Children's Home run by Future Focused Ltd in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: 1270301 1 Registered provider: Future Focused Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company operates and runs this home. It provides care for three children and young people whose plan is to live in a medium- to long-term residential setting. The manager has been in post since April 2019. He has 4 years’ experience in residential care. He has enrolled on the diploma level 5 award.

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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: declined in effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1270301 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/03/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 12/06/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1270301 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 care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)) 30/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (2)(a)(b)) 30/11/2019

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children, including a new resident, report how happy and settled they feel in the home. The close and nurturing relationships that the children build with trusted staff team members enable them to grow in self-belief and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Day-to-day care plans hold good, clear information about the children’s aims and goals. Introductions to the home are exceptionally well planned. For example, staff visited a child in their current placement numerous times, taking him out to local attractions and bringing him to the home for a birthday party. Children’s routines and care needs are fully explored during this period and these then translate into very detailed care plans, risk assessments and behavioural management plans. This ensures that children’s care and support are delivered consistently. Discharges from the home have been less planned and some placements have had to end with immediate notice. Others have been placed in a company caravan on a holiday park while the notice period is served. For one young person, the caravan is nearer to his family. This has prevented him from Inspection report children’s home: 1270301 4 going missing and has helped to facilitate the relationship with his pregnant girlfriend

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

while his social worker seeks a semi-independence placement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children live in a spacious, detached home in a rural area, which is close to local amenities. There is evidence of damage caused by previous residents, but a comprehensive repair plan is underway to return the home to a high standard. The children take pride in being able to invite their friends and family to visit and spend time with them as they would in a family home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A diverse, enthusiastic and committed staff team has productive working relationships with all of the partner agencies involved with the children. This ensures that the children receive consistent care messages, enabling them to make good progress in all aspects of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Targeted healthcare allows the children to develop an understanding of the benefits of participating in regular exercise and eating a nutritious diet. The children’s emotional and psychological health improve as they engage with specialist care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All of the children attend suitable education provisions. The staff team facilitates their daily attendance at school, often at some distance from the home. This enhances the learning experience and provides further opportunities for the children to forge safe attachments to individual staff members. The older young people take pride in their educational achievements and have aspirations to achieve their chosen careers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children learn how to positively express their wishes and feelings, which enhances their sense of feeling heard and being valued. They contribute towards planning their daily activities and preparation for adulthood. The children have the opportunity to engage in a range of activities, which enhance their social and life skills while they have fun, including cycling in the Lake District and going on holiday to Benidorm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team members’ commitment to facilitating contact arrangements ensures that the children are able to have regular and satisfactory interactions with their family members. For some young people, this has led to a marked improvement in their relationships with their parents. The children are able to maintain important community and cultural links.

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

Following the last inspection, there was a period when young people’s behaviours were negatively impacting on the other children and staff. These included a significant number of episodes of going missing, damaging property, assaulting staff team members and introducing illicit substances into the home. The new manager acted appropriately in giving notice on the placements as the home was unable to adequately safeguard the young people and the situation was placing the other children and staff at risk.

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

There have been a high number of episodes of going missing. On some occasions, all of the children absented themselves from the home. The proactive staff team members did Inspection report children’s home: 1270301 5 all they could to prevent this, and actively searched for the children while they were missing. Good relationships with local and specialist police officers assisted in providing protection for the children.

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

The children respond well to the staff team members’ positive role modelling, and none of those currently resident have had to be physically restrained. Those restraints that did occur with previous residents are recorded well, with all involved given the opportunity to learn from the experience. The recent introduction of a new rewards and achievements system is encouraging the children to learn more appropriate ways of behaving.

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

The children’s individual risks are known and planned for. For example, the children are asked to call the home at regular intervals while they are out on free time so that staff know they are safe. They also go out and meet them every two hours. Staff proactively plan with the children to enable them to understand why adults are concerned about them and to help them to develop self-care skills.

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

The staff team members apply clear safeguarding procedures. The new manager has arranged for specific training to ensure that all staff are aware of the risks posed by extremism, radicalisation and county lines. The children are safeguarded as a result.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The newly appointed manager has worked very hard since he has been in post to build good working relationships with the children, young people, staff team members and professionals. He has submitted his registered manager application to Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s understanding of the needs of the children and the progress they make informed his concerns that the staff were not meeting the needs of some of the young people. He made the difficult decision to end the young people’s placement so that they could be moved to a more suitable setting, which has benefited both them and the children remaining in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has met all of the requirements raised at the last full inspection. These improvements demonstrate a capacity to improve while enhancing care and outcomes for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been a number of changes in staff over the past few months. A committed and experienced core staff team has been complemented by the addition of enthusiastic new individuals, who have swiftly built positive relationships with the children. The staff team members feel well supported on an individual level, and this is supported by the frequency of formal supervision sessions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has high expectations for the children to receive the best possible care in order for them to achieve and thrive. He is in the process of instituting new systems and empowering the individual staff team members to take on champions’ roles to expand opportunities for the children. Inspection report children’s home: 1270301 6 External monitoring visits and reports are basic, and scrutiny is not robust. For example, they comment on the pictures and posters on the children’s bedroom walls, of which there is none, but later in the report it describes how they were unable to gain access to children’s bedrooms. While they have made an attempt to contact one external professional on each visit, who has not replied, further feedback has not been sought. As a result, they do not contribute towards the children’s well-being and safety. The manager’s internal auditing processes assist him in overseeing care and identifying areas

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

for development, for example the introduction of the rewards and achievements system.

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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: 1270301 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Future Focused Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Crows Nest Business Park, Ashton Road, Billinge, Wigan, Lancashire WN5 7XX

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Inspector

Elaine Clare: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1270301 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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