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 benefit from highly personalised care offered by a consistent and dedicated staffing team.  Young people have made exceptional and sustained progress across all aspects of their development over a considerable period of time.  Care planning is detailed, collaborative and child-centred. It informs research-based practice, is reviewed frequently and underpins outcomes of enhanced life chances for young people.  All young people access regular educational opportunities that are meaningful to them and help them to fulfil individual goals.  Leaders and staff are proactive in ensuring that young people’s healthcare needs are prioritised and met. Young people experience significantly improved physical and emotional health.  Staff encourage young people to enjoy freedom and choice within the realms of meeting their safety needs.  Young people with very complex health and care needs are able to access a

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

wide range of community resources on a very regular basis.  Staff are happy and willing to travel considerable distances to ensure that young people maintain close and valuable relationships with people who are important to them.  Staff are highly skilled in implementing detailed behaviour management plans with successful strategies to stimulate and calm young people. This has resulted in a considerable reduction in incidents of challenging behaviour and demonstrates improved emotional health.  Leaders are highly skilled in motivating and developing a competent, positive and child-centred staffing team. Many staff members have long-term service within the organisation.  The registered manager completes frequent internal monitoring of the home. His scrutiny is highly evaluative and ensures that practice in the home evolves positively.  Placing authorities and families are highly complimentary of all aspects of

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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 with learning disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 02/12/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 30/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 06/01/2016 Full Good 12/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Outstanding

The young people living at this home are very settled and appear relaxed, comfortable and happy in their surroundings. Each young person benefits from their own individual staffing team that has developed close relationships with them based on trust and a high level of knowledge of their communicative preferences, routines and needs. The care provided to young people is highly consistent and staff work exceptionally well together to enhance young people’s quality of life, experiences and outcomes. One parent described the staff team as ‘brilliant, very responsive and flexible’. She stated that, ‘They have worked really hard to ensure that they have consistent staff, they work patiently and are so caring with him.’ All young people have comprehensive assessments of their communicative preferences, cognitive functioning, learning styles, mobility and sensory processing needs. Staff use their detailed knowledge of the children to work collaboratively

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Outstanding

with occupational and speech and language therapists in creating strategies to address any emotional or sensory difficulties and environmental barriers which may impede the development of young people. Every young person has a unique set of expressive strategies, behaviour management plans and development targets that underpin the high quality of care that they receive. Young people make exceptional progress because of this constantly evolving research-informed practice. One young person has appropriate deep pressure applied as a calming aid. Another young person has a weighted backpack as the sensation offers stability. Sensory lights and music are a key feature in one young person’s evening routine to provide appropriate stimulation and reduce frustration. Historically, one young person struggled significantly at night-time and would frequently have interrupted sleep and exhibit distressed behaviours. Following the introduction of agreed strategies

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Outstanding

and sensory input which helps him to settle in the evenings, he now sleeps throughout the night routinely, which has significantly enhanced his emotional health and quality of life. Young people have made progress in their ability to communicate with others. Staff work hard to understand the intricacies of their largely non-verbal expressive strategies. One young person has developed a pictorial format of displaying his preferences. Another young person is able to communicate through body language and behaviour. Staff have very regular discussion and share experiences among themselves to ensure a collective understanding of the young person’s communicative indicators. This has resulted in young people having increased ability to have some control over aspects of their day-to-day care. It has reduced the levels of anxiety and frustration that they experience and consequently they have improved emotional health. Young people make choices about the food that

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Outstanding

they eat, activities that they access and day-to-day care arrangements that are appropriate to their level of cognitive capability. Personalised children’s guides to the service and information about how to complain are available for young people in appropriate pictorial format. Healthcare arrangements are excellent. Young people have comprehensive plans and all their general and specialist health appointments are proactively arranged and maintained. Each young person has a healthcare passport which details their communicative abilities, likes and dislikes to ensure that professionals are able to conduct appointments in a manner conducive to them eliciting the necessary information and offering appropriate treatment or advice. Staff have had specialist training to support administering medication and caring for young people with epilepsy. Two of the young people have ceased continence wear during the

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Outstanding

daytime because of the efforts of staff in prompting and encouraging toileting routines. One young person has low muscle tone and was unable to participate in activities that involved walking very far. Staff have supported him with a progressive programme to build strength through ball play, using a trampoline and pushing and pulling activities. He is now able to join others on longer walks in the fresh air and more active pursuits. One healthcare professional said, ‘They go above and beyond. I wish all settings were as thorough. All health actions I set are done straight away. They are so good at communicating. They are excellent.’ All young people access community resources with support from staff, such as shops and local cafes. They enjoy a variety of experiences including regular walks in local parks, trampoline activities and day trips to crowded places such as theme parks. Historically, this was much more difficult due to the behaviour and risks

