Children's home run by Next Stage 4Life Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2484682 1 Registered provider: Next Stage 4 Life Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private provider. The home is registered to provide care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably experienced and has been in post and registered with Ofsted since June 2022.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2484682 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/04/2022 Full Good 20/04/2021 Full Good 07/08/2019 Full Good 26/02/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2484682 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child currently living at the home attends school regularly. Staff have a good relationship with the school and there is regular communication between the school and home. The child plays musical instruments at school and they keep these in the home so that they can practise and develop their skills. School staff said that the child is ‘making amazing progress’. The child likes the staff team very much and will actively seek out staff to spend time with them. Staff are involved in the child’s interests, such as playing football in the garden. Staff provide the child with lots of nurture and praise, and reward them for their achievements and positive behaviour. The child is in good health. The child is registered with local medical practitioners and attends their routine health appointments. When the child has been reluctant to attend an appointment, staff have made efforts to support the child to engage with

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

health professionals and have arranged for some appointments to take place in the home. Staff seek medical attention for the child when this is necessary and administer prescribed medication safely. Staff complete detailed accident records, which are kept in the child’s records. Therefore, the previous requirement in relation to this has been met. The home’s therapist supports the child weekly. The therapist also provides guidance and support to the staff team. This allows staff to respond to the child in a consistent way that meets the child’s individual needs. The child is being supported to have regular, positive time with their family. Staff have made efforts to support last-minute changes and accommodate family who are visiting from a long distance. The team prioritises the child’s need to see people who are important to them. The child is supported to regularly share their views of the home and the care they

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

receive. The staff team communicates with the child in a way that the child understands. The manager and staff consider the child’s views when making changes to the home. Staff ensure that the child is also regularly offered access to advocacy support. The staff have responded to the child’s request to allow them to tidy and clean their own bedroom. However, this has led to a deterioration in the conditions of the bedroom, and the staff have needed to support the child to maintain an appropriate standard. In addition, the annex to the child’s bedroom is only partially decorated. A requirement has been made in relation to this.

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

Staff understand the specific risks to the child. Risk management plans are up to date and provide strategies for the staff to follow. Staff now regularly update the risk Inspection report for children’s home: 2484682 4 management plans. Therefore, the previous requirement in relation to this has been met. The child receives specialist exploitation support away from the home. Staff underpin this support by undertaking work with the child on relevant topics. These topics include keeping safe online and healthy relationships. The manager reviews incidents in a timely fashion and discusses any changes in how to care for the child with the team. This helps staff to learn from incidents and adapt their practice. This results in a consistent approach to any safeguarding concern, such as supporting the child in the community and at their hobbies. Staff do not use physical intervention. However, they are trained in this should it be

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

necessary in the future. Staff undertake room searches when necessary. When the staff or manager cannot speak to the child prior to a room search, staff tell the child as soon as is reasonable and explain the reasons for the search. The child does not go missing from the home. The missing-from-home policy provides clear guidance in the event that there is a missing episode. However, the staff are unclear of some of the details within the policy, although they know where to locate the information. Therefore, a recommendation has been made in relation to this. The child understands the importance of fire safety and how to keep themselves safe. Staff talk to new children when they move into the home so that they are aware of what to do in an emergency. Staff undertake regular fire drills to ensure that the child knows what to do in an emergency. When previous children have been reluctant to engage, staff have undertaken focused work to explore the reasons for

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

their reluctance and explain the importance of safely leaving the home in an emergency. Door closers that respond to the fire alarm have been installed throughout the home. Therefore, the previous requirement in relation to the safety of doors being propped open has been addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a clear understanding of the child’s needs and progress. The child receives individualised care from the staff team. The manager identifies training that supports the staff to meet the child’s needs, such as training around online safety and exploitation. The manager creates a supportive environment for the staff, and provides thorough and regular supervision to the staff team. The manager creates opportunities for the staff to reflect and learn together in team meetings. In the team meetings, individual staff are encouraged to present information to the whole team on key topics. The manager ensures that the home is well resourced. The manager is registered for this home and one other in the locality, and team meetings are held with both staff teams. If staff are required for the home, the manager uses staff from the Inspection report for children’s home: 2484682 5 sister home as they have existing relationships and know the child living in the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

home. This enables the child to experience consistency of care. The manager knows the home’s strengths and weaknesses. The manager completes their own review of the care provided every six months. The manager attends weekly meetings with the responsible individual and home therapist. The meetings consider responses to safeguarding concerns, and general practice and approach within the home. An independent person visits the home and completes a report. The manager considers this report and responds promptly to any recommendations made. The manager and staff have good relationships with external professionals. They communicate with them well. The manager has raised and escalated their concern when they have struggled to communicate with a key professional. Therefore, the previous requirement in relation to this has been met. The statement of purpose is updated regularly. However, it does not contain information relating to how the home intends to promote appropriate gender-

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

inclusive role models, given that the staff team is predominantly female. Therefore, a requirement in relation to this has been made. Inspection report for children’s home: 2484682 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, 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 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

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

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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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

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1) (2)(b)(vii)(viii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s bedrooms are maintained to an acceptable standard. 30 September

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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. (Regulation 16 (1))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, if the staff team is predominantly of one gender, ensure that the home’s statement of purpose includes a description of how the home promotes appropriate role models that are not of that gender. 30 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2484682 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how staff should support the child on return to the home, and ensure that the staff have knowledge of these procedures. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)

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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: 2484682 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Next Stage 4 Life Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Regency House, 45-53 Chorley New Road, Bolton BL1 4QR

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Inspector

Sarah Huntbatch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2484682 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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