Children's home run by Supporting Futures Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2687920 1 Registered provider: Supporting Futures Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2022.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2687920 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2687920 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a pleasant home. They receive high-quality individualised care that meets their assessed needs and circumstances. Managers and staff provide a caring environment that enables children to have positive experiences and make measurable progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Through kindness, staff build positive relationships with children who struggle to trust adults. They understand the children’s needs and respond appropriately to their lived experiences. They provide children with the consistency that they need to feel cared for and safe. Although the children have only lived at the home for a short length of time, they are developing a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to children’s wishes and feelings and respond appropriately. They help children to see the results of their views being listened to and acted on. Children have access to support from independent advocates, who advise them on their rights and help them to express their views about their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s learning and participation in full-time education. They understand the barriers to learning that children may be facing. Staff work closely with schools and social workers to resolve any difficulties. They make sure that children receive the right support to help them achieve their learning objectives and reach their potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand and monitor the children’s individual health needs, dietary requirements and emotional well-being. They make sure that children receive advice, support, assessments and treatment to meet their specific needs. Staff help children to understand the importance of healthy lifestyles. This includes supporting children to understand the risks to their welfare from using cannabis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage and support children to spend time with the people who are important in their lives. They work with families and social workers to make sure that this is a safe and positive experience for children.

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

Staff protect children from the risk of harm. Children feel safe and confident that the adults caring for them can keep them safe. They know that they can talk to staff and that staff will help them to be safe. Consequently, children are developing a sense of safety and emotional well-being.

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

Staff understand their responsibilities for safeguarding children. They always take appropriate action, in accordance with statutory guidance, when they have concerns about children’s welfare. Inspection report for children’s home: 2687920 4 Staff know each child’s vulnerabilities and identified risks. They are vigilant and curious. They recognise the signs that the child may be at risk of harm. However, staff do not always keep an accurate record of what they did in response to concerns that children may be under the influence of cannabis.

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

Staff support children to have safe and healthy relationships. They recognise the signs when children may be involved in a coercive or exploitative relationship. Staff support children to understand what makes a healthy and mutually supportive relationship. They help children to develop the skills and resilience to distance themselves from harmful relationships.

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

Staff take reasonable precautions to allow children to take risks as part of their social development and independence. This includes children having a mobile phone and spending time with their friends outside the home.

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

Staff do not always demonstrate the skills and confidence to engage with children to discuss behaviour and sensitive issues positively. Staff’s attempts to help children understand the expected standards of behaviour in the home are not always effective.

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

Staff do not always speak to children in ways that help them to learn about what is socially acceptable behaviour and how to resolve disagreements constructively. On one occasion, a member of staff made negative comments towards a child. This made the situation worse and potentially had a detrimental impact on the child’s emotional well-being. The manager demonstrates that they are aware of what happened. They are taking appropriate action to challenge poor practice and support staff to develop their skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified. The manager and deputy manager are a well-organised and effective leadership team. They have high expectations for the standard of care that children receive. They aspire for children to be safe, happy and reach their potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The arrangements for children’s care are carefully planned. Children only come to live at the home once the manager is satisfied that staff can respond effectively to their needs and that children are compatible to live together.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have a clear understanding of children’s plans and the progress they are making. Managers and staff recognise small improvements and build on them to increase children’s resilience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff have positive working relationships with social workers and schools. They work effectively with these partners to make sure that children receive well-coordinated and high-quality support at the right time. Inspection report for children’s home: 2687920 5 Managers make sure that staff have the right support and training to understand children’s needs and provide good-quality care and protection. Managers use supervision, coaching and training effectively. They make sure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities, the needs of the children in their care and can improve their practice, knowledge and skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are enthusiastic, warm and resilient. They enjoy spending time with children and seeing them make progress. Staff provide children with a positive, nurturing and safe place to live. Staff work effectively as a team to provide children with consistent care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff use monthly team meetings productively. They consider children’s needs and progress and share and develop their skills and knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers use monitoring systems effectively. They have an accurate picture of the quality of care and protection children receive and the impact on their lives. They make the necessary improvements to make sure that children receive the best possible support. However, managers do not always evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the direct work that staff carry out with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

On one occasion, the manager did not inform Ofsted of serious concerns about a child’s safety. This restricted Ofsted’s ability to monitor the effectiveness of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2687920 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 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; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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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

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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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; 28 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2687920 7 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

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust.

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that staff have the confidence and skills to engage with children and discuss unwanted behaviour and sensitive issues positively.

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that when staff have concerns that a child may be under the influence of cannabis, a record is kept of the measures taken to assess and monitor the child’s welfare. 28 February 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)) 20 January 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that records of direct work with children provide a significant contribution to the understanding of children’s needs, views, lived experiences and progress, and inform their plans. This includes making sure that children’s records always include an analysis of the quality and effectiveness of direct work with children and children’s engagement and understanding of the Inspection report for children’s home: 2687920 8 activity, and what needs to happen next to support children’s development. (‘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: 2687920 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Supporting Futures Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sinclair Accounting Co. Limited, 300 St Marys Road, Garston, Liverpool L19 0NQ

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Inspector

Nick Veysey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2687920 10 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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