Children's Home run by Yorkshire Serenity Care Ltd in Bradford

Inspection report for children’s home: 2736509 1 Registered provider: Yorkshire Serenity Care Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider. It offers care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home and they were spoken with.

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Information about this children’s home

The provider has appointed a new responsible individual. In addition, the newly appointed manager has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

During an assurance inspection on 3 February 2026, Ofsted identified serious and widespread concerns. Failures in safeguarding practice and the leadership and management of the home were negatively affecting children’s safety and protection. In Inspection report for children’s home: 2736509 2 response, Ofsted issued compliance notices under Regulation 12, ‘The protection of children standard’, and Regulation 13, ‘The leadership and management standard’. A monitoring visit was carried out on 3 March 2026, at which the provider had taken steps to meet the compliance notices. Inspection report for children’s home: 2736509 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/06/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 28/08/2024 Full Good 13/03/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2736509 4

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Summary of findings

The child is settled in the home and benefits from positive relationships with staff. Ongoing support is being provided to help the child develop consistent routines and access education. Some improvements to the home environment are needed. Care planning, behaviour management and complaint handling arrangements support children safely and consistently. Staff follow missing-from-home procedures; however, some additional safeguarding measures are not consistently implemented. The newly appointed manager is working towards a plan for developing the home in line with therapeutic care. There are shortfalls, however, in recruitment, staff training and development and significant gaps in managing potential conflicts of interest.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child speaks positively about living in the home and has developed positive relationships with staff. These relationships are strengthened through shared time at home and in the community, including trips to the coast and London, with a camping trip also planned. These experiences help the child feel valued and supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has not yet established a consistent and structured routine within the home. Concerns remain regarding their sleep pattern, with the child often sleeping during the day and being awake at night. Staff are supporting the child to develop healthier routines through encouragement and incentives, and by seeking medical advice. Efforts continue to help the child achieve a more balanced daily routine.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is being supported to re-engage in formal education. The child is not currently enrolled with a school, but staff and managers are actively advocating on the child’s behalf to secure a suitable educational placement. In the meantime, staff support the child’s learning and development through educational activities both in the home and within the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family members speak positively about the home and report that it is better able to meet their child’s needs. Communication is effective, with weekly updates being provided. This helps to ensure that those who are important to the child remain informed and involved in their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child benefits from a personalised bedroom and access to communal areas within the home. However, some areas of the home are underutilised, both indoors and outdoors. In addition, parts of the home require maintenance and replacement, including damaged furniture and bathroom fixtures, to ensure the environment is maintained to a good standard. Inspection report for children’s home: 2736509 5

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

Care plans for children are detailed, individualised and regularly updated to reflect new information and incidents. They provide staff with clear guidance on managing risks and supporting the child consistently.

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

Consequences are used when there are concerns about children’s behaviours. These are restorative in nature and aim to help children reflect on their actions and make positive choices in the future. For example, children may be asked to make a financial contribution towards items they have damaged in the home.

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

Complaints received by the home are taken seriously. Leaders and managers respond promptly, and relevant information is gathered to fully understand the issues raised. Where shortfalls in practice are identified, action plans are put in place for staff’s learning and development. This helps to ensure that children receive appropriate and safe care.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff follow relevant plans and missing-from- home procedures, including searching the local area and notifying appropriate partner agencies. Children are supported on their return through discussions with staff. However, additional safeguarding measures, such as room searches, are not routinely undertaken, which may result in missed opportunities to identify and reduce potential risks.

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

Leaders and managers have not consistently ensured that all staff are suitably qualified and trained. While some staff have relevant knowledge and experience, others have not been enrolled on required qualifications in a timely manner. In addition, training records are not consistently maintained, and the home’s own requirements for mandatory training are not always met. This creates gaps in knowledge and development within a new staff team.

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

Safer recruitment procedures are not always consistently followed when new staff are recruited. As a result, leaders and managers cannot be fully assured that all necessary checks have been completed to confirm staff are safe to work with children.

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

There is a lack of independence within the home due to family relationships among members of the staff team. As a result, external scrutiny and objective oversight of practice are reduced. Furthermore, risk assessments do not sufficiently address potential conflicts of interest, and effective systems are not in place to ensure managerial impartiality and oversight within the home.

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

New supervision arrangements have been introduced and are beginning to promote a more consistent approach, with a focus on staff induction. However, oversight of the induction progress and timescales is not robust enough to ensure alignment with the Inspection report for children’s home: 2736509 6 organisation’s workforce development plan. In addition, annual appraisals have not been completed for staff, limiting opportunities to effectively monitor performance and development.

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

There has been a change of management during this inspection period. The new manager has applied for registration with Ofsted. The manager demonstrates a good understanding of the child and has begun building a positive relationship with them. Leaders and managers have begun to establish a plan for the home which is aligned to the therapeutic care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2736509 7

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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 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 work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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)(b)(c)(h)) 2 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character; and

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 2 October 2026

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, Inspection report for children’s home: 2736509 8 food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. In particular, all areas of the home, where possible, should be utilised to provide space for the child and avoid being used as storage. Furthermore, any damage in the home should be repaired in a timely manner and damaged furnishings should be replaced. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a

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Recommendations

child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. In particular, staff must complete room searches when a child is missing. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 2736509 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Yorkshire Serenity Care Ltd

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Inspectors

Kerry Chater, Social Care Inspector (lead) Chrissie Edmonds, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2736509 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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