Children's home run by Bright Futures Care Limited in Bolton

Inspection report children’s home: SC456157 1 SC456157 Registered provider: Bright Futures Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to four young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, learning disabilities and/or sensory impairments. The home is part of a private organisation that also offers specialist educational provision.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 11 to 12 February 2020

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 24 October 2018

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC456157 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/10/2018 Full Good 20/09/2017 Full Good 15/02/2017 Full Outstanding 27/10/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC456157 3

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outstanding

Young people are making excellent progress in all aspects of their lives. They live in a nurturing environment and receive highly individualised care that is tailored to meet their complex needs. One parent said, ‘I visit every week and I see progress in him every time I visit.’

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outstanding

Each young person has a dedicated team of staff that cares for them. This provides young people with a high level of consistency and enables them to build positive and trusting relationships. There is a high level of communication between the staff team members. As a result, they are able to monitor young people’s progress carefully and adapt support strategies accordingly.

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outstanding

The staff team has created a warm family atmosphere within the home. Young people are encouraged to spend time together, especially at mealtimes. One parent said, ‘I like the fact that it feels like a proper home. All the young people sit together, eat together and can go out together.’ Staff have adapted the home environment to meet young people’s sensory needs. Managers have worked in partnership with external professionals to research and develop individual communication aids and sensory activities. This is supporting young people to learn new and positive ways to regulate their behaviour.

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outstanding

Young people are making excellent progress with their communication. Staff understand the methods young people use to communicate their needs and are extremely responsive to them. As a result, one young person has recently started to use his communication aid to formulate short sentences. For example, after a snack he was able to tell staff, ‘I am full.’ Another young person, who previously only verbalised using noises, has started to use single words to indicate his needs. This empowers young people to express their wishes and maximises the choice and control they have over their lives.

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outstanding

Some young people struggled to engage in education prior to coming to this home and were often educated separately, outside of the classroom. Staff have introduced consistent routines and strategies, which have helped young people to reduce their anxieties and re-engage in education. As a result, educational attendance is high and young people are making good progress. One independent reviewing officer said, ‘The home and school staff are seamless in their approach and have excellent communication.’

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outstanding

The staff excel in the planning and management of transitions into the home. Staff build a comprehensive picture of the young person and their support needs prior to their admission. They spend considerable amounts of time with the young person, gathering information and observing them in a variety of settings and situations. This meticulous planning ensures that young people settle quickly into the home and Inspection report children’s home: SC456157 4 accept new routines. For example, one young person who previously had an erratic sleep pattern is now sleeping through the night.

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outstanding

Contact with families is actively promoted and staff support young people to regularly visit family members who live at considerable distance from the home. This is important to support young people’s emotional health and well-being. The progress that young people are making at this home is also having a positive impact on their relationships with their family. For example, one young person has been able to participate in a meal out with his family for the first time. One independent reviewing officer said, ‘I understand that since [young person’s name] is more settled, face-to-face contact with his family has significantly improved.’

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outstanding

Young people are making excellent progress with their independence and self-care skills. The staff team members are ambitious for the young people and create individual monthly targets to maximise their independence in all aspects of their daily life, such as helping with daily tasks, preparing snacks and learning to cross the road safely.

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

The staff team has a clear understanding of each young person’s needs and vulnerabilities. Staff have well-developed, specialist knowledge that supports them to anticipate and identify risks to young people’s safety and respond to them effectively. This helps to ensure that young people are safe and protected from harm.

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

Young people living at this home can present complex and challenging behaviours. They benefit from a consistent staff team whose members know them well. Staff work hard to interpret young people’s behaviours and to understand what they are trying to communicate through their behaviours. Staff can anticipate potential triggers and de-escalate situations effectively. As a result, young people are more settled and there has been a significant reduction in the need to use physical interventions to manage young people’s behaviours.

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

Young people’s routines are very important to them and they are recorded in great detail for staff to follow. This provides young people with the predictable environment that they require to feel secure and ease their anxieties. Consistent routines are having a positive impact on young people’s behaviours. One social worker said, ‘I have seen a massive improvement in [young person’s name’s] behaviours. He is so settled that he is now starting to use PECs, which is brilliant. At Christmas, he even joined in the play at school and got on the stage.’

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

Each young person has a comprehensive health passport. These documents describe young people’s individual health needs and the support they require to stay healthy. Furthermore, staff understand the importance of healthy lifestyles and encourage young people to eat a balanced diet and take part in more exercise. As a result, young people are trying new foods and one young person has lost a considerable amount of weight as part of a planned approach. Inspection report children’s home: SC456157 5 High staffing levels, careful planning and good risk assessment mean that young people benefit form a wide range of activities. The staff are committed to ensuring that disability is not a barrier to community participation. Young people are accessing activities in the community that they could not manage prior to living at this home, such as having a haircut and going swimming.

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

Young people benefit from a high level of supervision and support, which is in line with their complex needs. This means that they do not go missing from home. The manager demonstrates a good understanding of the rights of young people who require constant supervision, but who do not have the mental capacity to consent to this. He has worked closely with external professionals to ensure that the rights of young people are safeguarded.

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

There are arrangements in place to ensure that recruitment of staff is safe and appropriate clearances are sought. However, in one case, a reference had not been obtained from the most recent employer. The manager took swift action during the inspection to rectify this. A recommendation has been made to ensure that consistent checks are maintained around recruitment practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced to undertake the role. He is enthusiastic and passionate about providing disabled young people with a high-quality service that supports them to fulfil their potential. He has successfully embedded this ethos within the staff team. One social worker said, ‘I can’t fault them, the environment is really relaxed and the staff are extremely child-centred. Staff always go above and beyond to meet young people’s needs.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is well supported by two deputy managers and they form an effective leadership team. They are a visible presence in the home and are accessible and available to support both staff and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals speak highly of the manager and express confidence in the staff team’s ability to meet young people’s needs. They report good levels of communication and have positive experiences of joint working with the home. One independent reviewing officer said, ‘The manager is very proactive in ensuring that [young person’s name’s] needs are met. He attends all of her reviews and appears to have a good insight of her needs.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Liaison with parents is good. They receive regular updates on their child’s progress and experiences. One parent said, ‘Staff phone me every day and this is really important to me. It gives me reassurance and they go into all the little details of [young person’s name’s] day, helping to make me feel involved.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision, which supports them to reflect on their practice. New staff benefit from a mandatory training programme, which they complete prior to starting to work with young people. This equips them with the skills they require Inspection report children’s home: SC456157 6 to work with young people with complex needs. Additional specialist training, focusing on the sensory and communication needs would benefit new members of the staff team. A recommendation has been made in relation to this. Inspection report children’s home: SC456157 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: SC456157 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bright Futures Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bright Futures Care Ltd. Asher House, Barsbank Lane, Lymm, Warrington WA13 0ED.

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Inspector

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC456157 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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