Children's Home run by Future Focused Ltd in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: 1270301 1 Registered provider: Future Focused Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is one of a number operated by a private provider. It provides care and support for up to three children who may have emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager’s registration was finalised as part of this inspection process. He has managed the home since February 2020.

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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.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 15 October 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1270301 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/10/2019 Full Good 14/03/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 12/06/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1270301 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is a homely environment for children to live in. There have been some recent home improvements, including the installation of a new kitchen and redecoration in the home. Staff have also installed gym equipment in the garage space. This was completed during the restrictions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It helped to keep children fit and active and was well used by children during this period, when their time outside of the home was restricted.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff engaged children imaginatively during the restrictions posed by the pandemic. This included purchasing games for the home and garden, and going on long walks, when permitted to do so. As restrictions have lifted, children have been able to engage in their usual interests, such as football and golf. They have also enjoyed trips to theme parks over the summer holidays. Children enjoy these positive activities that they share with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team has been largely stable since the current manager has overseen the home. This allows children to establish positive relationships with those caring for them. Staff speak warmly about the children, and positive relationships were observed during the inspection. One child told inspectors that the best thing about living in the home was that ‘staff care about you’. This feeling of security is key to children’s progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress while living here. Their engagement with education is particularly positive, even when attendance has been poor prior to moving here. Staff act as strong advocates for children, ensuring that they attend the most appropriate setting. This enables children to achieve to their full potential. One child achieved well in national examinations and is now attending college, as well as having a part-time job. This is good preparation for his next move to semi- independence, as he is learning the significance of budgeting and saving his well- earned income.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children contribute their views and suggestions about the home at regular children’s meetings. They also told the inspector that they would feel confident in making a complaint. However, the children’s guide to the home does not provide information about how to access an advocate independently, should they wish to do so. Children are also asked to sign a document, when they move into the home, to state that they will not need advocacy services while living here. This is unreasonable, as the children’s future needs are unknown at this point.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s health needs and they seek professional advice when needed. However, one child’s health and placement plan did not make it clear regarding the significance of him receiving his medication at a particular time of day. Furthermore, the time that this medication is administered is not being recorded on Inspection report children’s home: 1270301 4 the medication administration chart, making it difficult for the manager to have sufficient oversight to ensure that this is being administered correctly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to keep in contact with their family and friends. Staff appreciate the significance of these relationships. One relative spoken to during the inspection described the staff as ‘brilliant.’ It is important for children to see these positive relationships between those who are important to them and the staff team.

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

The positive relationships that staff have with children enable them to de-escalate most challenging situations. Children respect staff and listen to their advice. They learn more effective ways to manage their emotions, with the support of staff. Physical interventions are rare. However, when incidents do occur, the records do not currently include an evaluation by the manager, as to the effectiveness of the measure used. This would help inform staff’s response to future incidents.

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

Children do not engage in frequent risk-taking behaviours, such as the misuse of drugs and alcohol. Risk management plans contain pertinent information and strategies for staff to implement to reduce risk. These are also subject to regular review. Children’s concerns reduce when they move in, as they soon settle into the routine of the home.

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

Children are confident that staff will listen to them and take any concerns seriously. Children feel safe here. One child said, ‘At this home you feel safe. This is not the case in other homes.’

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

Children confirm that the rules and boundaries in the home are fair. The ethos of the home is to reward positive behaviour and celebrate children’s achievements. Individualised incentive plans are used effectively and help to target specific matters.

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

Regular key-working conversations ensure that children are provided with accurate information on pertinent issues, such as internet safety and the risks of alcohol. Children’s social workers commented that this was a strength of the home. One said, ‘Staff are clearly highly skilled at working with young people, responding with humour and inclusivity.’

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

The home is in a rural location. For security reasons, closed-circuit television (CCTV) has been installed to the exterior of the property since the last inspection. Appropriate consents to this have been obtained. However, the organisation has yet to develop a suitable policy on the use of CCTV, to include the access and storage of recorded footage.

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

Staff recruitment processes are not always sufficiently. Discrepancies in employment dates have not been fully explored and reference checks are not always clear on employees’ files. As staff recruitment is managed centrally, the manager does not Inspection report children’s home: 1270301 5 have sufficient oversight of the recruitment processes. This means that the integrity and suitability of those employed are not consistently explored by the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a suitably experienced manager in charge of the home. He has made significant changes since coming here. There is also a deputy manager, who shares the management tasks in the home. Together, they act as good advocates for children and will challenge placing authorities when needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported and valued. They benefit from regular reflective supervision sessions and an annual performance appraisal. These processes are used effectively for staff development. The manager seeks the views of children to help inform staff appraisals, ensuring that children know that their views are important. This increases the effectiveness of this process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Core training, which includes safeguarding, is completed during induction. Staff also receive specific training to meet the needs of the children living in the home. Furthermore, the majority of the staff team have a suitable childcare qualification. However, several refresher courses are now out of date and some role-specific training, such as supervision and appraisal for senior staff, has yet to be completed. This needs to be prioritised now that the restrictions posed by the pandemic are lifted, to ensure that staff’s skills remain current.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s statement of purpose outlines the ethos of the home and the outcomes it is intending to achieve. However, the use of bedroom door sensors and the use of CCTV are not clear in this document, as they have been introduced following the registration of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The internal monitoring reports, which are prepared by the manager on a six- monthly basis, demonstrate the progress children are making. However, they lack evaluation, do not include the views of others or target areas for development. Consequently, their effectiveness in driving forward improvements in the home is limited.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager wants children to make the most of the opportunities available to them while living here. One child, who has lived in the home for over two years, described the positive difference to the home and the staff team that has occurred since the new manager arrived. He said, ‘He has made a big difference all around.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Social work professionals comment on their effective partnership working and the positive difference that the manager and staff team have made to children living in the home. Inspection report children’s home: 1270301 6

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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, The 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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 an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child’s arrival about—

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Requirement Due date

what advocacy support or services are available to the child, how the child may access that support or those services and any entitlement the child may have to independent advocacy provision. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(d)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the children’s guide includes details about how children can access advocacy services directly if they choose and that they are not expected to agree to there being no need to do so at the time of moving into the home. 22 November 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)) 22 November 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 1270301 7 Specifically, that the document includes details of the bedroom door alarms that are in use and the external CCTV installed at the home.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that staff recruitment processes comply with the principles of safer recruitment. 22 November 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that prioritisation is given to staff attending refresher training and senior staff completing supervision and appraisal training. 22 November 2021

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that records include the manager’s evaluation. 22 November 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 1270301 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there is a comprehensive policy regarding the CCTV system installed outside the property. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)  The registered person should ensure that medicines are administered in line with a medically approved protocol. Children’s health plans should be clear regarding the significance of the timing of the administration of medication and these details should be recorded on the medication administration record. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that quality of care reports are used to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home’s care. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next six months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. The whole review

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Recommendations

process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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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: 1270301 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Future Focused Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Office 1, Crows Nest Business Park, Ashton Road, Billinge, Wigan, Lancashire WN5 7XX

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Inspector

Mandy Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1270301 10 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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