Children's home run by Good Foundations Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: SC063318 1 SC063318 Registered provider: Good Foundations Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. The home is privately owned and managed.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2011.

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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

Date of last inspection: 3 November 2021

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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: SC063318 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/11/2021 Full Good 29/10/2019 Full Good 19/12/2018 Full Good 25/10/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC063318 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children live in the home. The home is welcoming and comfortable. One child said that it was very much their ‘home’ and they liked living there. Another child said that it was one of the best homes they’d lived in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well and speak warmly and knowledgeably about them. They build good and meaningful relationships with the children. These positive relationships are helping the children learn what a respectful relationship looks like, and how to create one.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children are making progress with their education and aspire for their future careers. However, not all children are fully engaging in education, and this has delayed their learning and outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to maintain good physical health. Children are encouraged to eat healthily and attend all their health appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to carry out daily tasks independently in line with their individual needs, for example budgeting, cooking, laundry and travelling on public transport. This is helping the children to prepare for adult life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children have moved into the home in a planned way. This has helped them to settle on their arrival. When children have left the home, staff have remained in contact with some of them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to see their family and friends, and they are welcome in the home. The staff maintain regular communication with parents and facilitate overnight stays for the children with family members. One parent said that the communication with staff is good. This helps the children to maintain their identity and continue to see the people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Direct work is carried out with children on different issues, including significant incidents. However, the records do not always include the children’s views, their understanding of the topics and how the direct work will help them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Careful planning and robust risk assessments mean that children have access to a range of positive experiences. Children enjoy playing pool, go-karting, outings and holidays, both individually and as a group. This is helping the children to develop their social skills and resilience. One social worker said that, since living in the home, their child has a more active social life, for example attending cadets twice a week and going on residential adventures with them. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063318 4

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

Children currently living in the home say that they feel safe. They can talk to staff about any worries they have. The staff team educates the children to make safer choices and to keep themselves safe. However, the children would benefit from more focused support about how to keep themselves safe on the internet and when using social media platforms.

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

Assessments of risk and behaviour management plans are detailed and understood by staff. This ensures that staff take the right action when children go missing from the home. For example, staff make every effort to contact and locate the child, working closely with the police and the placing authority. Return home interviews are offered by an independent agency on each occasion.

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

Staff share information appropriately with other agencies to build a clearer picture of what is happening in a child’s life and the actual risk to their safety. One professional reported that the staff understand the risks for the child and will share and escalate their concerns appropriately.

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

Children receive help and support to manage their behaviours and feelings safely. De-escalation techniques are effective and physical intervention has not been used. The incident records are detailed and debriefs take place with the staff and children.

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

The managers and staff know what to do in response to any allegations made. Referrals made are timely, and suitable action is taken to minimise the risk to the children to allow the necessary enquiries to be made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a suitably qualified and experienced manager who is supported by a competent deputy manager. There is a stable core staff team in place. The home is adequately staffed for the children currently living in the home and agency staff are not used. This helps promote a continuity of care for the children so they can develop ongoing relationships with trusted adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective monitoring and review systems are in place. The managers complete monthly audits to ensure that they have regular oversight of all records. This is in addition to the six-monthly review of the quality of care report. The managers understand what is working well and the areas for improvement. This means that the managers and staff can identify and act on shortfalls to improve the quality of care that the children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff receive training to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to understand and meet the children’s individual needs. For example, staff have completed training in ‘Prevent’ duty, child criminal exploitation and knife crime awareness. As a result, staff have a good knowledge and skill base to safeguard children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063318 5 Staff describe the managers as being supportive and say they ‘love’ working in the home. Staff have regular supervision, and records demonstrate that supervision is of good quality and gives staff an opportunity to reflect on their practice. This helps managers to gain a clear understanding of staff strengths and areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place each month, which allow for feedback and discussion. The staff team’s views are listened to, and their ideas considered to support ongoing improvements in practice. The managers meet once a month to share information, make decisions and solve problems. This helps to coordinate the leadership of the home so that children receive consistent and high-quality care from all staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063318 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Requirement 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(viii)(x))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that children are supported to engage in home-learning tasks with the help of school throughout a period of exclusion or non- attendance. Additionally, the registered person needs to 15 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC063318 7 support the children to return to school without unnecessary delay and help improve their overall attendance.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s views, wishes and feelings, and the results of these being listened to and acted upon, are detailed within their records. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The registered person should ensure that the children are supported to learn how to keep themselves safe on the internet and social media platforms. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.19)

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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: SC063318 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Good Foundations Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Dawn Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC063318 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 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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