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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066242 1 SC066242 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

This is a privately owned children’s home. The provider may care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties.

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This monitoring visit

On 9 and 10 May 2023, Ofsted inspected the children’s home and judged it to be inadequate. The purpose of this visit was to monitor the provider’s actions against three compliance notices under regulation 6, the quality and purpose of care standard; regulation 12, the protection of children standard; and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

The home environment has improved and provides children with a nice place to live. A new carpet has been fitted to the stairs. The conservatory has been painted to give it a bright and clean feeling. A new dining table, chairs and rug have been purchased. The children’s bedrooms are clean and tidy.

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This monitoring visit

Improvements have been made to children’s risk management plans. Plans have been reviewed, and they now provide clear strategies for staff regarding the use of children’s mobile phones and the risks associated with weapons, gangs and criminal exploitation.

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This monitoring visit

Staff understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. The interim manager has discussed children’s plans in a recent team meeting. Children have not been missing from home. However, should this occur, there are clear protocols in place. Additionally, one child has completed online courses on knife wounds, criminal exploitation and online safety. Another child has completed direct work on keeping themselves safe in the community.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has introduced systems to improve staff’s daily handovers and to Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066242 2 ensure that staff have read children’s plans. This helps to ensure that staff are up to date with any changes to children’s needs.

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This monitoring visit

All staff have received suitable training in restraint practice. Leaders and managers have introduced a new incident recording form that incorporates the manager’s evaluation.

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This monitoring visit

Developments are being made to the manager’s monitoring systems. For example, the manager has introduced new monthly auditing tools, and any recommendations arising from these will be shared with the staff. A quality of care review has been completed and includes feedback and suggestions from the children.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers are regularly spending time in the home and are visible. The manager is taking steps to recruit a permanent manager.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has demonstrated that it has taken the necessary steps to ensure that the compliance notices issued under regulations 6, 12 and 13 are met.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted does not plan to take any further enforcement action. A further unannounced inspection will take place to continue to monitor the quality of care provided. The other requirements raised at the last inspection will be considered as part of the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066242 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/05/2023 Full Inadequate 24/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 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, The 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 with the given timescales.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring they have detailed care plans for all children and plans for children moving in and out of the home. 7 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. 7 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066242 5 The registered person must provide a copy of the statement of purpose to HMCI and make a copy of it available upon request to—

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Requirement Due date

a child, or a child for whom accommodation in the home is being considered;

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Requirement Due date

a parent of a child, or a parent of a child for whom accommodation in the home is being considered;

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Requirement Due date

in the case of a qualifying school, the Secretary of State.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e) (3)(a)(b))

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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.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b)) 7 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066242 6 The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and 7 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066242 7 has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)(viii) (b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that there is a clear recording system in place for restraints and that any restraint is followed by staff and children debriefs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 7 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) 7 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children; 7 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066242 8 the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the staff continue to liaise with nurses and GPs to provide clear guidelines to show what the current arrangements are for an agreed treatment medication break for one child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.10)  The registered person should ensure that the information that staff record on individual children is factual, and the language used should be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066242 9

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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

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066242 10 regulates and inspects 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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