Children's Home run by Future Focused Ltd in Lancashire

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1270301 1 Registered provider: Future Focused Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is not registered with Ofsted.

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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 this inspection, the inspector 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: 1270301 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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The care of children

Children enjoy positive relationships with the adults who support them and they make good progress in relation to their starting points.

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The care of children

Children attend school regularly. Staff work closely with the providers of children’s education to promote their educational achievement. A social worker said, ‘[Name of child] is thriving in education and everybody is really pleased with the structure of the placement.’

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The care of children

Staff support children to communicate their views and opinions openly. As a result, children are involved in key decisions and can influence the running of the home. Staff listen to the views of children and act on their reasonable requests. Consequently, children feel involved, valued and listened to.

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The care of children

Children receive support to have safe contact with their families. As a result, they sustain their close relationships with the people who are important to them. One child said, ‘I see my family at weekends.’

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The care of children

Staff work closely with the home’s therapist and are trained in therapeutic parenting to meet the specific needs of the children. A social worker said, ‘The home is excellent, with skilled staff who are very child-focused and excellent advocates for children.’

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The care of children

The home provides children with a warm, homely and comfortable living environment. Children’s bedrooms have been redecorated in accordance with their wishes and feelings. Bedrooms are suitably personalised and reflect the children’s interests and personalities.

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The care of children

Staff provide children with enjoyable activities. For example, children enjoy going swimming, ice skating, trampolining, and to the golf range, cinema and local pleasure beach. One child said, ‘It’s good because we have activities and fun with the staff.’

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The safety of children

Staff ensure that children’s plans are reviewed and updated regularly. Plans reflect the needs of children and highlight their specific vulnerabilities. Consequently, risks associated with children are well known and understood by staff. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1270301 3 Children’s risk-taking behaviour has reduced in relation to their starting points. For example, there has been a reduction in the frequency of incidents and challenging behaviour.

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The safety of children

The use of physical intervention is a last resort that is only ever used to protect children from harm. The manager monitors the use of restraint to ensure that staff practice is safe and effective.

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The safety of children

Staff are trained in child protection, so they know how to deal with allegations and report suspected abuse. Children are protected from abuse and all other forms of significant harm. Significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities to promote the safety and well-being of children. A social worker said, ‘Excellent communication with myself and I am kept informed of all incidents.’

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The safety of children

Consequences used by staff to address unacceptable behaviour are fair and proportionate. There have been no complaints or allegations since the last inspection.

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The safety of children

Children rarely go missing from the home. On the infrequent occasions that children have gone missing, staff have followed the home’s missing person procedures to locate children and secure their safe return. There have been two missing-from- home episodes since the last inspection.

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The safety of children

The accommodation provided for children is physically safe. Health and safety matters are managed effectively. This ensures that a safe environment is consistently maintained for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The home’s acting manager has recently applied for registration with Ofsted. The manager ensures that children benefit from a home that is managed efficiently and effectively. They work closely with the home’s therapist to support children and ensure that staff practice is therapeutically informed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff benefit from regular, practice-related supervision. Monthly team meetings are held by staff to review the progress and experiences of children. Staff benefit from good-quality training, so they have the right skills and knowledge to meet the specific needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff are trained in the playfulness, acceptance, empathy and curiosity (PACE) model to enable them to support children to overcome the impact of adverse childhood experiences and childhood trauma.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff maintain effective partnerships with social workers, schools and health professionals to ensure that children benefit from the best possible all-round support. A social worker said, ‘It’s going really well, really happy with his progress. He is settled and staff are very proactive with him.’ Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1270301 4 The manager acts on feedback obtained following the home’s external and independent monitoring activities. He understands the home’s strengths and tackles identified weaknesses to secure the home’s improvement. The manager has met and addressed the requirements from the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The manager has completed a detailed six-monthly quality-of-care review; however, the report does not include feedback from children, family members, social workers or other stakeholders to evaluate the quality of the children’s care. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1270301 5

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/10/2021 Full Good 15/10/2019 Full Good 14/03/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1270301 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that feedback is obtained from children, parents, social workers and other stakeholders and included in the home’s six- monthly quality-of-care review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1270301 7

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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

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1270301 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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