Children's Home run by Progressive Futures Care Limited in Sefton

Inspection report children’s home: SC061924 1 SC061924 Registered provider: Progressive Futures Care 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 children’s home is owned by a small private company. It is registered to care for up to three children.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since December 2010.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 19 to 20 November 2018

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC061924 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/08/2017 Full Good 11/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/11/2016 Full Good 01/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC061924 3

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Statutory requirement

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 registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 14/12/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff are aware of whether a child has an EHC plan and the information in it. An EHC plan details the education, health and social care support that is to be provided to a child who has special educational needs or a disability. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.4)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to understand each child’s education and training targets and their next steps for learning. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 27, paragraph 5.10) This applies particularly to new staff working at the home.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staffing structures promote the continuity of care from the child’s perspective. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.15) This applies particularly to new staff lone working at the home.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that case records are kept up-to-date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Recommendations

Ensure that staff record information on children in a non-stigmatising way. 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) Inspection report children’s home: SC061924 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

With the staff’s unwavering support, two children have successfully moved on to permanent foster care. The children moved in a planned and supported way, and the staff made this important change a positive experience for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child continues to be cared for at the home and she is clearly benefiting from the team’s undivided care and attention. This is reflected in her comments: ‘I am proud of myself. I feel I have moved mountains. This is my first placement where I have felt happy and safe. I know if I need help or support staff are here for me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Compatibility assessments are a key strength. Before children move into the home, the manager makes sure that all children are suitably matched. As a result, the home provides children with a secure, safe and stable living environment where their needs come first.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living at the home is making progress in all areas of her life. Her attendance and engagement with her education have considerably improved from her starting point. Good routines and staff’s continuous encouragement and support are helping her to invest in her education and plan for her future. However, not all staff are familiar with her specific educational needs, plans or individual targets. This weakens consistency in support and the monitoring of her progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to keep in touch with family members and friends, which is helping her to maintain positive relationships with people who are important to her. Consequently, the child has developed a positive self-identity and a good understanding of her family and background.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make sure that the child is meaningfully involved in the planning of her care. As a result, care and support are highly individualised and tailored to meet her needs. The child is fully aware of her plans and has a good understanding of her progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s needs, progress and experiences are well documented in the home’s records, which provide a sound overview of her life journey. However, some information about the child was not written sensitively; for example, stigmatising language was used to describe her behaviour. This is not helpful to the child when she or other relevant professionals read her records.

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of safeguarding concerns and procedures. They are alert to potential dangers, such as substance misuse, child sexual and criminal exploitation, and self-harm. Staff are equipped with suitable strategies to respond effectively to such high-risk behaviours. Inspection report children’s home: SC061924 5 The child is very settled and safe in her home. Her risk-taking behaviour has significantly decreased since she moved into the home. She is benefiting from warm, trusting relationships and regular, meaningful discussions with staff about potential dangers.

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

Staff have established consistent boundaries in the home, and they have successfully supported children to understand the home’s rules and routines. Furthermore, they help children to respond to difficult emotions and situations in a safer way. As well as being good role models, staff utilise effective behaviour management strategies, such as de- escalation and rewarding positive behaviour. As a result, children feel safe and secure and they learn how to respond to difficult emotions and situations safely.

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

Incidents of children going missing from home are extremely rare. However, staff are alert to the potential risks when children do not return home. Should a child go missing, appropriate procedures are in place to make sure that the child is quickly located and safely returned. Partnership working with other safeguarding professionals is a key strength of the team and is reducing risk in the home.

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

The company’s safe recruitment practice means that all staff are thoroughly vetted before they start working in the home. This further enhances children’s welfare and safety.

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

Regular health and safety checks are making the home a safe place to live. Additionally, the local area assessment is reviewed and updated at least annually to make sure that the team is aware of any potential risks in the local community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced and child-centred leadership team ensures that children receive a high standard of care. Children make measurable progress because of the manager’s commitment to improving the children’s outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Undoubtedly, children’s welfare and progress are the provider’s priority. A commissioner of the service confirms this in his comments: ‘It’s refreshing to work with a small provider whose management seems to be in this for the right reasons – improving the lives of children and young people. The absolute most important individual is the child.’ They went on to say, ‘They [the company] are people first and foremost; business operates a distant second. That makes the difference for us and has given us great confidence in their processes and their ability to get the best for those young people we place with them.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A well-supported and supervised team provides children with consistent care and support. Staff benefit from having regular professional supervision and team meetings where they can discuss their practice and share their learning and ideas. As a result, staff feel valued and well supported, which is reflected in the high standard of care provided in this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is sufficiently staffed and resourced. New staff have recently been recruited Inspection report children’s home: SC061924 6 and the child was involved in the recruitment process. However, staff rotas are not always arranged to afford continuity of care to the child. For example, a new member of staff was left in sole charge of the child without sufficient time and opportunities to get to know her.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager keeps under review the home’s statement of purpose. However, the document is not accurate in all areas; for example, it refers to the children’s homes national minimum standards, which no longer exist. Additionally, the manager has not provided Ofsted with a copy of the revised statement of purpose as required. Consequently, the service regulator has not been kept up to date about important changes in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

In the main, children’s case records are well organised and provide an in-depth picture of the child’s life journey. Nonetheless, some records had not been kept up to date with recent changes in the child’s daily routines, including friends visiting the home. Consequently, some of the child’s placement plans did not reflect the current care arrangements, which can compromise consistency in care. .

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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: SC061924 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Progressive Futures Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 18a London Street, Southport, Merseyside PR9 0UE

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Inspectors

Marina Tully, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC061924 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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