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, with adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours.

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Information about this children's home

On 02 February 2021, Ofsted completed a monitoring visit. The visit concluded that staff were not safeguarding children effectively. Furthermore, there was a significant failure in securing a child-centred approach to the development of positive behaviour. As a result, compliance notices were issued under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 11 (the positive relationships standard).

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the visit one child was living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

On 10 March 2021, Sarah Berry and Patrick McIntosh, social care regulatory inspectors, carried out a monitoring visit. The purpose of the visit was to review progress made as a result of the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was conducted using a blended approach, due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Inspectors spent a limited period of time at the home and then continued the inspection remotely. The inspectors considered a sample of documents provided via email, conducted interviews with the staff and spent time talking to the children.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last visit to the home, progress has been made, resulting in both compliance notices being met. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC431315 2 Staff are now encouraging children to be kinder towards others. Staff complete activities that help to promote positive relationships. For example, the children and staff now keep kindness notes in an ‘act of kindness jar'. Staff are also encouraging children to pick a note and carry out an act of kindness towards someone else.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are now supporting children to reflect more on their emotions. This is helping children to recognise feelings. This greater engagement is helping children to have tools to help them express their feelings in a safe way.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are now teaching children more about the impact of bullying. One staff member has carried out an in-depth piece of work with one child to help the child reflect on how their behaviour and how this might impact on others. However, not every member of staff is working to the same level of diligence and this can result in children receiving mixed messages.

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This monitoring visit

One child told their teacher that they felt ‘threatened’ by another child living in the home. This child also reported to staff that they no longer wanted to live at the home. Staff have listened to the child’s wishes and feelings and have supported the child to move to a new home within the organisation. The child reports being happy in their new home.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have received training to increase their awareness around ‘bullying’. However, despite this progress not all staff recognise harmful behaviour displayed by children can present as bullying. For example, during the visit one child told the inspector that ‘staff say and do different things, it’s okay for one and not the other’. This inconsistency can leave children feeling frustrated and unhappy.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have not received training that is pertinent to the needs of the children living in the home. For example, staff are still waiting for training in increasing their knowledge of self-harm and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Furthermore, one member of staff has not completed the level 3 diploma in residential childcare in the required timescale.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are now receiving regular supervision. However, some supervision records are incomplete and fail to illustrate that staff have time to reflect on their practice.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has carried out a quality review on children’s care. However, the review is not reflective of children’s experiences and lacks consultation with parents and professionals.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have liaised with external fire safety professionals. This consultation has resulted in an in-depth fire risk assessment being carried out for the home, which has raised a number of recommendations. Managers have taken immediate action to rectify some of the recommendations, but some recommendations remain unmet. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC431315 3

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph requires the registered person to ensure—

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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;

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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)(v)(vi)(vii))(b)(d)

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to management and staff acting on the recommendations raised as a result of the fire safety risk assessment. 07 April 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children's home; or 07 April 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC431315 5 if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1)(3)(b)(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff receive training which is pertinent to the needs of children living in the home. In addition, managers must ensure there is consistency in respect of the quality of work completed by staff with children and the recording of such.

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Requirement Due date

Furthernore managers must ensure that staff are appropriately qualified to work in the home. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC431315 6

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Recommendations

 The registered 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. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.6)

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Recommendations

 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 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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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the review of the quality of care takes into consideration the views of professionals and family members. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', pages 64–65, paragraph 15.2)

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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 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC431315 7 Responsible individual: Carly Adams

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Inspectors

Sarah Berry, Social Care Inspector Mr Patrick McIntosh, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC431315 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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