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

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC394875 1 SC394875

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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

The home is part of a private organisation that runs several children’s homes . It accommodates up to two children who have complex needs and social and/or emotional difficulties. The manager registered with Ofsted in 2011 and has a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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This monitoring visit

The home was last inspected in October 2019. This monitoring visit was carried out to enable the regulator to obtain an up-to-date assessment of the staff’s ability to safely manage children’s presenting needs.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Ofsted did not carry out a physical visit to the home. The inspector gathered evidence in several different ways, including holding video and telephone calls with the manager and the staff, and asking them to provide electronic documents for the inspector to review.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, two children have left the home. One child had a planned move to live back with their family. Another child’s placement ended due to staff being unable to meet the child’s complex needs. Staff supported the child to move to their new home and have remained in contact with the child.

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This monitoring visit

Currently, there is one child living at the home. The child has lived at the home since May 2020. An independent reviewing officer told the inspector that there had been good sharing of information before the child moved into the home and this has helped the child to experience a positive transition.

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This monitoring visit

Partnership working is strong. The child’s social worker described communication with staff as being ‘excellent’. Staff talk with the child in planned meetings and in day-to-day discussions and help him to set personal targets to achieve. This joined- Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC394875 2 up approach to planning means that the child invests in his achievements and he is making progress in all areas.

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This monitoring visit

The home is a warm and welcoming environment for the child to live in. Areas of the home are highly personalised and reflect the child’s tastes. For example, staff have supported the child to decorate his bedroom with a ‘gaming’ theme. However, some areas of the home are tired looking, for example flooring in the hallway is worn. This detracts from the homely feel of the home.

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This monitoring visit

Staff receive training in therapeutic care and work closely with the organisation’s therapists, who advise and mentor them about how best to respond to the children’s individual needs. Staff then use additional research to further understand the child’s complex needs. As a result, staff have been able to quickly build up a strong relationship with the child currently living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

When the child has not been able to spend time with his family because of restrictions related to COVID-19, staff have been creative in helping him to enjoy regular meaningful contact with family members. Staff work closely with the child’s parents, who praise the staff for consulting them about important decisions concerning their child’s care.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are skilled at de-escalating the child’s behaviours. Detailed risk assessments help to ensure that staff understand the child’s risks and vulnerabilities and are clear about how they need to respond to promote his welfare. As a result, staff are skilled at de-escalating the child’s behaviours and there have been no incidents when restraint has been used.

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This monitoring visit

The home is led by an established registered manager who has a level 5 qualification in leadership and management. The manager is a strong advocate for the child, and he ensures that the child’s views are heard. For example, the manager successfully challenged education professionals on decisions that were against the child’s wishes. Consequently, the child is happy and settled in a school of his choice and is making significant progress from his starting point.

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This monitoring visit

The child is cared for by a well-qualified, consistent staff team. Four staff have the level 3 qualification in residential childcare and two are enrolled. However, one member of staff has not obtained his level 3 diploma within the regulatory timescale. This represents a potential weakness in the number of staff who hold the required qualification.

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This monitoring visit

Despite the restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, managers have worked hard to ensure that staff have been able to complete relevant training to help them to meet the child’s needs. This includes bespoke training in understanding more about autism spectrum disorder. However, managers have not been creative enough in ensuring that staff have been able to refresh training in health and safety. This has the potential to compromise staff’s ability to recognise risks in the home environment and to keep the child safe. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC394875 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 11/09/2019 Full Good 06/09/2018 Full Good 17/10/2017 Full Good 03/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC394875 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child.

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Requirement Due date

This relates to refresher training in health and safety being significantly out of date for some staff. 11 April 2021

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. 11 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC394875 5 The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part- time basis.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to one staff member, who began working in residential care in 2018, not achieving a level 3 qualification within regulatory timescales.

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Recommendation

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. This relates to flooring in the hallway being worn and in need of replacement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC394875 6

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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

Karen Gillingwater, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC394875 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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