Children's Home run by Progressive Futures Care Limited in Sefton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC061924 1 SC061924 Registered provider: Progressive Futures Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a small private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children who may have emotional and/or behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The provider appointed an interim manager in August 2021. The interim manager has made an application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, 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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 27 April 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC061924 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/03/2020 Full Good 19/11/2018 Full Good 23/08/2017 Full Good 11/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC061924 3

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improvement to be good

Children who live in this home have made progress in their physical development and emotional well-being. Children are cared for by staff who know them well and take a vested interest in each child’s life. One child told the inspector that all staff are ‘boss’.

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improvement to be good

All children have made significant progress in education despite their previous poor experiences with learning. The acting manager and staff have helped children to overcome barriers to their education.

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improvement to be good

Children’s bedrooms are personalised to each child’s individual needs. This helps children to feel like they are valued.

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improvement to be good

Staff and the manager do not always challenge the placing authority when they have concerns about children’s care plans. As a result, this has led to one child being away from the home for long periods of time.

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improvement to be good

Staff arrange appropriate contact with family and friends. Contact for one child has increased, enabling him to spend more time with extended family.

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improvement to be good

Children are given opportunities to share their views on their care and the daily routines of the home. Positive relationships with staff enable children to raise any concerns at any time. They know how to make a complaint and who to talk to if they have a concern.

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improvement to be good

Risk management is not consistent in the home. This means that children are not always effectively safeguarded.

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improvement to be good

The staff demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of risks to children and the protective strategies in place. However, the quality of written risk assessments is variable and at times information is inconsistent or missing. This means that staff are not able to effectively safeguard children. This also reflects weaknesses in the manager’s monitoring of the paperwork.

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improvement to be good

The use of physical intervention is minimal, which is evidence of staff’s skills and ability to form positive relationships with children. Furthermore, rewards and consequences are used effectively to help children learn about how their behaviour can affect them and others. Inspection report for children’s home: SC061924 4 The outcome of a multi-agency meeting attended by the acting manager had not been shared with staff. Lack of sharing information with staff means that children cannot be effectively safeguarded.

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improvement to be good

Staff and the acting manager have undertaken a range of training in safeguarding matters. This ensures that they have some basic knowledge of safeguarding practice.

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good

The acting manager is new to the role. She has recently made an application to register with Ofsted. The acting manager exudes warmth and is child centred in her approach.

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good

Monitoring requires improvement. Shortfalls were identified in children’s records. The manager has started to take steps to address these shortfalls.

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good

Staff say that they feel supported in their roles. Team meetings have taken place, which have enabled the team to share ideas and come together.

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good

Supervision for staff takes place regularly and is reflected in style. As a result, this helps staff to learn and reflect on their experiences with children.

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good

The acting manager and staff work effectively with a number of agencies, including mental health teams, education providers and police, who all receive regular updates on the progress of children.

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good

A child’s plan was not challenged by the manager prior to him coming to live in the home. As a result, the child spends substantial time away from the home. This limits the child being able to develop meaningful relationships with staff.

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good

Staff are either qualified to the appropriate level or are currently undertaking the relevant course. This means that the child receives support from suitably qualified staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC061924 5

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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.

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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

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; and

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(b)) 20 February 2022

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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

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each 20 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC061924 6 child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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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)(a)(f)(h))

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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 for children’s home: SC061924 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Progressive Futures Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 22 Hoghton Street, Southport, Merseyside PR9 0PG

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Inspector

Rachel Springford, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC061924 8 regulates and inspects 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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