Children's home run by Footsteps a Path to Change 08 Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2545082 1 Registered provider: Footsteps A Path to Change 08 Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately run children’s home that is registered to care for up to two children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

A new manager commenced in post in December 2021. The manager has submitted their application for their registration with Ofsted.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2545082 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2545082 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home and two children have since left the home. One child moved into independent living, and another child moved to a new placement to be closer to his family

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child who recently moved into the home has settled in well. She has a full-time placement in school and her attendance is good. Staff have established positive partnerships with the child’s school to support their progress and learning. The child has a personal education plan to promote their identified needs, aspirations and achievements. The child has a passion for writing and poetry. Staff have entered the child into a poetry competition to encourage her talents and enthusiasm for poetry. The child reported, ‘It’s good. I like the staff and the area. The staff are really nice people.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is registered with the health services that she needs to be healthy and is in good health. Delegated health responsibilities are in place. The child attends her routine medical appointments with good support and encouragement from staff. There are no current concerns with substance misuse or smoking.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is engaged in lots of positive activities. She has been provided with her own photograph album, so she has a personalised keepsake of her most memorable and enjoyable experiences living in home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote family time in accordance with the plans prepared for the child by the placing authority. This ensures that the time the child spends with her family is safe and that she is able to sustain relationships with her friends and family.

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

The child’s risk management plans reflect her identified needs and emerging vulnerabilities. Staff use this information to understand the child’s specific needs and keep her safe from harm. Risk management plans are reviewed on a regular basis and staff have spoken with the child to ensure that she understands them. The child is not currently allowed unsupervised access to the internet or free time to promote her safety.

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

Prior to the child’s admission, a detailed risk impact assessment was completed by the manager. The child’s social worker, school and previous carers were all consulted, and their professional opinions were sought and considered as part of the assessment process. The child was subsequently admitted to the home in a planned and positive way. The child reported, ‘I visited the home twice before moving in and came for tea.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2545082 4 Staff are trained in the use of restraint to enable them to manage children’s behaviours safely. There have been no restraints since the last inspection. The child did not have any complaints or concerns about their care.

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

Serious incidents that occur are reported to the appropriate authorities. This ensures that children are safeguarded and protected from harm. The social worker reported, ‘There is good communication, and they seem to be quick and responsive to any incidents. It’s a really nice environment.’

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

The last notification sent to Ofsted was due to staff using a restraint unnecessarily. Leaders and managers took appropriate action and reported the concerns to the local authority designated officer and an investigation is currently ongoing.

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

Staff are trained in child protection, so they know how to report allegations and protect children from abuse and all other forms of significant harm. The child has been missing on the one occasion since her admission. Staff worked closely with the child’s school and the child was located quickly in school by teaching staff. The use of sanctions to address negative behaviour are fair and proportionate.

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

The arrangements for health and safety are managed effectively by staff. This ensures that the accommodation provided is safe for children, visitors and staff. However, Yale locks are fitted to the lounge and kitchen areas, which potentially compromises the child’s freedom of movement and access to communal living areas of the home. Consequently, a requirement is made to address this issue.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager of the home is now in the process of being registered with Ofsted. She has submitted her application for registration. The home has recently recruited two qualified senior members of staff to ensure that the home is fully staffed. There are no plans to admit any further children until all newly recruited staff are in post.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home meets the aims and objectives of its statement of purpose. The statement was last reviewed in June 2022. A proportion of staff are suitably qualified, and those not qualified are enrolled to undertake their training to obtain their qualifications. Team meetings and staff supervision take place on a regular basis. Staff have access to suitable training to meet the specific needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home provides the child with a warm, welcoming and homely living environment. The child’s bedroom has been prepared to their liking and was personalised, clean and tidy, nicely furnished and decorated. Staff undertake daily bedroom checks to ensure that the child’s bedroom is physically safe and presentable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has addressed all the requirements and one of two recommendations from the last inspection. As a result, the manager is now able to evidence improved management oversight and monitoring of the performance of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2545082 5 The manager’s quality of care review is descriptive and lacks evaluation. Additionally, the views of children, placing social workers, parents and other stakeholders are not thoroughly considered to inform and improve the home’s practices and care. Additionally, the review was not submitted to Ofsted in a timely way. As a result, a previous recommendation is repeated. Inspection report for children’s home: 2545082 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, 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

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; is necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the removal of Yale locks to communal living areas and the kitchen. 18 July 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered provider should ensure that the manager consults with children, professionals, families and any other stakeholders when reviewing the quality of care. Additionally, the quality-of-care review should be submitted to Ofsted within timescale and be evaluative. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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: 2545082 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Footsteps A Path To Change 08 Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Footsteps A Path To Change 08 Limited, Landmark House, Station Road, Cheadle Hulme SK8 7BS

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Charlotte Davies

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2545082 8 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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