Children's Home run by Footsteps to Futures Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2598648 1 Registered provider: Footsteps to Futures Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately run and is registered to provide care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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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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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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2598648 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/05/2022 Full Outstanding 28/04/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2598648 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, children have good experiences and make good progress. Staff develop strong relationships with children and understand their needs well. An external professional said, ‘The team have always encouraged [name of child] to reach his potential and provided him with numerous positive experiences.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to share their wishes and feelings. Key-work sessions take place frequently and reflect the children’s individual needs. Staff connect children’s behaviours to their feelings and speak with children about different ways to manage their emotions. One child said, ‘The staff are supportive, especially when I’m sad.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their physical and emotional needs. Where children do not want to attend health appointments, staff support them to understand the importance of accessing professional support and advice. Staff support children to prepare for independence. However, this is not always carried out in a planned and structured way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers carefully consider how staff can meet children’s needs before they move into the home. Staff support children to prepare for moving in, and discussions are held with children already living in the home. When children move on from the home, this is not always planned effectively and can result in children not having a positive experience. The manager has developed a new plan to provide structure for children moving out of the home in more of a planned way. However, this is not yet fully embedded.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are not currently attending their education and there are some barriers to their learning. Where a child has recently moved in, plans are in place to ensure that an education placement is secured. Where children are unsure about the choices they make about further education, staff support them to consider different options. Staff’s knowledge and understanding of children’s needs enable this support to be individualised.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm and homely environment, and most bedrooms are personalised to reflect children’s interests. Some children need staff to help them keep their bedroom clean, tidy and a relaxing space. Outside space is available to children. However, the grounds are overgrown and require some maintenance.

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

Children’s risk assessments are comprehensive. This ensures that staff have a good understanding of children’s individual needs. Preventative and supportive measures are reflected in the plans, which staff can use when they are helping children to feel safe. A social worker said, ‘Risk assessments are fantastic. I’m alerted to incidents straightaway and the written detail helps me understand what happened.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2598648 4 Staff only physically intervene with children as a last resort. This is to prevent children from harming themselves and others. The reports completed following physical interventions are sufficiently detailed to demonstrate what took place and ensure accountability. They help to describe what led to the incident and if any lessons can be learned to prevent reoccurrence. Children and staff are supported after incidents, which includes seeking medical advice if needed.

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

If children make allegations, managers take prompt and appropriate action. Investigations are carried out quickly and thoroughly. External professionals are informed by managers and staff, and plans are put in place to ensure that children are helped to feel safe and listened to.

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

Staff support children where there are worries about criminal behaviour and drugs misuse. Although children do not always accept advice, managers and staff explore different services to ensure that different support options are provided to children.

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

Location and fire risk assessments are up to date. There are gaps in these assessments in relation to known potential risks in the home. For example, there is an increased risk of fire due to children having access to lighters. Although this is a considered risk, how children and staff evacuate from certain areas of the building is not considered. There are areas of the grounds that are not kept free of clutter.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and passionate about positive outcomes for children. An external professional said, ‘The manager is responsive and organised.’ A social worker commented, ‘There is no one better to advocate for the children.’ The manager is reflective about practice and driven to continue supporting staff development and improve the care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by the manager. Team meetings and personal supervision meetings are held regularly. These meetings benefit staff because they have a clear agenda, structure and focus on children. Where practice issues are identified with staff, the manager addresses these effectively. Personal development plans are put in place by the manager to support staff practice; however, clear timescales are not consistently set. One member of staff said, ‘[Name of manager] is approachable, professional and honest and will always support us in all areas of our role.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The workforce development plan identifies training needs for individual staff and specifically links to the needs of the children living in the home. One member of staff said, ‘[Name of trainer] understands the children and she is great at putting things into perspective so we can relate it specifically to our children.’ One member of staff needs to update their mandatory training. Another member of staff has not yet enrolled on the diploma course within the time frame set in the regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is reflective about the care provided to children. She ensures that staff develop the skills to meet the needs of the children. Managers and staff can verbally Inspection report for children’s home: 2598648 5 share the progress children are making. However, currently, there is no effective system in place that enables staff to measure children’s progress. This lack of planning and recording may impact on how staff ensure that children are supported to meet their full potential. Inspection report for children’s home: 2598648 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, 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 care planning standard is that children—

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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

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. (Regulation 14 (1)(b) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff always promote positive endings that are planned and supportive of children’s emotional well-being. Additionally, the registered person must ensure that children are supported to develop their independence according to their identified needs. 25 October 2023

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff have access to training that reflects the individual needs of children. It also 25 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2598648 7 relates to ensuring that staff enrol on the appropriate qualification for children’s residential care. Furthermore, the registered person must ensure clear planning and monitoring of children’s progress to make sure that they are supported to meet their full potential.

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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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that known risks relating to fire safety are reflected in fire risk assessments and health and safety assessments. This includes ensuring that all areas of the grounds are kept clear of clutter. 25 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2598648 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: 2598648 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Footsteps to Futures Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Chesterfield House, 1 Station Street, Bingham, Nottingham NG13 8AQ

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Inspectors

Kathryn Hurley, Social Care Inspector Teresa Godfrey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2598648 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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