Children's home run by Future In Mind Limited in Bolton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC394875 1 SC394875 Registered provider: Future in Mind Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is part of a private organisation that runs several children’s homes . It provides care for up to two children with complex needs and emotional and behavioural difficulties. The previous manager resigned in September 2021. The new manager has been in post since December 2021. She has not yet registered 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 carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF)on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Ofsted last visited this setting on 24 February 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

Date of last inspection: 11 September 2019

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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: SC394875 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/09/2019 Full Good 06/09/2018 Full Good 17/10/2017 Full Good 03/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC394875 3

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improvement to be good

Managers have not acted quickly to bring about sustained improvements since the home’s previous inspection. Several requirements have been raised at this inspection; two of these are restated from the last inspection.

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improvement to be good

Two children live in this home. Children have made some good progress since coming to live at the home. However, staff do not provide sufficient support to maintain this and help children to progress further.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always regularly review and update children’s records. For example, documents tracking children’s progress do not always contain the relevant information. In addition, some children do not have plans to progress their independence. This means that staff are not able to measure children’s achievements or what further support they may need.

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improvement to be good

Managers do not always ensure that the independent visitor to the home seeks the views of children, their families or social workers. This may restrict the quality of their review when children’s views and external feedback are not sought.

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improvement to be good

Children’s educational progress varies significantly. Staff successfully support one child with their education and this child is doing well and making good progress with his learning and school attendance. However, not enough has been done to support another child who is not attending school. Managers did not take enough action to escalate their concerns to ensure that one child was re-admitted to school.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that children attend routine medical appointments. However, staff do not demonstrate they have the relevant skills and knowledge to help children to understand and to change poor choices with regard to their health and well-being. For example, staff have not been effective in supporting children when they have concerns about them smoking and vaping. This means that children do not always receive the healthcare that they need, and this has the potential to compromise their well-being.

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improvement to be good

The home is not always well maintained. Although children’s bedrooms are personalised and maintained, staff do not ensure that other aspects of the home are welcoming. For example, the garden area is overgrown. Furthermore, repairs and maintenance required in the home have not all been completed in a timely manner. This practice does not create a nurturing and homely environment. The manager took some action during the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to maintain positive relationships with those who are important to them. They communicate with social workers and family members to review the arrangements for children to spend time with their families. Staff show a Inspection report for children’s home: SC394875 4 good understanding of the importance of children spending meaningful time with their families. Children benefit from this care and understanding.

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improvement to be good

Some staff develop positive relationships with children. They have a good understanding of childhood trauma and children’s complex behaviours and respond well to children’s needs. As a result of some staff showing good knowledge, one child has developed trusting relationships.

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improvement to be good

Staff help each child to prepare for their move into the home. For example, one child moved successfully from another home in the organisation. Staff worked closely with the placing authority and supported the child so they were prepared both practically and emotionally when moving. As a result, the child’s move was managed well.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not always proactive in having important discussions and conversations with children to help them stay safe and make positive choices. For example, staff have not helped a child to learn about internet safety or, knife crime and smoking. Furthermore, staff are not supporting children to learn about healthy lifestyles and socially acceptable behaviour, despite concerns raised in children’s care and health plans. As a result, children do not always get enough help and support.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not provide children with enough support about how to keep safe. There is a lack of effective direct work with children about known potential risks. Staff are therefore not helping children to understand serious harmful behaviours. As a result, children do not develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from damaging or harmful behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Some staff are unable to demonstrate a good understanding of how to manage risk and keep children safe. Children’s risk assessments are lengthy and lack focus on some important risks. In addition, written documents have not been updated following incidents. For example, known risks such as behaviours involving damage to property are not included in risk assessments. This has the potential to increase the risk to vulnerable children.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always show professional curiosity about the safety of children in their care. They are not inquisitive enough about children’s use of their electronic devices, despite guidance in risk assessments, and do not undertake regular checks despite there being a potential risk. This lack of action makes children more vulnerable to coming to harm online.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always have a good understanding of how to support children to calm and help them keep safe when their behaviour becomes challenging and risky. As a result, this has led to a situation escalating which put children and staff at risk. These are missed opportunities by staff to ensure that the child is better supported to manage his feelings. Inspection report for children’s home: SC394875 5 Recruitment checks of staff are not sufficiently thorough. Managers have failed to complete necessary checks to ensure that staff working in the home are safe and suitable. This does not ensure that staff working in the home are suitable to work with children.

