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

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 1 SC066242

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Registered provider: Progressive Futures Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to two children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At these inspections, the inspector(s) evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection:

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Findings from the inspection

 poor risk management practices  absence of a manager and shortfalls in leadership and management  poor practice around obtaining children’s views  poor care planning.

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The care of children

There are no children currently living at the home. Since the last inspection, one child has moved in and three children have moved out of the home.

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The care of children

Care plans for children do not contain detailed information. This means that staff do not have up-to-date information about children’s needs. There are no clear aims and objectives. Therefore, the progress children make cannot be measured.

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The care of children

Children have not made progress while living at the home. Only one child attended education while living in the home.

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The care of children

Children’s views are not captured. Children do not contribute to the quality of their care and are not involved in decisions that affect their lives.

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The care of children

When children complain, there is no clear outcome communicated to them. Therefore, the provider cannot demonstrate that children are satisfied with the outcome of concerns that they raise.

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The safety of children

Staff do not have clear risk management strategies to follow. After serious incidents, risk management plans are not updated. Therefore, staff do not have up-to-date information about how to keep children safe.

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The safety of children

The risks children may pose to one another are not properly considered before children move in to the home. This has led to children going missing together, therefore increasing the risk of potential harm.

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The safety of children

Missing-from-home protocols are not up to date and do not contain all the relevant information that staff need to provide a coordinated response when children go missing.

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The safety of children

Shortfalls in oversight from leaders means that staff are unsupported when dealing with challenging situations and behaviours. This hinders children’s safety. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 3 Children do not receive rewards to promote positive behaviour. Sanctions are not restorative and are not overseen by leaders. This is a missed opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of behaviour management in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

There has not been a registered manager since March 2021. There was an interim manager in place from August 2021 to May 2022. Recruitment strategies for a manager have been ineffective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The absence of a manager has led to shortfalls in internal monitoring. There is no oversight of consequences or incidents. Shortfalls in risk management plans have not been identified by leaders.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

External monitoring is weak, with no analysis or evaluation about the care that the children are receiving or the effectiveness of risk management in the home. Leaders have not addressed the requirements made at the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Following the inspection, a case review was held. Compliance notices will be issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, and regulation 14, the care planning standard.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/02/2020 Full Good 22/01/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 4

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

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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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.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s privacy will be respected and the circumstances when it may have to be limited;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to prepare for any review of the child’s relevant plans and to make the child’s views, wishes and feelings known for the purposes of that review; and 27 November Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 5 make each child aware of and, if necessary, remind them of each of the matters in sub-paragraph (d)(i) to (iii);

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Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives;

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Requirement Due date

has access to the home’s children’s guide, and the home’s complaints procedure, when the child’s placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child’s stay in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is given appropriate advocacy support. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to the provider ensuring that children are consulted about the home’s quality of care.

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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 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

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

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)) 27 November Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 6 This specifically relates to ensuring that staff have up-to-date information regarding children’s risks, including risks to one another and that risk management plans contain clear strategies for staff.

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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

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.

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received 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)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to ensuring that there are systems in place to monitor the quality of care and the impact this has on children’s progress. 27 November

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Requirement Due date

*The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii)) 27 November Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 7 This refers to leaders ensuring that children have detailed care plans, and that children’s experiences of moving in to and out of the home are positive.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This refers specifically to ensuring that the home has a manager. 27 November

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (1)(3))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that complaints made by children are recorded and an outcome is given to the child. 27 November

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Progressive Futures Care Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Rachael Crook, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066242 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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Inspector

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