Children's home run by Bright Futures Care Limited in Bolton

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people are living in a welcoming and highly nurturing environment. They are making exceptional progress across all aspects of their development.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The staffing arrangements promote an extremely high level of stability and consistency of care for young people.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Transition planning is comprehensive and highly child-centred, and the home works in partnership with families and other services to provide a cohesive plan that meets individual needs.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people have made remarkable progress in their ability to communicate with others.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 All young people are committed to education and are making significant progress from their starting points.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 There have been tangible improvements to young people’s health and emotional well-being.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The staff are innovative in helping young people to access activities in the community.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Staff are recruited, well trained and supported by leaders to a level that ensures that they provide high quality individualised care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people have learned to self-regulate their emotions through sensory intervention strategies and challenging behaviour has reduced.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Safeguarding arrangements are robust and young people are helped to become increasingly safe.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 The considerable progress of young people has resulted in families having more meaningful contact with their child.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Placing authorities and families have provided extremely positive feedback about this home.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person meets the Care Standards Act 2000, 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

13: The leadership and management standard The standard requires the registered person to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of the care provided at home with particular regard to capturing the views of stakeholders and recording the actions taken as a result of those views. (Regulation 13 (2)(h)) 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the following items, which may be kept in electronic format, are kept in an accessible manner: children’s case records (see regulation 36), which include the information and documents listed in schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 38,(i)) 31/03/2017

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Information about this children's home

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, learning disabilities and sensory impairments. The home is part of a private organisation that also offers specialist educational provision and care and accommodation for adults who have learning disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 27/10/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/11/2015 Full Outstanding 24/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Outstanding

Young people living at this home have complex needs and disabilities. On many occasions, prior to admission, staff spend time with families to understand the needs, preferences and capabilities of their children. This means that young people benefit from tailored, detailed care planning processes that assist their individual staffing teams to deliver very high quality care. Wherever possible, leaders and staff continue to work in partnership with parents and carers to ensure the most positive care experience for young people and their families. This means that progress is realised in both the family home and in the residential care setting. Transitions to adult services have also been managed in a comprehensive and co- ordinated manner, with staff transferring to other settings to remain part of the care team for the individual. This is an example of excellent person-centred practice and offers the highest level of consistency to young people.

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Outstanding

Young people are assessed holistically to ensure that any speech and language, physical mobility, co-ordination and sensory needs are understood and met to a very high standard. The home commissions a service that provides staff with theoretical knowledge to underpin evidence-based practice which continuously seeks to adapt any disabling barrier within the environment and educate young people and families with new methods of increasing their skills and abilities. This has resulted in young people participating more readily in self-care and independence routines, regulating their emotions and increasing their social interaction. It has ultimately provided sustained improvement to their lives by affording them much greater access to community resources and social opportunities.

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Outstanding

One young person with a previous phobia of water who had washed with wet wipes for a considerable period of time now showers daily and goes swimming regularly. Another young person is able to walk at a similar pace to his family where previously one member of the family would have had to run alongside him. Some young people have been supported to have haircuts where they previously would not engage at all in this routine. These examples are all as a result of small, progressive steps that staff have taken to teach young people how to manage their anxiety, self-regulate emotions and have some control over their own environment. This methodology is embedded into practice and results in outstanding progress for young people. One parents said, ‘They are like a breath of fresh air, they think outside of the box and are needs led’. She described her son’s progress as ‘immense’.

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Outstanding

Each young person has an individual staffing team around them. This has led to very close and exceptionally well formed relationships. Staff know and understand young people’s communicative needs, vulnerabilities and strengths in great depth. This promotes the stability and predictability which young people need to progress and reach their full potential across all aspects of their development. Young people who are unable to express their feelings verbally present as happy and content, and their carers and social workers agree. One social worker described staff as ‘attentive and person centred’. Another said, ‘The staff come up with ideas, really add to plans in a good way. They make a difference to the lives of these young people.’

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Outstanding

Young people have a variety of complex health needs and are well supported to attend regular appointments and receive their prescribed medications in line with their individual plans. Healthcare is excellent and the service has developed individual healthcare passports, which enable healthcare professionals to understand a young person’s communicative preferences and any vulnerabilities they may need to know at a glance, to improve efficiency of appointments.

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Outstanding

One young person historically would not attend or engage in healthcare appointments due to a very high level of anxiety. Staff have supported him to desensitise these feelings towards healthcare settings by attending with him and helping him to familiarise himself with the surroundings. They have progressively worked towards him engaging in a full appointment. He is now able to attend routine appointments. Another young person arrived at the home in continence wear and is now able to toilet himself without prompt. One young person no longer requires medication to aid sleep following a structured evening routine. This is all evidence of exceptional progress.

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Outstanding

All young people are making excellent progress in educational settings. One young person was unable to tolerate a classroom environment but has been attending the organisation’s education provision for short periods throughout the day. This will be increased progressively. Another young person historically exhibited extremely challenging behaviour that was harmful to others at school. Her headteacher reports a considerable improvement in her presentation, attendance, engagement and behaviour since settling in at this home. He said, ‘They have shown an incredible level of skill in nurturing her.’

