A report will be submitted by the Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) in relation to the independent monitoring and quality assurance of the district’s Residential Children’s Homes, in accordance with Regulation 44 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015, and the importance of the role of Elected Members in this process (Document “I”).

Recommended –

That each Member of the Corporate Parenting Panel be requested to participate in three unannounced monitoring visits of residential and respite homes per annum.

(Suzanne Lythgow – 07582 100936)

A report was submitted by the Deputy Director (Children’s Social Care) in relation to the independent monitoring and quality assurance of the district’s Residential Children’s Homes, in accordance with Regulation 44 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. The report stressed the importance of the role of Elected Members in this process (Document “I”).

In presenting the report the following points were highlighted by the Quality Assurance Manager:

·         There were eleven homes and the role of the Quality Assurance Manager (QAM) was to visit each on a monthly basis with a specific emphasis on a number of  key areas.  The aim was to provide support for the homes and to ensure the ‘care of the child’ and that they were prepared with the necessary skills and documentation for Ofsted inspection.

·         Each visit was very thorough and would take approximately 4 and a half hours.  The QAM would also facilitate visits by Elected Members and the aim was to undertake 3 visits per annum per home.  Members’ visits were focussed on engagement with the young people and trying to ensure that their views were heard.  Members were asked to form a judgement on the quality of the care at that home for the young people across a range of aspects. They could flag up any concerns and would provide additional scrutiny and challenge.

·         New regulations had been introduced in 2015 and there was now further emphasis on accountability in the inspection framework.

·         Monthly reports were sent to the manager of each home with copies to Ofsted and the responsible individual, who had responsibility for the overall supervision of the homes.

·         Accessing learning was a very important issue.  Ofsted would look at the starting point for each child/young person and the progress that they had made.

·         In 2014 a higher requirement had been introduced for the ‘outstanding’ classification. Since this time there had been a decline in the proportion of ‘outstanding’ judgements received but there was a high level of ‘good’ with one home ‘requiring improvement’. Overall it was considered that the position was positive.

·         It should be borne in mind that there was a need to ensure that the homes were flexible in meeting the needs of their young people and an Ofsted inspection was just a snapshot on one particular day.

She responded to questions:

·         Ofsted also took account of the regular monitoring reports in their assessments.

·         The judgement was based on three areas. The ‘requiring improvement’ judgement had arisen as a result of a technicality not associated wiith the quality of care provided at that home and systems had been put in place to ensure that the same issue did not arise again.

·         Any best practice identified as a result of the monitoring process was recommended and shared to others but the QAM’s position meant that she had to be independent of the Children’s Social Care Service and had no influence over how any recommendations might be implemented.

·         In terms of comparison with other authorities; although no specific information was available at this meeting,  as a result of the changes to the inspection framework there had been a significant decline in  the numbers of homes designated as ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ across the country.  Ofsted’s stance was that if it could not be demonstrated that something was happening it was not happening.

·         The monitoring reports were expected to be provided to Ofsted within 28 days of the QAM’s visit along with any comments made by the relevant registered manager/responsible person.

·         She would be happy to facilitate visits by Members at different times of the day, for example before or after school, to increase the chances of young people being present.

In response to the points raised the Deputy Director also noted that

·         The dissemination of best practice was part of the role of certain officers.

·         The service had a good relationship with Ofsted that permitted open and honest dialogue to take place.

·         Bradford had more residential homes than many other authorities which made  direct comparison on a percentage basis problematic.

·         Some private providers had left the market and others were circumspect about the children that they were prepared to accept.

The Chair commented that the more visits a Member undertook the more they learned about what was required and what to look for. 

The Panel noted that all Councillors had a responsibility as corporate parents not just those appointed to this Panel.  It would not be practical however to have all Members undertaking visits although it could be advantageous for Ward Councillors to establish links with any residential homes in their area.

Members discussed the practicality of visits and the frequency and need for them to be arranged in advance bearing in mind that this was the young people’s home.  They asked the Deputy Director to confirm that all Members of Corporate Parenting Panel were required to have a DBS check and that this would be necessary prior to undertaking any visits

Resolved –

That the Deputy Director – Children’s Social Care be requested to review the process of Member involvement in Regulation 44 visits to monitor Residential Homes, including establishing the need for Members to have a DBS check prior to undertaking visits, and to submit a report to a future meeting of the Panel.

ACTION:       Deputy Director – Children’s Social Care

                        Regulation 44 Monitoring and Quality Assurance Manager