Children's Home run by Future Focused Ltd in Wigan

Inspection report for children’s home: 1241634 1 Registered provider: Future Focused Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 1 April 2023. There is an interim manager in post, however, they have not applied to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1241634 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/04/2022 Full Good 20/04/2021 Full Good 14/05/2019 Full Good 17/04/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1241634 3

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improvement to be good

There are two children living in the home. Children say that they are happy and enjoy positive relationships with the staff team. Staff know the children well.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved out. Managers carefully considered children’s needs when planning for these moves, which supported their safety and well-being. However, when planning for a new child to move in, records do not demonstrate that the child was consulted about another child moving into the home. The interim manager has put in place a plan to consult with children the next time a child moves in.

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improvement to be good

Children have made progress. For example, one child’s self-esteem has improved. One child said, ‘Since I have been here, they [the staff] have helped massively with my confidence.’ This has resulted in the child engaging in activities with peers and staff, enhancing his enjoyment and opportunities.

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improvement to be good

Staff supported those children who are no longer living in the home to attend education. However, neither of the current children is accessing education. Staff have been proactive in securing alternative provision for the children, however, they have no planned start dates. Staff do not consistently promote positive routines for children, including opportunities to engage in educational activities that would enhance their confidence and skills. Children are regularly staying in bed until the early afternoon.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to develop independence skills in line with their abilities. Children are encouraged to compete tasks that will lead to recognised certificates. However, current routines do not provide opportunities to do this regularly. Children are required to keep their bedrooms tidy. However, when children struggle to do this, staff do not always help and as a result the children’s bedrooms are not always kept clean and tidy.

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improvement to be good

Children have been involved in decisions about the decor in the home, to make the home warm and welcoming. They say that they like the home environment.

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improvement to be good

Staff support important relationships for children with friends and family. Friends are welcomed into the home and invited on activities. Staff work closely with professionals when there are concerns about family members and share information in a timely way. This enables plans to be reviewed as appropriate.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage children to access and engage with health services, including therapy, GP services and sexual health services. Children are reluctant to access health services. Staff discuss this regularly with them to enhance their Inspection report for children’s home: 1241634 4 understanding of the need for such services and to promote their health and well- being.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage children to make positive choices. They recognise and reward positive behaviour. However, staff do not routinely record how they support children to do this. The interim manager has identified this as an area for development and plans are in place to improve this and allow for effective management oversight.

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improvement to be good

Children say that they feel safe and that they have trusted adults they can talk to. Staff have regular discussions with children to enhance their understanding of risks and to promote positive choices.

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improvement to be good

Staff are aware of children’s vulnerabilities and the associated risks. The managers and staff ensure information is shared with external professionals in a timely manner. This enables risks to be identified and plans to be implemented to protect children.

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improvement to be good

Written assessments and plans provide staff with helpful guidance on how to keep children safe. However, the guidance related to exploitation and online safety is not clear. This limits staff’s understanding of the strategies to use. The manager has not ensured that written plans have been updated following significant incidents, to ensure they are relevant.

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improvement to be good

There have been two incidents when staff have not acted immediately to safeguard children. Managers have not identified this shortfall and therefore there has been a delay in improving this weakness in staff practice.

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improvement to be good

When children have been missing from the home, staff have acted appropriately and followed procedures. Since being in the home, one child’s episodes of going missing have reduced. The local authority provides return home interviews for the children, however, these are not carried out by an independent person. The manager has not challenged this to ensure that the child has appropriate opportunities to reflect. Records of episodes of children going missing are clear and include details of the incident. However, incidents are not always sufficiently evaluated by managers, which prevents opportunities to reflect on practice.

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improvement to be good

Managers have identified training that is specific to the children’s needs and risks, including around online safety, drug and alcohol misuse, and knife crime. However, several staff have not completed the training. This means staff do not have up-to- date knowledge and skills to manage risks well.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that items that may pose a risk to children are removed from children’s bedrooms. Records of such incidents are not completed on each occasion. During the inspection staff completed a room search and did not inform the child. This Inspection report for children’s home: 1241634 5 prevents effective management oversight to ensure they are appropriate and that the child’s views are considered.

