Children's home run by Footsteps Care Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2540285 1 Registered provider: Footsteps Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care and accommodation for up to eight children. The home’s statement of purpose states that the home cares for children who have learning disabilities, and/or physical disabilities, and/or emotional and behavioural difficulties. This is the home’s first inspection since registering with Ofsted in August 2019.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: Not applicable.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not applicable.

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

None. Inspection report children’s home: 2540285 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

N/A Inspection report children’s home: 2540285 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living at this home. They have excellent opportunities to learn and have fun in a safe environment. This is particularly important as many of the children are severely disabled. Most have communication difficulties and struggle with social interaction with other children and adults.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have trusting relationships with the staff, who are passionate and sensitive in their care of children and are familiar with how to meet their needs. Importantly, staff understand the nature and impact of children’s disabilities. As a result, children’s experiences are fun, exciting and creative. The home offers children opportunities that they often would not have otherwise.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children lead healthy lifestyles. Staff ensure that children receive all the primary and specialist healthcare services that they need. Children benefit from the staff’s understanding of their health conditions and how the effects of these conditions can be managed.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff receive specialist training where this is required, for example training in moving and handling, and epilepsy. The staff’s communication with healthcare professionals is good.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s learning outcomes are good. Staff ensure that communication with school professionals is effective. This means that care and support are provided in line with children’s targets identified by school staff. The targets focus on the development of children’s communication and social interaction, and increasing their independence.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s case files are explicit in offering the staff guidance on understanding how to interpret individual children’s non-verbal cues. Staff use this knowledge and their own expertise to encourage children to take part in making choices.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in increasing their independence. Typically, this includes staff developing children’s communication skills and helping children to manage being around others.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work well and in close communication with parents and professionals. Children are able to keep in touch with their families and friends when it is safe for them to do so. Visits to the home by family members are very frequent. A local authority social worker said, ‘S [child] receives a very good level of care. Staff work really well with him. Right now, they’re helping S to develop life skills.’

p.3

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

Children are safe in the home and appear relaxed in the company of staff. The staff team protects children from harm, abuse and bullying. There have been no Inspection report children’s home: 2540285 4 allegations made against staff, no child has gone missing from the home and critical incidents are rare.

p.3

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

Children benefit from the staff’s supervision and vigilance, which help to keep them safe. Staff manage children’s behaviour well. Where staff have restrained children, this has been used appropriately to protect children and others from harm.

p.4

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

The home has received three complaints. These were managed sensitively and appropriately, and in accordance with the home’s complaints procedures.

p.4

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

Risk assessments provide staff with clear strategies for helping to reduce harm to children. However, these are not always regularly updated. This is especially important following a serious incident. Risk assessments are somewhat generalised and do not always focus on the known and potential risks for each child.

p.4

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

Leaders and managers have devised risk assessments for the building, and the staff conduct regular fire drills. Despite this, leaders and managers have yet to complete personal emergency evacuation plans for the children. These plans would take account of the particular needs of children should they have to leave the building in an emergency.

p.4

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

Staff set appropriate boundaries which offer children structure and help to keep them safe. Staff understand children’s disabilities and how these may impact on the children’s behaviour. Staff use verbal praise and incentives to help encourage positive behaviour. The home’s Golden Book, which charts individual achievements, is popular with children.

p.4

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

Staff receive good training and good advice in regard to child protection. Their supervision of children and their safeguarding practice are sound. A social worker said, ‘I have no safeguarding concerns. They observe S [child] so closely, that they could tell when a seizure was coming on. They will grab him before his head hits the ground.’

p.4

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

The home is an excellent purpose-built building which is designed to meet the needs of disabled children. Staff can maintain and safely operate the home’s specialist adapted equipment, and the building is physically safe and secure.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well managed by a strong leadership team. The home is run by an experienced registered manager. She is supported by a strong senior team. Leaders and managers have high aspirations for children and they work tirelessly to provide children with high-quality, safe care.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers’ oversight of the home is effective. This helps them to implement improvements to the home on an ongoing basis. Regular monitoring visits and reports also support this work. However, some key recording tools, such as placement plans, risk assessments and behaviour management plans, are not Inspection report children’s home: 2540285 5 distinct from each other. This means that the staff’s use of each document is not as effective as it could be in establishing goals, strategies and risks.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The provider is financially viable. Staff use resources creatively to ensure that children have positive experiences. The home’s statement of purpose outlines well the aims and objectives of the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that the home’s care-planning processes are effective. They make child-centred decisions when exploring possible new placements. The home’s impact assessment reviews the needs of the children being referred, and the needs of children already living in the home. This ensures that staff are aware of the potential risks to any child.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home employs a sufficient number of staff to meet the children’s needs. Staff are very well supported and have access to excellent training opportunities. This helps them to develop the skills that they need to care safely for vulnerable children. A member of staff said, ‘The best thing about my job? Seeing the difference I can make. At school the teachers couldn’t get him to leave the playground. He saw me, I waved and he came, gave me a hug and was ready to leave with me.’

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that children’s identity needs are very well met. In addition to ensuring that children’s experiences are not impacted by their disabilities, staff ensure that needs relating to children’s culture and religion are well met. One child is preparing to go with staff to a gospel concert, to see his favourite artiste. The staff read biblical stories with another child, as advised by the child’s parent.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff’s communication with external partners, such as placing authorities and educational and health professionals, is regular and consistent. This helps to ensure that those involved in children’s lives are aware of their progress and issues. This supports the good coordination of children’s care. Inspection report children’s home: 2540285 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the registered person monitors and improves the quality of key documents. These include placement plans, risk assessments, monthly summaries and behaviour management plans. 01/07/2020

p.6

Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) Specifically, the registered person should consider devising personal emergency evacuation plans for each child. Inspection report children’s home: 2540285 7

p.6

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 2540285 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Footsteps Care Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Orchard, Ashmead Drive, Denham, Uxbridge, Buckinghamshire UB9 5BA

p.8

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Anslim Narinesingh

p.8

Inspector

Sandra Jacobs-Walls, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2540285 9 to 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9