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Outstanding

Young people are given support to increase their communicative capabilities. One young person has increased her ability to express herself from single words to sentences, which is fantastic progress. Another young person has increased his level of comprehension and ability to manage negative feelings, which has resulted in a reduction in challenging behaviour. This type of progress results in increased ability to access community resources and go into the community safely. One parent said, ‘His world was very small before and these people have opened it up more than we could ever have imagined.’ Young people access activities such as bowling, swimming, walks in the countryside, meals out and shopping trips. This provides positive social experiences and interactions with others and helps young people to build their self-esteem and increase their emotional well-being.

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Outstanding

The home works very closely with families, and promotes contact in line with local authority plans. Families visit the home regularly and report that staff make them feel very welcome. The staff also facilitate contact in family homes. One social worker described how a young person is now ‘much more able to spend time with his family.’ Another social worker described clear and agreed plans for a transition home and to another care setting respectively for two young people. The social worker stated that he has every confidence in the home’s ability to support young people through those transitions positively and said, ‘These plans would not be a possibility if it wasn’t for their investment in these kids.’ Judgement grade

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Outstanding

Safety is highly prioritised at the home. Young people have very limited awareness of danger. Supervision and staffing levels are agreed in accordance with the identified risks and vulnerabilities relating to individual young people. Consequently, young people do not go missing from home and there have been no significant incidents that have required notification to outside authorities.

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Outstanding

Parents and social workers of young people placed here feel that staff work exceptionally hard to keep young people safe. Individualised risk and behaviour management plans are in place for all young people and staff are highly skilled in implementing solid routines and structures to prevent escalation in behaviour.

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Outstanding

When there are instances of challenging behaviour staff are able to respond to them calmly and assist young people to manage their anxiety through agreed sensory interventions and other approved strategies. On the occasions where these interventions are inappropriate or ineffective, staff are trained to use methods of physical intervention to keep young people safe. The setting has implemented the use of an additional staff member to act as a ‘critical friend’ who observes practice and is able to monitor the safety of everyone concerned. Staff always observe young people after such events and the manager monitors and evaluates practice and the effectiveness of any restraint in a detailed and constructive manner to ensure that all instances are in the young person’s best interests. This means that incidents are kept to an absolute minimum and any learning is shared among the team. Record-keeping practice is detailed and demonstrates a high level of scrutiny

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Outstanding

and reflective practice. This practice is exemplary.

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Outstanding

Staff support young people to increase their independence while carefully balancing this with managing any associated risks. The staffing team agree innovative strategies as part of the continuous assessment of young people (and where appropriate into adulthood) to allow them to live their lives in the most fulfilling ways possible without jeopardising their safety. This includes consideration of whether they are able to socialise and safely build deeper relationships with peers, shop and travel independently, and manage their own finances. Any restrictions that are considered necessary to safeguard young people, particularly those developing into young adults, are only implemented when young people have had the necessary capacity assessments. The home respects the rights of young people and ensures that placing authorities make appropriate applications to the court of protection where any deprivation of liberty may occur.

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Outstanding

Staff working at the home have been carefully selected subject to a successful and comprehensive induction, training and probation procedure. They have a clear understanding of the procedures to follow in order to report any concerns about the safety of a young person. Staff have undertaken appropriate formal safeguarding training and enhanced specialised epilepsy training delivered by healthcare professionals to ensure that they are equipped to deal with seizures and can competently administrate rescue medication in the event of an emergency.

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Outstanding

The physical environment in the home is risk assessed regularly and is well- maintained. Appropriate consideration is given to fire safety and regular drills are held to ensure that staff and young people are familiar with the evacuation procedure. Judgement grade

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Good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and has had 16 years of experience working for this organisation. He registered as the manager of this home in October 2015. He is supported by experienced and qualified deputy managers. They work together to ensure that the staff are provided with high levels of support. This organisation take pride in the fact that managers work very closely with young people and feel it’s important to act as good role models for staff.

p.11

Good

The home is well-resourced by a stable staffing team who reports that it is happy and well supported. This contributes to a warm and friendly environment within the home. Leaders ensure that staff receive regular supervision and team meetings and that staff have accessed a varied programme of training, which is tailored to the needs of young people. All staff have achieved or are working towards NVQ 3 qualifications.

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Good

Leaders demonstrate that they provide oversight and scrutiny to maintain record keeping practices at a good standard. Some key documentation including the local authority placement plans were difficult to locate and were not stored in an accessible manner. All of the documentation and plans that are used to inform day- to-day care arrangements were accessible and up to date. Therefore this shortfall has had no detrimental impact on the quality of care delivered to young people. A requirement is made to address this matter.

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Good

The statement of purpose for the home has recently been revised and reflects the organisation’s aims and objectives. The manager has a clear vision for the future of the service, which includes building on their current sensory stimulus for young people within the physical environment within the home. He also has plans to introduce video resources for young people who are unable to comprehend written information and implementing a new format for behaviour management plans. Leaders and staff share high ambition and aspiration for the service.

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Good

The registered manager completes regular monitoring and produces a report on the quality of the service provided by the home. This is not explicitly informed by the views of external stakeholders and a requirement is made to address this matter. Placing authorities have all confirmed that the home works extremely well in partnership with them and other agencies to meet the needs of young people in their care. One social worker said, ‘This is the best service I’m working with.’

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of children looked after is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place. However, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference that adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’. the guidance Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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