Children's Home run by Footsteps a Path to Change Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC446261 1 SC446261 Registered provider: Footsteps a Path to Change 08 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 part of a small private organisation. It offers care and accommodation for three young people who have experienced childhood instability leading to trauma and associated complex behaviours.

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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: SC446261 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/07/2018 Full Good 19/07/2017 Full Good 09/12/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 10/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC446261 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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)) 07/09/2019

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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. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 07/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children‟s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person‟s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person‟s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children‟s well-being. (Regulation 44 (1)(4)(a)(b)) 07/09/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC446261 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some young people have lived at the home for several years. Managers carefully consider the needs of young people already living at the home when deciding to take a new young person. This careful matching helps to ensure that young people experience significant stability and make good sustained progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people attend educational settings according to their needs and abilities. Staff work in partnership with education departments and other relevant professionals to make sure that young people have every opportunity to increase their academic ability and reach their full potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that young people are registered with primary healthcare services and that appropriate arrangements are in place for the safe management of medicines to promote the safety and well-being of young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Arrangements are in place that support young people to maintain positive relationships with their family and friends. Staff work closely with young people and their families to ensure that time spent together is safe and a positive experience.

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

Staff have a clear understanding of procedures for reporting and managing safeguarding concerns. However, risk assessments are too generic and do not highlight known risks. For example, one young person‟s substance misuse was risk assessed alongside his dietary requirements. This means that staff do not have clear risk assessments that help them to manage risk effectively.

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

Staff know how to implement and follow the policies and procedures agreed with the local police for reporting young people missing from care. Staff take appropriate action to locate a missing young person quickly and promote the young person‟s safe return by means of keeping in touch with the young person and liaising closely with the police and other agencies. There is a process in place for young people to be seen by an independent person on their return. This helps staff to consider any information that may help to protect young people from going missing again.

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

Staff make good use of the positive relationships they have formed with young people to help to de-escalate conflict. Staff promote the use of restorative techniques that help young people to reflect on the impact their behaviour can have on others.

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

Regular health and safety checks and routine servicing of equipment are carried out so that the home is kept safe for young people, staff and visitors. All staff are trained in fire safety procedures and they ensure that young people take part in fire evacuation drills, so they understand how to leave the home safely in an emergency. Inspection report children‟s home: SC446261 5 Young people are protected by the organisation‟s recruitment practices. Staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed. These procedures promote the safety of the young people by preventing unsuitable adults from working with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A new manager started in June 2019. Ofsted is currently processing her application for registration. The manager is currently working towards gaining a level 5 national vocational qualification in leadership for health and social care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training records show that staff benefit from a diverse range of appropriate training to develop their knowledge skills and professional practice. This means that staff are well trained to meet the individual needs of young people. Most staff hold a level 3 diploma in residential childcare, and other members of staff are still in the regulatory period to obtain their qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although staff receive monthly supervision, the recording of these meetings lacks detail. This gap in recording means that it is difficult to establish if staff can reflect on their practice and to recognise their strengths and weaknesses.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that monitoring visits from someone independent of the home take place each month. However, the reports from these visits lack scrutiny and evaluation on the quality of care provided to young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has formed positive relationships with a range of agencies including the police, placing social workers and education departments. This helps the manager to have a coordinated approach so that young people‟s needs are met.

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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: SC446261 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Footsteps a Path to Change 08 Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Landmark House, Station Road, Cheadle Hulme SK8 7BS

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Charlotte Davies

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Inspector

Dave Carrigan, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC446261 7 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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