Children's home run by Footsteps to Futures Limited in Gedling

Inspection report children’s home: SC484402 1 SC484402 Registered provider: Footsteps To Futures Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to three children and young people up to the age of 18 years. The home accepts children and young people on a planned basis. The children and young people may have emotional and/or behavioural issues. The home sets out to use a therapeutic approach. There is a new manager who intends to apply to become registered with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC484402 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/08/2017 Full Good 12/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/10/2016 Full Good 11/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC484402 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon the signs that a child is at risk of harm; understand the roles and responsibilities in relating to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance of, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (2)(a)(i)(ii)(ii)(v)(vi)(vii)) 31/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care to each child; 31/05/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC484402 4 ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)) 31/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the registered person only employs an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that— the individual is of integrity and good character; the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(a)(b)(d)) This is with particular reference to agency staff, where the organisation or manager has not seen these checks for themselves. 31/05/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for children to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take into account information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 461, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report children’s home: SC484402 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Young people have been very unsettled and behavioural incidents have escalated. This has meant that young people’s progress has been disrupted. Their overall experience in the home has been poor.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff have been unable to deal with some behaviours. One event, in which young people were sitting on the home’s roof, resulted in the fire brigade being called to rescue them. Other behavioural events have resulted in prolonged verbal attacks and physical assaults on staff. In addition, young people have witnessed staff being distressed because of the pressure they are under, adding to the sense of chaos in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Young people have been upset by a lot of recent changes in the staff team. There has been an inconsistent approach to their care. Unplanned staff changes have meant that young people have not had a chance to say goodbye to staff who they have been attached to. They have also felt upset because of regular changes to their key worker.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff have not delivered one-to-one support sessions for young people regularly or effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff have not always organised their shifts well and this has impacted on young people. Recently, one member of staff forgot to collect a young person from school to take them to an important dentist appointment.

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

Young people’s safety has been compromised. On one occasion, staff did not follow a young person’s risk assessment. This meant that the young person became very unsafe.

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

Risk assessments state that male staff should not work on their own with young people, yet this has happened several times. In addition, risk assessments are not updated to reflect young people’s current risks. They do not contain sufficient information on how to reduce risks, and are not adapted as behaviours change. For example, because staff have managed one young person’s missing from home behaviour by locking the front door, young people have been trying to climb out of windows and one has recently jumped from an upstairs window.

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

An allegation against a staff member has been dealt with poorly. The staff member who received the allegation did not inform their manager or safeguarding agencies for two days. A young person was left in a potentially vulnerable position as a result of this delay.

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

One disclosure made by a young person about their past has not been passed on to their placing authority for investigation. Inspection report children’s home: SC484402 6 When young people have been missing from the home, staff have responded promptly and have noticed straight away. They have actively looked for the young people and worked well with other professionals. However, young people have not received independent return interviews. Managers have not challenged the responsible agencies to make sure that the interviews take place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have become very tired and demotivated because of the high level of behavioural incidents. Many have left. A number of shifts are covered by bank workers or agency staff. This is very unsettling for young people and has had a negative effect on their quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have not received appropriate supervision at a time when it was needed most.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are gaps in staff training, particularly in relation to safety matters. Several staff have not completed training about safeguarding, child sexual exploitation, self-harm behaviour, radicalisation and female genital mutilation. Large gaps in training mean that staff may not have the knowledge that they need to support young people effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

This has been a very difficult time for the organisation. It was already aware of the shortfalls identified in this report. It did not need Ofsted to point out what has gone wrong. The responsible individual remains very committed and passionate about the service. He is absolutely committed to ‘turning things around’ and to making the required changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The organisation has been recruiting staff urgently, and continues to do so. It has also stopped taking new admissions until its staff team is sufficient in numbers, skills and experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The organisation did notice when previous management had become ineffective. It has recruited a new manager, who has been in post since March 2018. She is planning to apply to become registered with Ofsted. She is an effective manager, has already made some changes, and already knows what she has to do to turn things around.

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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. Inspection report children’s home: SC484402 7 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

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Information about this inspection

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: SC484402 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Footsteps To Futures Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 20 Wheatley Drive, Carlton, Nottingham NG4 1FE

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Inspector(s)

Caroline Brailsford, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC484402 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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