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good

Managers have not yet developed a good understanding about all of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Some inconsistent leadership and ineffective monitoring and oversight mean that managers do not always identify and act quickly on shortfalls. The current manager has been in post since December 2021. When they were appointed, they identified some weaknesses in the home. An action plan is ongoing to address these shortfalls.

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good

Staff vacancies required managers to use staff from another home in the organisation to care for children. Children have therefore experienced inconsistent staffing which has impacted on the quality of care they received. One parent reported to the inspector, ‘The high turnover in staff has had a negative impact on [name]’s mental health.’ Managers are working towards creating a more stable team to care for children.

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good

Managers have not ensured that staff have the skills and training to meet the needs of children with additional needs. For example, one member of staff does not have safeguarding training, not all staff have received training in autism spectrum disorder awareness. Some staff are still waiting for bespoke therapeutic training which was previously booked but cancelled due to Covid-19. In addition, managers were not able to provide assurances that all staff working with children have sufficient skills to meet their complex needs.

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good

Not all staff have achieved the level 3 qualification in caring for children within the required timescale.

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good

Managers do not always use their monitoring and review systems effectively. For example, they have failed to ensure that staff have clear guidance and advice when managing children’s risk.

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good

Staff told the inspector that they feel supported by the manager and have a positive relationship with them. However, the quality of supervision that staff receive is variable. Although some staff receive regular supervision, managers do not always use supervision effectively to monitor staff progress and professional development. This does not promote staff development and improve practices within the home.

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good

Managers ensure they send their quality of care review into Ofsted within the required period. However, these reports do not consistently contain feedback from children and professionals. This leaves the regulator without the full information and opportunity to review the manager’s own assessment of the quality of care. Inspection report for children’s home: SC394875 6 Partner agencies have mixed views about the service. Some professionals are pleased with the care provided to children and other are not. Two independent reviewing officers told the inspector, ‘Communication is weak at times, there is a high turnover of staff and not all staff understand [children’s] risk assessments.’ However, others recognise that the staff are helping children to continue to make progress. Inspection report for children’s home: SC394875 7

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(viii)(x))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager and staff ensuring that they support children who are not in attendance at school to return as soon as possible. 8 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)) 8 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC394875 8 This relates to ensuring that children’s health needs regarding all aspects of their development are promoted.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(b) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to staff supporting children to explore their emotions and build positive relationships. 8 April 2022

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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 8 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC394875 9 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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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; and

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to staff ensuring they follow advice in children’s risk assessments and that these are reviewed and kept up to date.

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Requirement Due date

It also relates to ensuring that all aspects of the home are welcoming.

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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; 8 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC394875 10 ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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)(b)(c)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the manager ensuring that all staff receive refresher mandatory training.

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Requirement Due date

Also, to the manager ensuring that they have sufficient staff to provide consistent care to the children.

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Requirement Due date

And, to ensuring they use internal monitoring systems more effectively.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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

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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,

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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

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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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 8 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC394875 11 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. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b)(d) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that relevant checks on agency staff are fully completed.

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Requirement Due date

Also, this relates to the manager ensuring that all staff have completed the relevant qualification in residential childcare.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that all staff receive regular reflective supervision. 8 April 2022

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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

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the 8 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC394875 12 measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that records of restraint identify and accurately reflect the incident involving the restraint. When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (2)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the manager ensuring that the independent person completes a rigorous assessment of the home’s arrangements. 8 April 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the quality of care review report reflects the feedback and opinions of children and professionals who work with them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)  The registered person should ensure that daily case records are updated and hold accurate information. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: SC394875 13 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: SC394875 14

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Patrick McIntosh, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC394875 15 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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