Children's Home run by Future Focused Ltd in Halton

Inspection report for children's home: 2563164 1 Registered provider: Future Focused Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private company. The home provides care and support for two children who can no longer live at home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in April 2020.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2563164 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/04/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2563164 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into the home, a good transition is planned. An impact risk assessment shows that the home considers the child’s history and behaviour and the needs of the existing children in the home. However, the acting manager and staff are not aware of the local offer, setting out the support available for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This is a missed opportunity to access additional resources for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have left this home since the last inspection. One child has moved to a more suitable placement and one child has returned to his family. A parent said, ‘I cannot fault the staff, they were brilliant. Staff worked closely with us and each step of the plan was executed well. He is doing well now.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they feel happy and safe at this home. They speak about the good relationships that they have with each other and the staff team. The children can identify several members of staff who they can talk to if they have a concern. One child said, ‘It is like living in a family.’ Another child who has recently come to live in the home said, ‘I have not been in care before. I did not know what to expect but I am pleasantly surprised. It is nice here and everyone is friendly and kind.’ The inspector viewed positive interactions between children and staff throughout the visit.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage children to attend school. Staff have all the necessary educational resources to support the children’s learning. As a result, one child is making excellent progress and is achieving above the expected age level. They have also received numerous certificates for their attendance. Another child is of school leaving age and, in the past, had not attended education for quite a while. The manager is working closely with education professionals to secure a college placement for the new academic year.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand and monitor the children’s health and emotional well-being. They encourage and support the children to have a healthy lifestyle, including eating nutritious food and being physically active. Staff make sure that the children get the advice, support and treatment that they need to be healthy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Generally, the children’s records are good. They show the progress that the children are making, but they do not show how this was achieved. This does not help children to understand their journey through care and does not show the child what support was given to them. Similarly, children have regular key-work sessions to discuss areas of their care or topics of concern. However, records of these sessions mostly show the staff’s view rather than including the child’s understanding. This means staff have not been able to assess whether further work needs to be done or whether additional resources would help a child’s understanding. Inspection report for children's home: 2563164 4 Children have every opportunity to take part in fun and meaningful activities and see their friends. Staff support the children to try new experiences, including going horse riding and to funfairs. Staff support the children to build and sustain positive

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

friendships. Children can invite friends to their home and often spend time with them in the local area.

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

Children have a strong sense of safety and well-being. Staff’s safeguarding practice means that the children are protected from harm. Since coming to live at the home, the children have become significantly safer. They make positive choices to stay away from negative influences. As a result, children have not gone missing from the home.

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

There have been no serious safeguarding incidents to report to the relevant safeguarding professionals. However, staff are not complacent and understand the children’s vulnerabilities and risks. They know what they must do when they are concerned about the children’s safety at home or out in the community.

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

Staff actively assess potential risks to the children. They follow up-to-date plans to keep them safe. Staff take reasonable precautions, based on the children’s needs, age and understanding, to support them to take risks as part of their development. This includes taking part in leisure activities and spending time with their friends independently.

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

The manager and staff have created a safe and positive environment that helps the children to be emotionally secure and to thrive. They can build constructive and warm relationships with the children. They help the children to make sense of the world around them and to develop understanding and empathy towards other people.

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

Some children who have now left the home have been held for their or others’ safety. Good records are maintained. The staff and children were debriefed after each incident. This means that the manager can reflect on and evaluate each incident and improve practice when necessary. However, the record of sanctions does not give enough detail, for example, what led up to the sanction and how staff tried to de-escalate the incident.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy manager are an effective leadership team. They place the welfare of the children at the centre of everything they and the staff do. Everyone is ambitious for the children to be happy and to be able to reach their full potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has made the necessary improvements to deal with the shortfalls found at the last inspection. The manager has considered the safer area report, when a child comes to live at the home, the restraint records follow the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015, and transition plans are sufficiently detailed. Inspection report for children's home: 2563164 5 There is a stable staff team. The staffing arrangements provide the children with a high level of care and continuity. In addition to this, most of the staff team have a recognised childcare qualification. Staff complete mandatory and additional training that is refreshed regularly. Therefore, children are always supported by staff who know them well and understand their needs and plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff are well supported. Staff get the opportunity in their one-to-one supervision meetings to reflect critically on their work with the children or to discuss how their learning and training is improving the quality of their practice. They use monthly team meetings effectively to reflect on the children’s progress and as opportunities for training and sharing skills and good practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children’s plans continue to be followed and reviewed regularly. Staff have strong relationships with partner agencies. They work together effectively to identify and meet the children’s needs consistently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The internal and external monitoring needs improving because consultation with children is not consistent. Further to this, the manager’s six-monthly report lacks analysis, reflection and evaluation. For example, it does not show what has changed because of consultation or what needs to be developed or improved in the future. Inspection report for children's home: 2563164 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

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.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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)(a)(b)(c) (5)) 30 September

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s views are listened to and acted upon. Specifically, that key-work sessions capture a child’s view and understanding of the subject matter. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The registered person should ensure that managers and staff are aware of the local offer setting out the support available for children with special education needs or disabilities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 26, paragraph 5.4)  The registered person should ensure that the records of discipline are clear. Specifically, that the record includes the child’s behaviour leading up to the Inspection report for children's home: 2563164 7 incident and what action staff took to de-escalate the incident. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46,

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Recommendations

paragraph 9.36)  The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home. Specifically, internal and external monitoring should include consultation with children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. This is specifically in relation to ensuring that the steps taken by staff to secure good progress and outcomes are clearly recorded in the children’s records. (‘Guide to the children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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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: 2563164 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Future Focused Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Future Focused Ltd, Crows Nest Business Park, Ashton Road, Wigan, Lancashire WN5 7XX

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Inspector

Pam Nuckley, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2563164 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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