Children's home run by Future In Mind Limited in Bolton

Inspection report children’s home: SC431315 1 SC431315 Registered provider: Future in Mind Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two young people. It is owned and operated by a small private organisation. The statement of purpose states, ‘Young people are engaged in specialist programmes whilst they are living at Montrose which will enable them to repair the past whilst preparing their future, with a positive change in their behaviours.’ The manager has the required qualification in leadership and management. She was registered to manage this home in 2013. She is also the registered manager for another of the organisation’s nearby homes.

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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

Date of last inspection: 20 February 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC431315 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/02/2018 Full Good 24/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/08/2016 Full Outstanding 30/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC431315 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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(g)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically: 1. Improve staff practice through training and continuous advice on using the techniques and tools that form the therapeutic basis of the organisation. 2. Act more swiftly on the feedback that young people give about their wishes and feelings. 3. Come back to young people more regularly about what you are doing in response to their wishes, feelings, complaints and allegations. 25/01/2019

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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; and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, provide the physical and well-being activities that are set out in plans provided by the home’s psychotherapist. 25/01/2019

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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 25/01/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC431315 4 children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose and ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(e))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that each young person has a daily therapeutic timetable to follow. Ensure that all staff know what work has been done with young people on previous days, including how best they should be building on one another’s work with a clear aim to minimise young people’s anxiety/apathy and maximise their development and engagement. The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect and sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular, provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34 (1)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, record all the actions taken through to the conclusion of all allegations and child protection enquiries. Keep those actions under regular review so that satisfactory outcomes are reached without delay and that young people, staff and managers are told of outcomes and learn any necessary lessons. 25/01/2019

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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 home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that behaviour strategy plans and risk assessments are up to date and clearly explain what staff should do to minimise incidents, allegations and risky behaviour. 25/01/2019

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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 25/01/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC431315 5 children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, review the practice of staff promptly following all behaviour incidents. Regularly monitor records of child protection enquiries, allegations and complaints to ensure that shortfalls in practice are quickly rectified and that all necessary actions are promptly taken.

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Recommendations

 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) In particular, write records so that the advice and help in them can be given to young people for them to revisit and use.

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improvement to be good

Three young people have lived here since the last inspection. One young person moved on some months ago, having made good progress. She keeps in contact with staff and the young person who she lived with at the home. Earlier this year, she said, ‘Staff are very good at their jobs and they are very caring. I love living here and will be sad when I have to leave.’

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improvement to be good

Two young people are settled and enjoy spending time with most staff. Staff are attentive, kind and calm. Staff understand young people’s vulnerabilities and anxieties. They help young people to work towards independence, while continuing to nurture and listen to them. Both young people said recently in their monthly meeting, ‘I know I can talk to staff.’

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improvement to be good

Staff have not been using the techniques and therapeutic activities that form the basis of daily care practice, which is outlined in each child’s plan. Staff do not provide physical and well-being activities, such as yoga, trampolining and running, despite these being set down in individual plans provided by the home’s psychotherapist. Similarly, staff do not provide young people with daily therapeutic timetables that are referred to in their plans. This means that young people do not always know what they are going to do Inspection report children’s home: SC431315 6 each day. Furthermore, this does not help to motivate one young person to follow healthy daily routines that include exercise and purposeful activity. A social worker for a young person preparing to move on said, ‘She has no sustainable healthy hobbies.’ Another young person takes part in army cadets and is greatly enjoying the routine and

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improvement to be good

Young people make good progress with their learning and education given their starting points. One young person is making progress at college, both academically and socially. She interacts more confidently with peers and travels independently. Another young person usually participates in practical and academic work set by her various tutors. She did not take part in any education prior to coming to live at the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff and managers are not always well organised and responsive to young people. For example, young people have been asking about decorating their bedrooms and about having new reward plans. This has been ongoing for some months. They have also asked about getting a trampoline. However, young people do not get clear, quick answers to these issues. As a result, they do not always feel listened to and valued.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not write young people’s records in ways that are helpful. Staff and managers do not give young people copies of advice and plans to keep and to refer to, which may sometimes be helpful for them. This does not help young people to access and understand what is written about them.

