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

Inspection report children’s home: SC484402 1 SC484402 Registered provider: Footsteps To Futures 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

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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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/04/2018 Full Inadequate 01/08/2017 Full Good 12/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/10/2016 Full Good 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 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 the home has sufficient staff to provide care to each child; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(d)(e)) 18/07/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the 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))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to the checks relating to agency staff, when the provider has not had sight of employment checks. 18/07/2018

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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 18/07/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC484402 4 once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5)) 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—

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Requirement Due date

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 (1)(2)(d)) 18/07/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— the privacy of children is appropriately protected. (Regulation 21 (a)) 18/07/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC484402 5 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child — is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 18/07/2018

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Recommendations

 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 61, paragraph 13.1)  Staff need the knowledge and skills to recognise and be alert for any signs that might indicate a child is in any way at risk of harm. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12)  Ensure that care meets each child’s needs and promotes their welfare, taking into account the child’s gender, religion, ethnicity, cultural and linguistic background, sexual identity, mental health, any disability, their assessed needs, previous experiences and any relevant plans. This is with particular reference to one child’s care plan, which did not incorporate all of this information. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph

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improvement to be good

Young people have had a lot of disruption recently and this has had a negative impact on young people’s progress. The organisation continues to recruit new staff to keep the service going. However, one young person reported: ‘It is horrible having new staff all Inspection report children’s home: SC484402 6 the time.’

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improvement to be good

All young people are receiving some form of education. Their educational progress is variable, but this is due to their personal challenges, rather than due to a lack of support from staff and managers. The acting manager has advocated strongly on young people’s behalf. She has ensured that young people receive what they need and should expect from their education provider.

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improvement to be good

Care planning in relation to risk is good. Other areas of care planning, such as meeting personal care needs and providing cultural support, are very basic. Young people have received support in these areas recently, but care planning remains weak and this increases the risk of drift.

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improvement to be good

One young person’s dignity has been compromised due to an unprofessional response from a staff member. In addition, a lack of confidentiality has allowed young people to hear about each other’s personal information. This has understandably upset young people and has disrupted their progress.

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improvement to be good

Due to a one-to-one staffing ratio, staff spend quality time with young people. More recently, key working has started to significantly improve. Young people are starting to develop positive relationships with staff and have been able to explore their personal and health issues better.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not supported some young people with their personal and intimate care needs effectively. The result of this is that young people do not always live in a clean and healthy environment.

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improvement to be good

Staff have a good understanding of young people’s safety needs. Thorough risk assessments are in place which staff follow. As a result, young people are as safe as possible at the home.

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improvement to be good

A situation arose which highlighted some complacency and a lack of challenge from staff and managers. This was in relation to a young person’s friendship, and staff not making appropriate enquiries about this. However, the actions taken by staff were in line with the placing authority’s agreed safety boundaries.

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improvement to be good

When agency staff are used their references are not always checked by the organisation. Checks are not carried out to make sure that references have been verified. There is a risk that less-than-rigorous recruitment checks could result in unsuitable adults working at the home.

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improvement to be good

No young people have been missing from the home. When two young people tried to run away recently, staff supervision was good enough to notice this straight away. Staff Inspection report children’s home: SC484402 7 responses were very good and ensured that the young people returned safely and quickly.

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improvement to be good

New staff know what to do if there is a child protection concern. Allegations have been managed effectively and in line with the home’s and the local authority’s procedures, even when newer, less experienced staff have been on duty.

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improvement to be good

There are times when physical intervention is needed in order to keep young people or others safe. Training equips staff with the skills they need to keep young people safe in these instances. However, after being restrained young people have not been given the opportunity to talk about the restraint and debrief. This is a missed opportunity for managers to gain an insight into why restraint was used, and to monitor the performance of staff.

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

There are times when the member of staff leading the shift is in their probationary period, although they have completed their induction and the large majority of their mandatory training. In difficult circumstances, managers are making the best decisions possible about staff deployment.

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

Training for staff is improving, but there is still work to be done. The requirement relating to staff experience, qualifications and skills is repeated from the last inspection. Leaders have prioritised training regarding the safe care of young people. The team training profile is significantly better in this area than it was at the last inspection. A few gaps in training remain for some staff in behaviour management, and in understanding and responding to child sexual exploitation, female genital mutilation and radicalisation.

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

The acting manager has been in post for two months. In this short time, she has done everything in her power to turn the home around. Her performance has been very strong. She is monitoring new staff very carefully, but the volume of work has compromised one member of staff’s formal one-to-one time with the manager. Some gaps in staff performance are still being identified. The acting manager is working tremendously hard to lead, supervise and develop the new staff.

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

The acting manager and responsible individual remain very confident in their plans to put things right, and are fully committed. It is very clear that they care a great deal about the young people placed. They have a good understanding of the strengths in the home and the areas for improvement. More formal monitoring has been lacking, and Ofsted has not received the required six-monthly formal monitoring report.

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

There has been progress made in meeting the one requirement made at the last inspection about keeping young people safe, and it is clear that young people are now safer.

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

The requirement from the last inspection about staff experience and providing continuity Inspection report children’s home: SC484402 8 of care has been repeated. This is because new staff continue to be introduced, and this is affecting how young people feel, and their progress.

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

Progress has been made on the previous requirement relating to staff recruitment, but this requirement is repeated because managers at the organisation still do not see agency references for themselves.

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

The previous requirement about health is met. Young people have attended all their health appointments.

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

Some areas of good practice were seen, particularly in more recent weeks. This is in relation to staff supporting young people with their cultural needs, anger issues and emotional needs.

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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: SC484402 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Footsteps To Futures Limited

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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 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 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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