Children's Home run by Future Focused Ltd in Wigan

Inspection report children‟s home: 1241634 1 Registered provider: Future Focused 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 children‟s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for two young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties

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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 good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 13 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children‟s home: 1241634 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people live in a warm, homely atmosphere where staff encourage them to personalise their environment. This helps them to settle quickly into the home and gain a sense of belonging.  Staff give young people‟s safety top priority. They have a good understanding of young people‟s risks and vulnerabilities. They ensure that they take the right action to keep young people safe from harm.  The manager has high aspirations for his staff team and is committed to promoting the best possible results for young people.  Staff are highly regarded by other agencies, such as placing authorities. They comment on how staff balance professionalism while providing a nurturing environment.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children‟s home‟s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 One young person does not have a pathway plan in place. Although the manager has raised this, the lack of relevant documentation does not ensure that the staff team is appropriately following a clear local authority plan.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2017 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: 1241634 3

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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, 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

In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered provider must ensure that each child‟s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14(2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the lack of pathway planning in relation to young people who are making the transition to semi- independent placements. 27/10/2017

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Recommendations

 Where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child‟s needs during their time in the home or in preparation for leaving the home, the home must challenge them to meet the child‟s needs. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 12, paragraph 2.8) Inspection report children‟s home: 1241634 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff welcome young people into the home. They are sensitive to their needs and understand that, when moving to the home, young people are likely to be anxious. Staff spend individual time with young people finding out their likes and dislikes, hobbies and interests. They encourage young people to take part in planning their daily care. Staff listen to young people‟s views about the support they may need with situations that cause them anxiety, for example transition to independent living. Staff prepare and support young people for their future placements. They ensure that young people have the information they need to help them settle into their new home and community. The children‟s guide provides young people with key information about living in the home, for example the support that young people will receive in education and their contact with important people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff respect and value each young person. They create opportunities for young people to develop their hobbies and interests. This approach has reduced the risk of young people going missing from the home. Young people enjoy a range of activities, including bowling. Some young people have taken a tour of their favourite football club. These opportunities help young people to develop positive relationships with other young people and staff. Consequently, the young people are increasing in self-confidence and self-esteem. A social worker said, „I was delighted with this placement from the word “go”. It sticks out from all the rest. The manager and staff talk things through with [Name] and he gets right back into his routine. [Name] has said many times that he is treated with respect, which he has never felt in any other placement.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote educational success. They provide the right level of support that young people need to achieve their academic potential. They work collaboratively with education staff, communicating regularly to promote consistency and structure. The communication between the two disciplines is effective, and young people are afforded consistent responses to meeting their educational needs and managing their behaviour. This has resulted in young people looking forward to their education provision. A member of education staff said, „All communication, information and support [have] been excellent. It is clear that staff focus on supporting and developing young people. We have been provided with detailed information to help us support the young person with his education programme.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the young person‟s health needs are met. They have strong links with health professionals, such as the organisational therapist and community nurse. They all work closely together to ensure that young people‟s physical and mental health needs are met. Comprehensive health plans are individual to young people‟s specific needs. Consequently, young people are in good physical health. They continue to make positive progress in developing resilience, self-confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage young people to learn independence skills, such as cooking meals and budgeting. They use an independence tool kit that is designed to assist staff Inspection report children‟s home: 1241634 5 in identifying what young people are able to do and what they need to improve. Some young people enjoy writing the weekly shopping list and wash their own dishes without prompting from staff. This prepares young people for adulthood and has increased their self-confidence and self-belief.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote and support contact between the young people and their families. They ensure that contact is safe and in line with the young people‟s care plans. Staff maintain positive working relationships with young people‟s families. They provide advice and support to ensure that contact is a positive experience. This affords young people continuity of care and their identity is promoted.