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improvement to be good

Young people engage in weekly therapy sessions with the home’s psychotherapist. This is helping them to come to terms with their difficulties. One young person said, ‘I really enjoy the therapy because I just talk to [therapist] and I know he is helping me get prepared for when I am leaving.’

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improvement to be good

Young people’s social workers are impressed by the work of staff and the progress that they see in their young people. They describe staff as ‘dedicated’ and ‘passionate’. Social workers say that staff have helped young people to see more of their family and friends who are important to them. Staff and managers have also advocated for young people to receive necessary ongoing support when they leave.

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improvement to be good

Staff and managers have found it difficult to help and protect young people effectively since the last inspection.

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improvement to be good

Many experienced staff left soon after a new young person was admitted. New staff do not know how to use some of the therapeutic behaviour management strategies suggested in young people’s plans and risk assessments. In addition, behaviour management plans are not kept up to date and do not clearly explain what staff should do to minimise incidents, allegations and risky behaviour. Nevertheless, the number of incidents, physical interventions and allegations is falling. One young person’s social worker said, ‘Physical aggression to staff members and damage within the home is Inspection report children’s home: SC431315 7 reducing and [young person’s] ability to self-regulate is increasing. She is able to acknowledge where her behaviour has been inappropriate in more cases as she progresses.’

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improvement to be good

Both young people say that they feel safe here. However, they remain very vulnerable to exploitation when accessing social media and if they go missing. A few serious incidents have happened. On one occasion, poor practice meant that a young person took a mobile phone from the office and went missing. Staff and managers respond to risky behaviour with increased vigilance. They talk to young people about what went wrong and give them advice about how to conduct themselves safely in future.

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improvement to be good

Staff and managers take the right actions if young people disclose or allege abuse. Young people’s social workers say that staff are ‘pretty proactive’ and ‘proportionate’ in their safeguarding work. However, the manager does not notice when child protection investigations are drifting because her records are poorly organised and she does not review them regularly. She does not chase relevant professionals for updates and outcomes to investigations. Young people wait too long for answers and this reduces their trust in the system.

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

The registered manager is well liked by young people. When she is at the home, young people often come to her for hugs and to ask questions and to get decisions. Most staff are new. Agency staff are used regularly too. One young person’s social worker said that her young person struggles with this.

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

The registered manager has not been leading and managing the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos set out in the home’s statement of purpose. Most staff are not trained or briefed on how to use the techniques and tools that form the therapeutic basis of the organisation. The statement of purpose states that there are healing stories at bedtime, therapeutic daily timetables and that young people are involved in interviewing and deciding upon new staff. The manager is not delivering these inputs.

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

Monitoring activities undertaken by the registered manager require improvement. The registered manager does not scrutinise behaviour incident records to identify whether staff practice is effective or not. She does not look for patterns and trends in young people’s behaviour and does not devise new strategies to tackle their behaviour difficulties. Furthermore, the registered manager does not regularly review records of safeguarding concerns, allegations and complaints. She relies on external visitors to quality assure the work of the home and to identify shortfalls. As a result, staff practice is not consistently challenged and improved and young people do not engage and develop as quickly as they could.

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

Staff feel well supported by the registered manager and enjoy their work. The registered manager is supported and supervised by the registered individual and the home’s psychotherapist. They have all had periods away from their work since the last Inspection report children’s home: SC431315 8 inspection. As a result, they have not met frequently enough to ensure that previously high standards of staff training and practice are maintained. The registered manager feels that she has not spent enough time in the home modelling good practice and training and upskilling staff. Staff have not been trained about the specific needs of a new young person who was placed many months ago. The registered manager is insightful about the difficulties that she has experienced and is motivated to improve.

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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: SC431315 9

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Rachel Britten, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC431315 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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