Children's home run by Good Foundations Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: SC065789 1 SC065789 Registered provider: Good Foundations Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for up to three children who may have experienced social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since December 2021.

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: 9 February 2022

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC065789 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/08/2019 Full Good 07/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/06/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC065789 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, there were two children living in the home. One child has moved out since the last full inspection.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children in the home feel happy and safe. Children were observed interacting positively with staff while making breakfast. Both the children stated that they felt safe and supported by staff. One child said: ‘I love it here.’ Consequently, children feel settled and able to make progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are accessing education. Staff encourage children to engage in education and will take children to and from school a significant distance away. For children who refuse to attend school, there is a clear and structured plan in place which includes activities that promote learning. Children recognise the importance of education and are making some progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their independence. Work sessions are completed with children around cooking, budgeting and shopping. Children complete independence tasks with support from staff which is suited to their needs and abilities. As a result, children are given the skills to make planned and positive moves from the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff plan day-to-day living in the home with the children. Staff and the children discuss activities they wish to do and the meals they would like to make. Children feel confident to make requests for specific activities. As a result , they feel listened to and enjoy their hobbies and interests.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have regular time with their families and others who are important to them. Staff have established positive relationships with children’s family members. Staff advocate for children to have appropriate and meaningful time with their families. Consequently, children build a positive sense of belonging and identity.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are generally in good health. Staff register children with appropriate health professionals and ensure that they attend all appointments. However, there have been occasions when children have received prescribed medication outside the times specified. There needs to be improvement in this area for children’s health needs to be consistently met.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment remains an area for improvement. The manager has ensured that some rooms have been redecorated and there are more soft furnishings around the home which create a homely feel. However, there remain areas of maintenance which need to be addressed. The manager has an action plan in place for this work to be completed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC065789 4

p.3

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

The children living in the home feel safe. Children spoke openly about trusting the staff in the home. They were knowledgeable about how to make a complaint and stated that they would be confident doing this. One child said: ‘if I’m worried, I speak to [the manager] and I know she will do something.’ As a result, children feel listened to and believed.

p.4

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

The home has a clear and consistent approach to risk management. Risk assessments in place for children are individualised and contain clear strategies. The management team reviews risk assessments regularly and ensures that its members update assessments following incidents. Staff are knowledgeable about the strategies outlined in the risk assessments. Consequently, children in the home are kept safe.

p.4

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

The home implements a restorative form of behaviour management. Staff are trained in and use measures of de-escalation to manage children’s behaviours. This is effective, and as a result, there have been no instances of physical intervention in this inspection period.

p.4

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

Staff demonstrate a proactive approach to internet safety. There are parental controls in place which allow staff to monitor and control the sites accessed by the children. Internet usage is limited to specified time periods and all staff are trained in internet safety. This ensures that the children in the home are being kept safe online and reduces risk.

p.4

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

The management team and staff have developed an effective relationship with other safeguarding professionals. This creates a proactive and joined-up approach to keeping children in the home safe. Consequently, children are supported and protected.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a manager and deputy manager who are child-centred. They have positive aspirations for the children they care for. Children say that they feel supported by the management team. As a result, children have trust in the people caring for them and develop a positive sense of self-worth.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from other professionals has been positive. One professional stated that the registered manager ‘advocates for children and always acts in their best interests’. Staff feel well supported by the manager and deputy manager. Professionals trust that children are receiving a good quality of care.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are clear care plans in place for children. The plans reflect the children’s needs and the plans of the local authority. The manager regularly reviews the care plans. This results in the manager being able to evidence children’s progress effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: SC065789 5 There is a stable staff team. The manager ensures that she completes rotas to meet the needs of the children. There is currently one staff vacancy; any additional shifts are covered by staff known to the children. This ensures a continuity of care for the children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective oversight of the care provided to children. The manager has implemented a system for evaluating incidents. Since the last inspection there have only been a small number of incidents; however, the manager has demonstrated her evaluation in the records. This ensures that the manager has a good understanding of the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that staff access training which is relative to the needs of the children. Staff have a good variety of training, including training around child sexual exploitation and radicalisation. As a result, staff have a good knowledge and skill base to safeguard the children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team and the manager benefit from regular supervision and appraisals. Supervisions are structured and demonstrate room for reflection. The managers use supervision as a forum to revisit staff’s knowledge. As a result, staff feel supported, and leaders have a good oversight of staff’s strengths and areas for improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: SC065789 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably.

p.6

Requirement Due date

This relates to the registered manager ensuring that all maintenance work is completed, enabling the children to live in a home that is of a good standard. 17 May 2022

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child.

p.6

Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to ensuring that children receive medication within the time specified in prescriptions. 17 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC065789 7

p.6

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: SC065789 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Good Foundations Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 Tower Quays, Tower Road, Birkenhead, Merseyside CH41 1BP

p.8

Inspector

Rose Maddocks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC065789 9 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.8

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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9