Children's Home run by Future In Mind Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC063653 1 SC063653 Registered provider: Future In Mind Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company, and provides care and accommodation for up to two young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The service provides a specialist therapeutic programme and staff practice therapeutic techniques under the supervision of a qualified therapist.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 22 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff build trusting and strong relationships with children.  Children enjoy positive experiences and have access to a range of leisure activities. Inspection report children‟s home: SC063653 2  Children openly express their views and make informed choices.  Children enjoy school and make good progress with their learning.  Staff support young people‟s emotional well-being very well.  Staff use rewards and praise to promote children‟s positive behaviour.  Children feel safe and are safe.  Staff help children to learn different ways to manage their feelings and behaviours more appropriately.  Challenging and risky behaviours that children present reduce.  Managers and staff work well with partner agencies to support children‟s progress and safety.

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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

 The manager has not notified Ofsted of the outcome of one significant event.  The manager has not completed the review of the quality of care within the required timescales.  The manager does not ensure that the home is free from all hazards.  Following an incident of restraint, the manager does not speak to all those involved about what happened.  Not all staff receive regular supervision, and the manager has not had an annual review of her performance.  On occasions, the use of financial reparation is not fair and proportionate.  Managers and staff do not keep all records up to date.  Some aspects of staff training require improvement.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 09/08/2016 Full Good 23/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/01/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC063653 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child‟s health. (Regulation 12(2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the plug socket in the office is secured to the wall. 07/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(b)(c)) 07/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if a serious incident occurs in the home. (Regulation 40(4)(a)-(e)) 07/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. (Regulation 45(1)) 07/03/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the home provides care which meets each child‟s needs and promotes their welfare, taking into account a child‟s gender, religion, ethnicity, cultural and linguistic background, sexual identity, mental health, any disability, their assessed needs, previous experiences and any relevant plans. („Guide to the children‟s home‟s regulations including the quality standards‟, page 14, paragraph 3.2)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 46, paragraph 9.36) Inspection report children‟s home: SC063653 4 Specifically, in relation to the use of monetary reparation as a sanction and ensuring that staff receive a debrief following an incident of restraint.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff should be familiar with the home‟s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page, 62, paragraph 14.4) Specifically, that room search records are kept up to date, and children‟s records contain all necessary details and are written in a sensitive way.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person reviews the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living at the home. They receive good-quality care from dedicated staff. A child told the independent visitor, „The best thing about the home is doing all the activities with staff.‟ Children thrive in a nurturing environment where staff help them through different stages of therapy. Staff are trained and skilled in therapeutic techniques that help children to develop skills that improve their emotional resilience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents are positive about the quality of care that children receive and the impact this has on their children‟s development. A parent said, „She hasn‟t been herself in a long time, but since she has been at the home she has changed, and her behaviour seems to be changing for the better.‟ Professionals are equally positive. For example, a social worker commented on the good care children receive and said, „The placement is definitely meeting [the child‟s] needs and is by far one of the better placements she has had. The training staff undertake in respect of the therapeutic element of the provision is fantastic and staff are very nurturing. The philosophy promoted in the home will support [the child] in her emotional development.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to a range of activities that keep them physically fit and well. A child said, „I go swimming and do all kinds of activities. It‟s great.‟ As a result, children develop new skills and engage positively in the community. These opportunities help Inspection report children‟s home: SC063653 5 children to learn socially acceptable behaviour and increase their confidence and self- esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote contact between children, their friends and family. Staff support contact arrangements well, often supervising community-based activities. Consequently, staff help children to spend time with people who are important to them, which is positive and safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children improve their learning experiences. When children experience difficulties in accessing education, the staff work in partnership with education staff to overcome any barriers. Bespoke plans support children‟s individual needs. For example, one child receives some home tutoring and also spends time in a school environment. This has significantly improved his learning outcomes. His school report shows the progress he has made in his attendance and in his attitude to learning. The staff are proactive in helping children to learn. The tutor said, „Staff promote education in a positive way and there are boundaries in place that help make home tutoring more formal.‟ As a result, children have positive experiences and learn at a pace that is right for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff help children to express themselves and make their own choices. For example, children choose what they like to wear and eat, and where they want to go on activities. Staff do this in a sensitive and dignified manner in line with each child‟s individual needs. This gives children the chance to develop their own identity and promotes their independence. This inspection identified some good staff practice, which supports children to develop their identity. However, there is further work to be done. For example, work needs to continue to help one child to understand more about their cultural heritage. A recommendation is raised to support improvement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During house meetings, children share their views and wishes about the day-to-day running of the home. Staff listen and act on children‟s wishes, where appropriate. Compromises are reached when children‟s wishes cannot be met. This helps children learn to „give and take‟ and to feel valued. A child said, „Staff are really nice and kind. They talk about things and don‟t shout. They tell you what is happening.‟

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

Children feel safe and are safe living in the home. Staff are trained, skilled and experienced in how to protect children. Staff take effective action to protect children in the event of any allegations. Implementing child protection procedures correctly contributes to keeping children safe.