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improvement to be good

The manager ensures that safer recruitment checks are completed before employing staff. This ensures that those working in the home are safe to work with children. Complaints and allegations are investigated by the manager. Staff know the company whistle-blowing policy and are confident in discussing safeguarding procedures.

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improvement to be good

The managers ensure that practice regarding medication administration and fire safety are safe and appropriate. Requirements were made in relation to these areas at the last inspection, which have been met.

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good

There has been no registered manager in post since April 2023. A permanent interim manager has been appointed. He has not submitted an application to be registered.

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good

The interim manager is supported by a deputy manager. The previous registered manager is now a senior leader for the provider and continues to offer support and guidance to the interim manager.

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good

The managers know the children well and want the best for them. The interim manager advocates for children and has developed positive relationships with external professionals to ensure information-sharing as appropriate. However, the manager does not challenge placing local authorities in a timely manner to ensure that children have relevant and updated documents. This means that staff may not always know the most up-to-date plans for children, and therefore are unable to support the children to understand their plans.

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good

Staff feel supported by the managers. Supervision and team meetings provide opportunities to consider children’s needs and the staff’s professional development. The manager provides annual appraisals for the staff to reflect on their practice. One staff member has not had their appraisal and the manager was not aware that this was out of date.

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good

The manager ensures that external monitoring takes place each month. However, the independent visitor does not routinely seek feedback from staff, children or key stakeholders. The quality of the reports is not consistent and they do not always identify actions to support the development of the home.

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good

The manager completes quality of care reviews. However, the reports lack evaluation and do not include feedback from children, staff or key stakeholders. Identified actions to improve the service are not specific and do not have timescales for completion. Inspection report for children’s home: 1241634 6 The manager has not ensured that the home’s statement of purpose includes all the required information, including supervision arrangements for those who provide healthcare, how to access policies and procedures and details of the provider, responsible individual and manager. Inspection report for children’s home: 1241634 7

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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 within the given timescales.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff are able to identify and assess risk. The registered person must 22 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1241634 8 ensure that staff are confident in a variety of situations to act in a way that ensures children are appropriately safeguarded.

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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

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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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 who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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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. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii)(ix)(x)) 22 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1241634 9 In particular, the registered person must ensure that children who are not participating in education or training are supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and are engaged in suitable structured activities.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f)(g)(i)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff complete training relevant to specific needs of the children, including in self-injurious behaviour, missing from home, knife crime, substance misuse, depression in young people, and safer care and allegations.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure they review incidents when children are missing from home to ensure evaluation and to identify areas for development.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that appraisals for staff are completed annually. 22 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1241634 10 The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(ix) (c)(i)(ii)) 22 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1241634 11 In particular, the registered person must ensure that routines are established to allow for children’s bedrooms to be cleaned regularly.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that room searches are conducted as required. When possible, children should be informed or asked for their permission prior to the room search. Immediate searches may be necessary when there are risks to the child’s or another person’s safety or well- being. The registered person must ensure that records of room searches are completed.

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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

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)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that documents relating to children, including care plans and education plans, are received in a timely way from the placing authority.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must also ensure that children living in the home are consulted about new children moving to the home and that their wishes and feelings are recorded and considered. 22 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1241634 12 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.

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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) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the statement of purpose covers all matters listed in schedule 1. This includes supervision arrangements for all commissioned therapists, details of the provider, responsible individual and manager, and details of how to access policies and procedures. 22 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;

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Requirement Due date

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

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the quality of care review includes feedback and opinions from the children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. The registered person must ensure that the review is evaluative 22 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1241634 13 and includes actions to improve or maintain the quality of care for children.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address behaviour are clearly recorded and that the manager has oversight of these to ensure they are proportionate and appropriate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that the responsible local authority provides children with the opportunity for an independent return home interview after they have been missing from care. The registered person should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should support the independent visitor to obtain feedback from children, their parents, relatives, key stakeholders and people working at the

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Recommendations

home to enable them to assess all relevant information and form an impartial judgement about the quality of care the home provides. The registered person should ensure that reports are of good quality and evaluative and that information is not copied from previous months’ reports. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.8)

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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: 1241634 14

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Future Focused Limited

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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

Jenni Gadsby, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1241634 15 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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