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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 1 SC066242 Registered provider: Progressive Futures Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it provides care for children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

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

p.1

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 carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 19 February 2020

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good Inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 2

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

Following a monitoring visit to the home on 9 March 2021, compliance notices were served against regulation 12, the protection of children standard and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

p.2

Enforcement action since last inspection:

A further monitoring visit took place on 27 April 2021 to monitor the actions taken by the provider to meet the two compliance notices. Some progress had been made but a further notice relating to the protection of children was served.

p.2

Enforcement action since last inspection:

A further monitoring visit took place on 8 June 2021 where it was found that the compliance notice relating to the protection of children had been met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 3

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/02/2020 Full Good 22/01/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/07/2017 Full Outstanding 12/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 4

p.3

improvement to be good

Two children currently live at this home. One child told the inspector that they have good relationships with the staff team and are happy living at the home.

p.4

improvement to be good

This is a small family home. Since the last inspection, some work has been undertaken to improve the quality of the home’s environment. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and decorated to their own tastes. However, this work is not always undertaken to a high standard. One child’s wardrobe was damaged; no action had been taken to address this. This does not reflect the homely environment the staff and manager want to create for children living in the home.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to attend routine health appointments. The inspector observed children and staff making the home’s shopping list and discussing the importance of a healthy diet. Children are also supported to engage in physical exercise. However, the manager has not ensured that children’s individual health plans are updated with recent information.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children living in the home are not currently engaging with their planned education. The manager is proactive in encouraging children’s engagement and is working with relevant professionals to achieve this. Staff have supported one child to attend a local apprenticeship fair. They have created informal education plans for children, including access to online learning until they are ready to re-engage in formal education.

p.4

improvement to be good

Consultation with children requires improvement. It is not clear how staff support children to share their views. The inspector observed one child talking openly with staff in the home. However, this is not consistent for all children. One child had made requests for items that were important to them, but no action had been taken to respond to this. This is a missed opportunity for staff to build positive relationships, particularly for children who are difficult to engage.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff are supporting children to develop life skills, such as cooking and budgeting. As a result, children are developing the skills they need for when they move on from the home.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff promote appropriate contact with children’s family and friends. The manager and staff share any concerns with the placing authority to ensure that these arrangements are safe and appropriate for children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 5

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff spoken to during the inspection demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of the risks to children. However, children’s risk management plans do not identify all known risks, or contain the most up-to-date information. This means that staff do not have the written guidance of the strategies they are to follow in order to minimise risks and ensure children’s safety.

p.5

improvement to be good

There have been no incidents of going missing for children currently living at the home. Although there are plans in place that outline the procedure staff are to follow when a child goes missing from the home, it is not clear how often staff should have contact with the child when they are in the community and when they should begin this procedure.

p.5

improvement to be good

Staff are largely lone working. An on-call facility is used should additional staff be required in order to manage incidents of concern or look for children when they are missing. The staff spoken to during the inspection were aware of the on-call procedure in place and when this should be accessed, with the duty member of staff identified on the home’s rota.

p.5

improvement to be good

Records of incidents demonstrate staff taking appropriate action to safeguard children. One incident referred to a room search being undertaken to remove items harmful to the child. However, there was no record to demonstrate that this took place. Furthermore, follow-up work is not always undertaken with children to help them understand the concerns for their safety. This had not been identified by the home’s manager.

p.5

improvement to be good

Children have individualised behaviour management plans in place that outline the strategies staff can use to support children’s behaviours. One child told the inspector: ‘I have calmed down since I have been here.’ As a result, physical interventions have not been used.

p.5

improvement to be good

Children have weekly incentives in place to promote positive behaviour. There have been no negative consequences since the last inspection.

p.5

improvement to be good

The interim manager has developed relationships with a number of professionals to ensure that information relating to children is shared appropriately. However, not all notifications have been shared with Ofsted in a timely way.

p.5

good

The interim manager is new to the role. This is her first experience of managing a children’s home. The manager is approachable, and staff spoken to are positive about the impact she has made since she was appointed as manager. Inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 6 Staff receive regular supervision. Records support staff to reflect on their work with children living in the home and identify areas for the professional development of staff.

p.5

good

Team meetings take place regularly and demonstrate good communication between the manager and staff team. These meetings provide the opportunity to discuss the current needs of the children and any actions that can be taken by the staff team to support them.

p.6

good

There are shortfalls in the manager’s monitoring and oversight of the home. Children’s case records do not include the information staff should have about each child, such as health assessments and up-to-date personal education plans. This hinders the manager’s ability to demonstrate how the home’s care planning supports children to make progress against the placing authorities’ expectations.

p.6

good

Since the last inspection, a new independent person has been visiting the home. The format of these reports has improved, and leaders and managers believe that these reports are more helpful than previously. However, they recognise that improvements need to continue to be made and are taking appropriate action to address this.

p.6

good

The most recent review of the quality of care report was completed prior to the manager’s appointment. However, the report does not include consultation with stakeholders, or actions for the development of the home. This does not support the manager to drive forward improvements in the quality of care provided to children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 7

p.6

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.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

p.7

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. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c))

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff develop positive relationships with all children and take action to respond to children’s wishes and feelings. 4 May 2022

p.7

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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.7

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(d))

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that risk management plans for children include clear strategies for staff to use to manage and reduce risk and that improvements are made to the home environment, specifically children’s bedrooms. 4 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 8 The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

p.8

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)(f)(h))

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there are effective monitoring systems in place to ensure that oversight of all aspects of the day-to-day running of the home is undertaken. 4 May 2022

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

p.8

Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36 (1)(a))

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children’s case records contain up-to-date plans and reports relating to each child, including personal education plans and children’s health assessments. 4 May 2022

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.8

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 4 May 2022

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. 4 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 9 In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

p.8

Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

p.9

Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

p.9

Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(b)(c) (5))

p.9

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that reports include feedback from stakeholders and actions that the registered person will take in order to drive forward improvements in the home.

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 for children’s home: SC066242 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Progressive Futures Care Limited

p.10

Children’s home details

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

p.10

Inspector

Genevieve O’Reilly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 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