Our home

Phoenix Nest is a detached, single-storey home on a quiet residential street in Shipley. Each child has their own bedroom, which they are helped to decorate and make their own. There is a shared lounge and dining room where we eat together, a homely kitchen, a bathroom and gardens to enjoy.

Staff have their own separate room for sleep-ins and paperwork, so children's spaces stay children's spaces. Children help to choose furnishings for shared areas, so the house feels like a home and not an institution. Any safety measures are decided for each child through their own risk assessment and kept to what is genuinely necessary.

The home is in the Shipley area of the Bradford district, close to Saltaire village and Roberts Park, with good bus and rail links to Bradford and Leeds. Primary and secondary schools, Shipley College, parks and leisure facilities are all nearby, and Bradford Royal Infirmary is around 3 km away.

We have completed a Location Risk Assessment under Regulation 46 of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015. It is reviewed at least once a year and shared with placing authorities at referral.

We care for up to two children of any gender aged 7 to 17 on admission who have emotional and behavioural difficulties, often linked to trauma or disrupted attachment. Some children may also have mild to moderate learning needs, speech and language needs, or neurodivergence such as ADHD or autism, and some may have an Education, Health and Care Plan.

We are honest about what we can offer. We do not provide secure accommodation, nursing care or specialist placements for children with profound disabilities, and we will only accept a placement where we can safely meet the child's needs alongside those of the child already living here.

Bradford is one of the most diverse places in England, and we see that as a strength. Before a child arrives we learn about their background, faith, culture and language, and build this into their plan. We support children to practise their faith and celebrate festivals if they wish, provide food that meets religious, cultural and dietary needs, help with hair, skin and personal care that respects their culture, and arrange interpreters where a child or family needs one. We challenge discrimination, bullying and prejudice whenever we see it.

Children are listened to every day — through key worker time, regular house meetings, involvement in their reviews and plans, and feedback in ways that suit their age and understanding. They help decide on routines, meals, activities, their bedroom and their goals. When we can't say yes, we explain why in a way they understand and look for a safe alternative together.

Every child is told how to contact an independent advocate, their Independent Reviewing Officer, the Children's Commissioner and Ofsted.