Children's Home run by Good Foundations Limited in Wirral

Inspection report for children’s home: SC486165 1 SC486165 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

This private children’s home provides care for up to four children who may have emotional and social difficulties. There were two children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2020.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC486165 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/04/2021 Full Good 02/03/2020 Full Good 05/12/2018 Full Good 03/10/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC486165 3

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outstanding

The children’s home is making a measurable difference to the lives of children. Managers and staff use their knowledge of outstanding childcare practice to provide personalised, well-planned and effectively reviewed care.

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outstanding

Children have made exceptional progress in relation to their health and education, considering their starting points. Staff demonstrate high levels of commitment to ensure children attend school, and they devise effective strategies to help children overcome barriers to success. There is significant evidence of improvement because of the excellent quality of care provided.

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outstanding

Children form strong, trusting and affectionate relationships with staff. They experience care that anticipates and meets their needs. They explore their history and identify ways to overcome the impact of past trauma. Together with staff, they break down barriers to their success. This gives them confidence to explore new ideas and activities that help them to progress towards happy, healthy lives.

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outstanding

Children’s views, wishes and feelings are central to the operation of the home. They are consulted on a day-to-day basis about all aspects of their care. Children acknowledge the difference that the support and guidance they receive has had on their lives. Children talked positively about living in the home. One said, ‘I like living here, the staff are nice and do care and they are always around to talk to.’ Another said, ‘[Name of manager] is dead fair, she listens to me and doesn’t just fob me off. She is brilliant and never lets me down.’

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outstanding

Children make exceptional progress in understanding the way that they relate to people, including their families. They work with staff to explore the difficulties and vulnerabilities that brought them to the home. This work helps children to make decisions about how to improve their relationships. Because children trust staff to support them, they work hard to make and sustain appropriate contact with families and friends. This improves their emotional resilience and increases their knowledge and understanding of their background.

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outstanding

Since the last visit, two children have been supported to move on from the home. The registered manager and staff team ensured that the children had positive endings to their time at the home. Careful and individual planning is put in place to ensure that children receive the guidance and support they need to move on successfully. The children maintain contact with the staff on a regular basis, and they are welcomed back to the home to enjoy meals and activities.

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outstanding

Care plans and assessments form the basis for frequent key-work sessions. These promote children’s development well. Managers and staff identify children’s skills and development needs so that they can help them to become better equipped to Inspection report for children’s home: SC486165 4 manage their adult lives. Children are supported to take carefully planned steps towards achieving independence. Children learn about money management, shopping and cooking. When they stumble in their endeavours, they work with staff to identify the further learning they may need to achieve success.

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outstanding

Children say they feel extraordinarily safe in the home and are confident that staff do their best to help them to be safe and happy. Staff demonstrate an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the risks children face. They are well trained in safeguarding and can recognise the signs of abuse. They know what they need to do when they have concerns about children, and they take appropriate action to safeguard children in their care.

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outstanding

Staff introduce and reinforce appropriate boundaries with children, and work creatively to sustain a fragile placement when it is in the best interests of the child. Children enjoy open and trusting relationships with staff. This means they feel confident in the support available to them, readily ask for help and respond well to praise and encouragement given for their achievements.

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outstanding

Some children become involved in unsafe behaviour and relationships when they are out of the home. On occasions, children stay out late or go missing from the home. Staff are consistent in their approach and actively look for children to ensure that they return safely. Staff’s strong relationships with the children enable them to be successful in locating the children and supporting them to return home safely. Staff welcome children back home and at appropriate times talk to them about the time they were missing, exploring with them the dangers that may face, such as exploitation. This has meant that children have got better at planning with staff for their safe and timely return.

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outstanding

Children’s behaviour is usually very good, and it has significantly improved over time. Children benefit from a nurturing and structured environment where positive behaviour is actively promoted through praise and rewards. Children said that they are treated fairly and that they can openly discuss any concerns they may have with staff.

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outstanding

Children understand the complaints process and have successfully used this system to raise a concern. Children are supported throughout this process. Issues have been resolved fairly and children have been happy with the response provided. This demonstrates that children are listened to and their views and feelings are considered and acted on.

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outstanding

External professionals say that staff provide safe and nurturing care and promote transparency in their relationships. This instils confidence in the ability of staff to keep children protected from harm. Because the home provides good information about incidents and difficulties experienced by children, external professionals are confident about the quality of safe practice in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC486165 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A dynamic, experienced and suitably qualified registered manager leads the home. She has been consistently providing visionary and enabling leadership to an extremely stable, committed and competent staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is supported by a committed deputy manager and receives excellent mentoring and support from the responsible individual. The management team is proactive in its pursuit of high standards and knows the children exceptionally well. Together, they ensure that the staff team delivers outstanding care to vulnerable children with complex needs..

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Exceptionally skilled, qualified and motivated staff provide high-quality care for children. The staff team is long-standing and provides excellent continuity of care. Staff recognise and celebrate the efforts of children to improve their knowledge and understanding of the world, and their interaction with it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All staff members have the appropriate qualification to practise, and receive regular training to consistently update their knowledge and skills to safely care for children. Staff are provided with regular supervisions which are supportive and give them the opportunity to reflect on how their practice affects the care for children. Monthly team meetings are well attended. They cover topics which are relevant to the current matters at the home and keep children at the centre of practice. The meetings are also used as a development opportunity for the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Care practice is shaped by the manager’s understanding of research-based practice. She uses this to improve safety for children. She has recently worked alongside the youth justice team to develop and pilot a new mobile phone app to empower children affected by violence. This work is supporting children to both prevent and reduce violence, making them part of the solution in keeping themselves and others safe in the community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager carefully analyses staff performance, incident reports, care plans and key-worker sessions. She consults effectively with children, their families and the professionals supporting them. She promotes a wide range of approaches to ensure that children express their views and consistently encourages children to be part of the plan for their care. Her aim is to offer care that is meaningful to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Feedback from all stakeholders and parents is extremely complimentary about the impact the home has on the lives of children. A social worker said, ‘Since working with the home I cannot fault the manager and staff in respect of the support they offer to [name of child]. They always go above and beyond to ensure that he is happy, safe and succeeding.’ A parent said, ‘Credit is due when deserved. They always go out of their way not only for [name of child] but also for us as a family. Their support is totally appreciated, and we could not do it without them.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC486165 6

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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: SC486165 7

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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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Inspectors

Michelle Edge, Senior His Majesty’s Inspector Elaine Allison, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: SC486165 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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