet there is no evidence that these have been reviewed or addressed. This lack of oversight undermines accountability of managers, and limits opportunities for improvement.

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

Staff do not receive supervision at the required frequency, and the quality of supervision sessions is inconsistent. Staff providing these supervision sessions do not understand the components of effective supervision. For example, supervision does not always provide staff with a structured forum for reflecting on their practice, or for managers to address Inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 5 practice concerns and to monitor staff development. Furthermore, annual staff appraisals are overdue; however, dates have now been arranged for these to be completed.

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

Management oversight has been limited due to the absence of a registered manager. The assistant manager’s recent return to the home is hoped to strengthen oversight and improve stability for staff.

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

Team meetings are well attended by day staff, but staff that work at night do not participate. This results in a lack of access to current information for these staff, limiting their ability to maintain consistent and informed practice.

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

Training has not been recorded reliably, preventing effective monitoring of staff’s compliance. Safeguarding and autism ‑ awareness training show significant shortfalls, with over half of the team untrained. This poses a risk to practice quality and consistency.

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

Staff’s resilience and dedication during a period marked by high staff absence and no manager in post is commendable. Staff worked collaboratively to ensure that children could continue to stay at the home. They also ensured that the children’s needs remained central.

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

Parents said that they recognise the positive work of staff to create an alternative solution when children could not stay at the home during the weekend. Inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 6

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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 within the given timescales.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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 has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 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)(d)(e)(h)) 20 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 20 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that short break settings have an important role to play in extending and increasing the opportunities available to children to share, socialise with others and choose activities alongside their peers in particular to socialising in the community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 40, paragraph 8.21)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meet the needs of their children, paying particular attention to ensure that décor is suitable and any damage caused repaired to its original state, also ensuring that any odours that may linger are eliminated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that children who cannot or choose not to verbalise, have the right to have their views, wishes and feelings heard and respected

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Recommendations

in the same way as other children. There may be children whose abilities and understanding are such that regulations 7(2)(a)(iv), (b)(i) and (c) will need interpretation according to their individual circumstances in consultation with their social worker. Also obtaining children’s accounts when debriefs are required. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.25)

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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: 2729412 8

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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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Inspectors

Angela Ross, Social Care Inspector (lead) Sam Saxby-Brown, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2729412 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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