Children's Home run by Future In Mind Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC067839 1 SC067839 Registered provider: Future in mind Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties. The home provides a therapeutic environment for the children that it cares for. The home is owned by a private organisation.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in December 2019.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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: 17 December 2019

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC067839 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/12/2019 Full Good 01/08/2018 Full Outstanding 02/08/2017 Full Good 21/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC067839 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children live in this home. The children are making good progress from their starting point. A previous child that was living at the home moved on to new accommodation to be closer to his family. This was a planned and successful move.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions, children have received individual support and care from staff who are committed in their roles. Staff show a good knowledge and understanding about each child’s vulnerabilities. As a result of these relationships, staff support children to make positive changes and progress in all areas of their development. During the periods of restrictions when it has been difficult for children to attend school, staff have stepped in to help promote the children’s learning. This has enabled the children to sustain academic success. One child who has experienced difficulties with education attendance has been supported by staff to re-engage in learning. For example, they have benefited from an online tutor. As a result, this child is beginning to make good progress in their education.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to maintain a healthy lifestyle and to improve their well- being. Staff also support children to attend all routine and specialist medical health appointments. However, staff do not always adequately promote some children’s health needs. For example, staff had purchased cigarettes for one child, who has now left the home. The registered manager took prompt action to address this shortfall when this was raised by the inspector following a notification received by Ofsted. This action was against the law and had the potential to compromise the child’s physical health.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff communicate well with the relevant professionals and agencies to ensure that recommendations raised at statutory reviews are acted on. As a result, children’s needs have been reviewed and staff continue to provide care and support in line with children’s plans.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff have grasped the importance of children’s family relationships and promote these well with those who are special to the children. This has helped to support children’s sense of identity and emotional well-being.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some members of staff develop positive relationships with the children and know them well. These staff have a good understanding of the children’s complex behaviours and vulnerabilities. Staff show patience and resilience, and this helps children to develop trusting relationships. However, the home has experienced a high turnover of staff. This has left children struggling to build up the same level of positive relationships with newer members of staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming, and it has been furbished and decorated to meet the needs of the children. However, some aspects of the home environment are not nurturing. Inspection report children’s home: SC067839 4 For example, one child’s bedroom window does not have window blinds for privacy, and in the garden there is a ligature risk from the garden equipment. In addition, the home is in need of a number of repairs such as in the hallway and bathroom. This does not help the children to feel invested in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff do not always promote equality and diversity. Discussions around topics such as children’s differences and characteristics, cultural background, religion and racial origin are not actively encouraged and promoted well. For example, the cultural needs of one child have not been promoted and maintained, despite the fact this child has been living at the home for some time. This creates a missed opportunity to help children to understand and develop culture and diversity.

p.4

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

When children go missing from the home, staff act quickly to escalate concerns by following the missing-from-care protocol. Staff work closely in partnership with the local authority, local services and the police. Also, staff ensure that children are offered a return home interview as soon as possible. This ensures that children’s safety is promoted.

p.4

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

There have been incidents when staff have needed to intervene to safeguard children. These incidents are well managed and well documented. This means that the number of incidents in the home involving physical intervention are reducing. Records show that children and the staff constantly receive debriefs following each incident.

p.4

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

Staff encourage children to take part in regular fire drills to ensure that they know how to safely evacuate the home in an emergency.

p.4

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

Overall, staff ensure that risk assessments outline the risks to children’s safety and provide clear guidance in how to mitigate against and manage risks. However, the registered manager and staff do not always ensure that risk assessments are regularly reviewed and accurately reflect information about the risk that children can face. For example, one child’s risk assessment had missing information about internet safety and road awareness. This leaves staff without all the necessary information that they need to reach an informed decision. The registered manager ensures that staff are thoroughly vetted before they work with the children. As a result, children are kept safe.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is passionate and enthusiastic about the care children receive. She ensures that recommendations made by the independent visitor are acted on. As a result, staff practice reflects the ethos of the home’s statement of purpose. Inspection report children’s home: SC067839 5 Sufficient action has been taken by the registered manager to address the requirements raised at the last inspection. These include aspects of the home’s decoration and management oversight of children’s risk assessments. The registered manager ensures that Ofsted is notified of all serious incidents that occur in the home. This means there is continuous regulatory overview between inspections. There is positive partnership working with other agencies, such as the local authority, mental health service, police and schools. This ensures that children benefit from tailored support to enable them to stay safe and make good progress.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff provide positive feedback and confirm they are well supported by the registered manager. Staff also benefit from regular supervision and team meetings. However, the registered manager does not always use supervision to enable staff to reflect on their practice. This is a missed opportunity for raising staff aspirations and developing their learning. Overall, the registered manager uses monitoring and review systems well to help her to have a good level of oversight of the home. However, some shortfalls have been identified such as the home’s statement of purpose and the locality risk assessment not being updated.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

It is acknowledged that the restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on face-to-face training for staff. However, the registered manager has not used technology well to ensure that staff continue to receive refresher training. This has included receiving specialised training in the home’s therapeutic training, fire safety and medication. This delay has the potential to compromise the staff’s ability to update their knowledge.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has not ensured that staff who work in the home have satisfactory qualifications to meet the needs of children. Two staff members have not completed the required level 3 qualification within the specified timescale. This could compromise the quality of care children receive. Inspection report children’s home: SC067839 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vii)(d))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to staff ensuring that risk assessments are up to date and ensuring that several repairs and maintenance jobs are finished, and that potential ligature risks in the garden are removed. 20 August 2021

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— 20 August 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC067839 7 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.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

p.7

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)(c)(d)(e)(h))

p.7

Requirement Due date

the registered manager ensuring that the workforce provides continuity and consistency of care to each child;

p.7

Requirement Due date

the registered manager uses monitoring systems effectively;

p.7

Requirement Due date

the registered manager ensuring that staff are able to receive all their refresher training to enable them to keep their skills and knowledge up to date.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification 20 August 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC067839 8 and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

p.7

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—

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

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

p.8

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. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

p.8

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that all staff have completed the relevant qualification in residential childcare.

p.8

Recommendations

 The registered person should have systems in place to ensure that all staff receive practice-related supervision. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that staff are skilled in meeting the cultural needs of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17 paragraph 3.22)  The registered manager should ensure that the home’s statement of purpose contains accurate information and reflects staff structure and staffing levels to meet children’s needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The register manager should ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to be able to respond to the health needs of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraphs 7.2)

p.8

Recommendations

Inspection report children’s home: SC067839 9

p.9

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: SC067839 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Future In Mind, 65 Market Street, Hednesford, Cannock, Staffordshire WS12 1AD

p.10

Inspector

Patrick McIntosh, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC067839 11 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.10

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.11

Inspector

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

p.11

Inspector

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

p.11