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

Children understand their own vulnerabilities because staff teach them about risk and how to stay safe. A child told the inspector how she is helped by staff to keep herself safe. She understands the risks of using social media. She knows what grooming is and the importance of telling staff if she has concerns about something she sees online or on social media. As a result, children enjoy the benefits of social media and the internet because they learn how to use it safely. Inspection report children‟s home: SC063653 6 Staff provide a guide to children which informs them about how to make a complaint. Complaints forms are readily available and used by children to raise grumbles or concerns. The manager responds to all complaints and provides children with a written response of the outcome. As a result, children feel listened to.

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

Children learn different ways of managing their feelings and behaviours. A child said, „I use the stages of my therapy. I am now on stage three. I have burst balloons, ripped up paper and put lots of different foods into a bottle. This gets all of my angry thoughts out.‟ It is clear that, with specialist help and with the support of staff, children learn how to manage their feelings safely, without hurting themselves or other people. For some children this means that incidents requiring physical intervention and self-injurious behaviour have reduced.

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

Occasionally, incidents requiring physical intervention do occur. Staff are trained to only use this method of control in accordance each child‟s behaviour plan. Following an incident of restraint, the manager does not always conduct debriefs with the staff involved. This does not give staff the opportunity to reflect on what happened. Furthermore, it does not enable the manager to monitor the use of physical intervention effectively.

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

Staff tell children when they do well, and so promote positive behaviour. For example, when children do good things such as being helpful without prompt or making the right choices in difficult circumstances, staff praise them or give them a reward. This promotes children‟s learning on how to be sociably acceptable and engage positively.

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

When children misbehave staff sometimes impose sanctions to help children to learn the consequences of their actions. However, one sanction, the use of financial reparation, is not always used proportionately.

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

This inspection found one health and safety shortfall. A plug socket in the office is not secured to the wall. This is a potential hazard and needs to be rectified. Apart from this shortfall, the rest of the home is maintained to a good standard. Staff ensure that children understand the fire procedures. Routine fire drills and checks of equipment are routinely undertaken. This ensures that in the event of a fire children know and understand how to evacuate the building safely.

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

The manager has not reviewed the home‟s location risk assessment to take account of a new young person who has come to live at the home. As a result, this document has not been updated to reflect any child-specific risks. To date, this has not had any direct impact on children. A recommendation is raised to address this shortfall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is run by a suitably qualified and experienced manager. She has a level 5 qualification in leadership and management. Most staff are qualified to level three in caring for children and young people. Those who are unqualified are on track to obtain this qualification within the required timescales. Inspection report children‟s home: SC063653 7 The manager does not ensure that all staff receive regular supervision. Furthermore, the manager has not received an appraisal of her performance within the last year. As a result, staff and the manager do not have the opportunity to reflect on their performance and practice. This does not support their professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has addressed all but one of the four requirements raised at the last inspection. Staff are now aware of the appropriate action to take when a child is at risk and apply this in practice. The manager provides appropriate safeguarding training to assist the staff‟s learning, and she has updated the safeguarding policy. Children‟s financial records are now clear. However, the manager has not notified Ofsted about the outcome of one significant event that occurred in the home. As a result, this requirement is repeated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has not reviewed the quality of care bi-annually. Consequently, she does not use all monitoring activities effectively to identify the strengths of the service and areas for further development. An independent visitor monitors the home monthly. The registered manager acts on recommendations raised by the visitor, and this helps to maintain good standards of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff do not always keep records up to date. For example, when staff undertake room searches they do not make a full record. As a result, it is difficult for the manager to evaluate whether the room search has been carried out correctly and in line with guidance. Furthermore, some details are missing from children‟s case files and information is not always recorded in a sensitive way. A recommendation is raised to improve the quality of records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff undertake mandatory training. This ensures that they have some of the core skills to meet children‟s needs. However, the range of training opportunities offered does not meet the specific needs of some children. For example, staff require training on how best to support children to develop their own identity and to ensure that these needs are fully met. The manager has identified this as an area for improvement but has yet to act on this sufficiently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager and staff work well in partnership with external professionals. The manager is confident to challenge poor practice to ensure that children receive care in line with their plans. For example, when a child‟s school timetable was changed without giving sufficient notice to the manager, the manager challenged the lack of communication and took steps to ensure that this was not repeated. As a result, the child now accesses the education they need to improve their learning outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager reviews the statement of purpose to reflect any changes, and provides Ofsted a copy in line with regulation. The aims and objectives are delivered in line with the home‟s therapeutic approach. Staff understand the values of the home and deliver good quality care. It is clear that staff invest in the ethos of the home. As a result, children make improvement and enjoy their experiences. Inspection report children‟s home: SC063653 8

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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 differences 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: SC063653 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Future In Mind Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Future In Mind Limited, 65 Market Street, Hednesford, Cannock, Staffordshire WS12 1AD

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Inspectors

Michelle Spruce, social care inspector Sarah Junor-Fitzpatrick, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC063653 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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