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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC431315 1 SC431315

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Future In Mind

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered for two young people. The home provides care for young people aged between six and 17 years, who have had adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours.

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This monitoring visit

A monitoring visit was carried out after Ofsted had received concerns about children’s care.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out using a blended approach. This included the inspector spending time at the home and continuing the inspection remotely. This approach was necessary due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The inspector examined a sample of documents, conducted interviews with the staff and spent time talking to the children. Feedback was also secured from the children’s placing local authorities. This visit raised serious concerns in respect of the safeguarding of children living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

Staff encourage children to develop their interests, such as football and horse riding. Children enjoy these activities. They feel a sense of pride and achievement which helps to promote their self-esteem.

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This monitoring visit

Children have good school attendance and are routinely helped by staff to complete their homework. As a result, children are making good progress with their education.

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This monitoring visit

During the visit, concerns were shared with the inspector that bullying between the children is commonplace. The inspector found that relationships between children can be poor. For example, children can display verbally intimidating and aggressive behaviour towards each other and staff. Managers have failed to recognise this behaviour could be having a negative impact on children. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC431315 2 Key-work sessions highlight concerns around children feeling bullied. However, managers and staff have failed to respond to these concerns. They have failed to recognise that bullying is not necessarily physical but can present in different ways. The inspector also found that children are not adequately supported to learn how to keep safe when online.

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This monitoring visit

One child told the inspector that they feel safe in the home because they can lock their bedroom door. They stay in their bedroom ‘to keep out of the way’ of another child. Managers have not recognised that this child isolates themselves as a result of another child’s behaviour. As a result, intimidating behaviour has become accepted in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The home has a ‘bullying log’. There is one entry recorded which states that one child was ‘verbally aggressive’ towards another. The manager commented that this was the only incident of bullying which has occurred in the home. However, from examining records, there were other examples of potential bullying behaviour recorded in the staff’s daily logs and in key-work sessions.

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This monitoring visit

When children go missing from the home, staff follow risk assessments effectively. Staff try their best to encourage children to return home. They try to stay in contact with children and search all known places where the children may have gone. When children return home, staff ensure that they provide them with reassurance.

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This monitoring visit

Serious incidents occur in the home which result in staff being physically assaulted. There is a lack of evidence to show that staff are skilful in being able to de-escalate children’s behaviours. Staff can feel intimidated by the children. Sometimes both children will join in and will assault staff. Sometimes staff must assist each other in a physical intervention of a child. This means that the required supervision of another child gets compromised.

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This monitoring visit

Staff turnover is high. This means that children are not receiving continuity of care. The provider is currently recruiting for new staff.

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This monitoring visit

During the visit, the inspector found that the registered manager and staff have not considered fire safety when making decisions. For instance, in response to a child trying to light fires in the kitchen and trying to cook late at night, staff decided to alter the function of the gas oven.

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This monitoring visit

The child’s risk assessment has not been adequately updated to reflect this risk. Consequently, staff do not have access to informed strategies and control measures to safeguard the child and others.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted has referred this matter to the fire service. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC431315 3 Two of the previous requirements from the full inspection undertaken in February 2020 have been met. Ofsted will review the remaining requirements and recommendations during the next full inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 24/02/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 12/06/2019 Full Good 04/12/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/02/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC431315 4

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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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b)) *

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to the ability of managers and staff to recognise and respond appropriately to bullying behaviour between children in the home. 08/03/2021

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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— 08/03/2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC431315 5 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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d))*

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to fire safety and ensuring that staff have clear strategies and guidance to follow when responding to children’s behaviour. In addition, this refers to children being adequately supported to learn how they can keep safe while online.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The register person should make sure that the home’s statement of purpose is kept under review (regulation 16 and schedule 1). The home’s statement of purpose should be children focused indicating how the home provides individualised care to meet the quality standard of the children in their home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC431315 6 (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.6)  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. Professionally, qualified staff employed by the home, e.g. teacher or social workers, should be provided with relevant professional or clinical supervision by an appropriately qualified and

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Recommendations

experienced professional. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should monitor and review the patterns and trends of turnover of staff, whether agency or directly employed, and be able to understand and where possible, address any negative trends. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.19)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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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

Sarah Berry, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC431315 7 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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