Children's Home run by MY STORY RESIDENTIAL CARE LIMITED in Leeds

Inspection report for children’s home: 2825478 1 Registered provider: MY STORY RESIDENTIAL CARE LIMITED

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider runs this children’s home. The home provides support for up to 3 children who may have social and emotional needs. At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home. One child was not present during the inspection, and the other child was spoken to during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The provider has appointed a new manager, and they have applied to become registered with Ofsted. The new manager assisted with the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 9 September 2025

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2825478 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/09/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2825478 3

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Summary of findings

A whistleblowing concern regarding the safety of a child in the home was received before the inspection.

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Summary of findings

The home has not had a registered manager for over 8 months. A new manager has been appointed and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Summary of findings

Staff have not understood and followed a child’s safety plan and have given a child access to a mobile phone, which has significantly increased risk for them. Staff have not understood their safeguarding responsibilities in the recording of this incident or sharing the information with the senior staff team and with external professionals in a timely manner.

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Summary of findings

The manager has failed to investigate this safeguarding incident or take action to prevent a similar incident from happening again. The manager has not shared information with safeguarding partners, despite ongoing significant concerns over the child’s safety.

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Summary of findings

Following the inspection, compliance notices have been issued to the provider relating to Regulations 12 and 13 of The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s experiences in the home differ. One child’s experience has been significantly impacted after staff failed to follow the child’s care and safety plans. The plans stated that the child should not have access to a specific mobile phone due to attached risks. The child was given the phone by staff and left overnight with it. Since this incident, the child has had a prolonged period of being missing from home and has been at increased risk of harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff have not supported one child to build trust and confidence with health professionals who can support their wellbeing and offer them the help and services to which they are entitled. Staff have supported the other child to engage with health professionals and attend appointments with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

For one child, the positive progress made previously in education has deteriorated, and the child has stopped engaging with education. The other child has made progress in their education and has plans for their future. Both have been encouraged and supported by staff to attend and engage with tutors.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

One child in the home has made progress from their starting point. They have developed social skills and a healthy lifestyle, and they are becoming increasingly confident and independent. Inspection report for children’s home: 2825478 4 Staff support children to see the people who are important to them in their lives. Staff recognise the importance of these relationships in the children’s sense of identity and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child spoken to said they are ‘safe and happy’ in the home. Staff are caring and nurturing towards the children, and this is noted by family members and those who visit the home. Children live in a spacious and well-equipped home and have access to the things they need to live comfortably.

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

Staff did not record the safeguarding incident regarding the mobile phone in the child’s records or recognise the urgency of reporting this incident to senior managers at the time. Staff did not fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities by sharing this information with safeguarding professionals at the time or at a later date with other professionals in a multi-agency meeting. The child’s records are not factually correct because of this, and potential risks to the child were not understood by those who should support the child to stay safe.

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

The manager failed to inform safeguarding partners that the child had access to the phone, even when the risks to the child increased significantly. Regular safeguarding meetings were held to discuss the child’s safety. This information may have helped give professionals information and direction sooner.

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

Staff and managers have not understood risks to children and do not always follow children’s plans. Where agreements, plans, boundaries and monitoring of online devices have been agreed, staff have not made regular checks on devices. Managers and staff have not been aware of what materials children are looking at online. Staff have not been professionally curious about whom children are talking to. Staff have not helped children understand how to keep themselves safe online or the risk from potential exploitation.

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

There has been one incident of a child going missing from the home for a prolonged period. Staff followed the missing-from-home protocol when the child went missing and actively searched, attempted contact and met with other professionals to try to find the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager did not share the safeguarding incident and information with professionals responsible for the child’s care. The manager also failed to report the incident to the regulator. This has limited professionals’ ability to take effective action or put additional safeguards in place for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager failed to investigate or address the phone incident and the lack of recording and reporting of the incident by staff. This does not allow the manager Inspection report for children’s home: 2825478 5 sufficient oversight to understand staff development needs, or for staff to learn from incidents and prevent future incidents from happening.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home is currently without a registered manager. Management changes have created uncertainty, which has impacted the staff and oversight of the home. Some staff admitted they have struggled with management changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager is new in post but has offered some challenge to other professionals on behalf of the children and listens to and advocates for the children. The manager feels supported by senior leaders and recognises the shortfalls identified during inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has adopted a therapeutic approach to care and works closely with a wellbeing professional to help staff understand their role and the effect their approach has on the children in the home. This has helped to improve the way staff write about children, making records more meaningful for children to read in the future. Inspection report for children’s home: 2825478 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)) 30 August 2026

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 30 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2825478 7 ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

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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)(c)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 30 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff encourage children to take an active role in looking after their day-to-day health and wellbeing and help them develop confidence to work with medical professionals. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 34, paragraph 7.10)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s statement of purpose is kept under review. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 14, paragraph 3.5)

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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: 2825478 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: MY STORY RESIDENTIAL CARE LIMITED

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Devere House, 62 Vicar Lane, Bradford BD1 5AH

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Inspector

Carol Jagger, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2825478 9 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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