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

Staff give young people‟s safety top priority. They identify and manage young people‟s individual risks. Behaviour management plans and individual risk assessments are well considered. Staff are vigilant to indications of risk. They identify the risks that young people may encounter when going missing from the home, for example anti-social or criminal behaviour. Staff take swift action to safeguard and promote positive behaviour. They support young people to take part in activities designed to discourage them from negative influences in their lives. They collaborate with the local police and placing authorities and the home‟s local authority, to ensure that young people are safe from harm. A social worker said, „Sometimes [Name] makes the wrong choices to which there are often consequences. Staff manage this really well. I am very impressed with the manager and staff.‟

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

Staff are proactive in their attempts to locate young people when they go missing from the home. Staff search for young people. They look in young people‟s known locations or other places that they are known to visit. Staff swiftly escalate their concerns with the host authority, placing authority, police and parents. Young people have individual plans in place to reduce these risks and to keep them safe. When young people return to the home, independent return home interviews take place. This provides young people with a good opportunity to discuss any issues or concerns. Clear, evaluative records provide staff with a good understanding of the triggers to these behaviours. It affords them the opportunity to plan strategies to reduce the risk of young people repeating this behaviour. A social worker said, „The staff team care for [Name]. They put strategies in place to deal with any concerning behaviours.‟

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

Staff support the young people to understand and manage their behaviour and emotions in a safe, nurturing environment. Staff know young people well and identify when young people are anxious or distressed. For example, some young people make changes to the layout of their rooms. Staff work alongside the organisation‟s clinical psychologist to devise behaviour management plans. These plans take into account the experiences of young people and are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that they are effective. Routines and boundaries are crucial to reducing young people‟s negative behaviour. Staff have completed restorative justice training and they are using these approaches to resolve issues in a calm way. For example, a neighbour told staff that young people had Inspection report children‟s home: 1241634 6 thrown litter out of the window. Staff offered to help young people to dispose of it properly. This method is proving to be effective and young people are learning what

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

The home has developed positive links with specialist agencies in respect of risk assessment and young people. This includes the local police. The manager monitors and reviews the home‟s area risk assessment. He identifies risks in the community and strategies for managing these. The manager has considered the risks in relation to sexual exploitation. This information provides staff with knowledge and understanding of the potential risks in the area and gives clear strategies to follow to ensure that young people are effectively safeguarded.

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

Staff employed at the home are subject to organisational vetting procedures. They do not start work with the young people until all appropriate checks are complete. All fire, gas and electrical equipment is routinely serviced to ensure that it is in good working order. This ensures that the environment is safe and that young people are protected from persons who may present a risk to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post since the home opened in August 2016. He has the necessary skills, qualifications and experience to provide strong leadership and management to a dedicated and driven staff team. He is child focused and proactive and has a good understanding of the individual needs of the young people. He is supported by a deputy manager who is capable of running the home in the absence of the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager oversees young people‟s progress. He is able to demonstrate the positive influence that the home has on the young people living there. He has developed positive relationships with the young people and has a good rapport. Young people were observed to be comfortable in his company, seeking his advice on a number of issues. This provides the manager with opportunities to obtain young people‟s views and opinions on their care. He also takes the time to find out how young people are doing and to offer appropriate advice and support. The manager and staff are good advocates for young people. They attend young people‟s meetings and support them to give their views on their care plans. A reviewing officer said, „Although we talked about difficult subjects, the manager was in tune with [Name]‟s anxieties and needs. He supported him well during the review.‟

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection have been fully addressed. A system is now in place to record any incidents of bullying. Serious incidents are notified to Her Majesty‟s Chief Inspector in line with requirements. The home‟s statement of purpose contains details of the qualifications and professional supervision of the staff involved in providing healthcare or therapy. Staff have received training and are supported to understand the impact of trauma and attachment difficulties in relation to young people‟s behaviour. Inspection report children‟s home: 1241634 7 There is no pathway plan in place for one young person. The pathway plan is a care plan, detailing the services and support needed by young people. The pathway plan should be pivotal to the process whereby young people map out their future, articulating their aspirations and identifying interim goals along the way to realising their ambitions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although, the manager has made efforts to engage a placing authority in this process, and he is keen to challenge and escalate any future issues to a higher level, the lack of relevant documentation does not ensure that the staff team is appropriately following a clear local authority plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is experienced, stable and competent in delivering good care to young people. Staff value their manager. They receive regular supervision, which focuses on their professional development and the progress that young people make. Compulsory training is up to date. This includes training about child sexual exploitation and radicalisation. The home‟s clinical psychologist, who also attends the staff team meetings, provides additional training, such as attachment and therapy. This collective approach assists staff in identifying any emerging issues. It enables staff to take the right action to ensure that young people receive the support they need for their emotional health and well-being. The manager regularly monitors and reviews the progress and development of the young people, enabling him to track patterns and trends.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

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 children‟s home: 1241634 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 45 Findley Cook Road, Wigan WN3 6GJ

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Inspector

Jo Hornby, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1241634 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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