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Outstanding

associated, but has now become embedded into their routine. Staff continuously try new activities and places in order to broaden opportunities for young people to have positive experiences. All young people access education and are progressing positively at the organisation’s school that is situated locally. One young person is described as now engaging in more work within a half an hour period than he did in a whole week when he first arrived. Another young person has obtained significant achievements in horticulture. One young person who was unable to tolerate a classroom environment in a group setting is now able to participate positively at regular intervals throughout the school day. The staff team facilitates contact regularly between young people and families irrespective of the distance to travel. They really understand the value of young people maintaining relationships with their families and seek to involve them in

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Outstanding

young people’s care at every opportunity. One parent said, ‘They listen to us and what we want and I couldn’t imagine my son anywhere else. I think they are amazing, I really do. This is the best possible place for him. They enable us to function as a family and they do go out of the way to involve us. I can’t put into words just how much they do.’ Judgement grade

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Outstanding

The setting has had no serious incidents or events that have required notification to Ofsted. There have been no allegations or complaints since the last inspection. Supervision levels agreed with placing authorities and families are very high and children are unable to abscond and do not attempt to do so. Staff are effectively trained in safeguarding procedures and understand how to raise a concern if necessary. Young people have highly individualised behaviour management plans to ensure that staff have clear strategies to manage any challenging behaviours. Staff work closely with occupational therapists and therapeutic services to identify and plan each child’s unique sensory strategies. This approach has reduced anxiety and frustration that young people experience. Subsequently, physical interventions and incidents of challenging behaviour have decreased substantially and this has been sustained over a prolonged period. Across the last 12 month period, one young

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Outstanding

person’s incidents of challenging behaviour have reduced by 25%, another by 50% and another young person has had no incidents of physical restraint since the last inspection. Young people are supported to become increasingly safe and this is outstanding progress. When there are incidents, there is clear evidence of appropriate oversight and scrutiny to ensure that any physical interventions are instigated as a last resort. The manager is highly evaluative and debriefs staff to ensure that trends are noted and practice is altered to reflect the evolving needs of young people in their care. Social workers are routinely invited to review and sign the records to promote a highly transparent culture that is open to constructive challenge. The setting is currently piloting new record keeping practices with a view to further enhancing the current system. This is reflective of the setting’s clear commitment to

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Outstanding

continuous improvement of the service that they offer. Risk management is excellent and staff are very knowledgeable about the young people in their care. Placing authorities and parents feel that young people are safe. Leaders and staff take their responsibility very seriously to ensure a careful balance of young people being afforded freedom without compromising their safety. Young people have all had full formal assessments of their capacity. Leaders have approached placing authorities with full details of any potential restrictions to their liberty, in order to ensure that appropriate applications are made to the court of protection. This evidences the setting’s commitment to upholding the rights of the children and young people who they look after. Judgement grade

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Outstanding

The registered manager is an extremely competent, enthusiastic and child-centred leader with 13 years of appropriate experience of caring for young people who have significant complex needs and disabilities. He has the required level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare and the majority of his staff team members hold the necessary level 3 qualifications, with three team members working towards them. He is supported by two very experienced and knowledgeable deputy managers. Leaders have a thorough oversight of care practices in the home and a detailed understanding of the individual care needs of young people. They have very high expectations with regard to the level of care and support that young people receive and because of this, the staff are motivated and inspired to help young people to achieve their full potential. The setting is achieving the aims and objectives as

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Outstanding

defined within the statement of purpose. Staff benefit from a comprehensive training programme. Coupled with supervision and other support structures, this equips them to meet the complex care needs of the young people at the home. Care planning is highly individualised and subject to regular review and appropriate revision. As a result, young people are making exceptional progress across all aspects of their development. The manager capitalises on the strengths of the service and is focused on continually developing the physical environment and decreasing staff supervision levels as much as is safely possible. The aim is to further enhance the care experiences of young people and allow them as much freedom as possible as they grow into young adults. This is a person-centred vision and is demonstrative of the culture that leaders inspire and instil into the staff team and other partners. The manager works very collaboratively and successfully with placing authorities and

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Outstanding

other services in order to secure the multi-agency input needed to help young people to thrive. One team manager at a placing authority stated that she wishes she could replicate the service within her local authority area but they cannot find provision of the same high standard. She also said, ‘They are very, very child- focused and go above and beyond. The opportunities they offer to young people are fantastic. Record keeping is excellent. They transport young people regularly. They accommodate every request we have. The standard of provision is so high. They would be highly deserving of an outstanding judgement.’

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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 looked after children 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 that 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 who 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 0300123 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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children 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

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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