Children's home run by Next Stage 4Life Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2602585 1 Registered provider: Next Stage 4Life Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were two children living in the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager first registered with Ofsted in December 2022. The manager’s dual registration to include this home started in July 2023.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 17 January 2023

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2602585 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/01/2023 Full Good 21/09/2022 Full Inadequate 27/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2602585 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one new child has moved into the home. The move was planned and involved consultation with the child already living in the home. The manager also considered the staff team’s ability to respond to the needs of both children. The children have been encouraged to develop a good relationship with each other.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is beautifully decorated and furnished. There are photos and children’s personal belongings in communal areas, which gives a real sense of a family home. One social worker said, ‘Despite it being a residential home, [name of child] feels part of a family.’ Children’s artwork is showcased in the home and there is one picture that the children drew together on display in the games room. Both children have chosen the decor for their bedrooms, which is personalised to their individual tastes, and includes artist-drawn murals on one wall of their bedrooms.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have made progress in education. One child’s attendance increased in their final school year and they attended all their GCSE exams. The attainment of the other child in writing has improved since moving to the home and they are now exceeding expectations. Staff support children to complete their homework and communicate with one child’s school through their reading record.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children enjoy time with their family and staff ensure that this is safe. One child’s sister comes to the home for play dates, which reinforces the family feel of the home and supports a continued sense of identity. Children are encouraged to take part in activities including football, swimming and art.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive therapeutic parenting. Staff are supported in this approach by the advice and guidance of the home’s therapist. One child has recently been struggling to manage their emotions. Staff look beyond the presenting behaviour of children and have an understanding of why the children are behaving in a certain way.

p.3

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

Children have trusted adults they can talk to if they have any worries. They are confident in approaching the manager and staff for support at any time and in any room in the home. When children are worried, staff recognise and respond to this. The manager and staff team regularly review the bedtime routine for one child, who has experienced trauma in the evening, to ensure that they feel safe at the end of each day.

p.3

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

Care planning in the home is clearly linked to local authority plans and staff work in partnership with social workers. Staff know children’s plans and are working with others to implement them. One child’s pathway plan recently changed, which has prevented them moving on at the anticipated time. Staff are working with the local Inspection report for children’s home: 2602585 4 authority on a revised plan. However, the manager will need to advocate for timely decision-making from the local authority to prevent any delay for the child.

p.3

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

Children’s risk assessments are clear and succinct, and staff have a good understanding of them. The manager has oversight of any updates made to assessments to ensure that they take full account of any incidents. When talking about the manager, one social worker said, ‘They are excellent with risk management and work well with me on safety plans, which is adaptive to changing needs.’

p.4

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

Children have plans which set out known behaviours and how staff should respond to them. Staff know what to do to support children to help them to regulate their emotions. Physical intervention is used as a last resort. When this does takes place, records are clear and detailed. Staff and children take part in debriefs after any physical interventions and records are evaluated and analysed by the manager to identify good practice and areas for any learning. This has led to one-to-one discussions as part of supervisions and group discussions in team meetings.

p.4

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

When children go missing from home, there is clear guidance for staff to follow, including looking for children. Staff response is well coordinated and involves on-call managers and the police. When children return home, they are welcomed warmly. The manager arranges independent return home interviews and children are supported to identify any reasons for them being away from home. This has helped one child to identify changes to their care plan which could reduce the likelihood of future incidents of going missing from home.

p.4

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

Staff recruitment is safe and the manager ensures that she has oversight of all stages of recruitment. Staff members receive a structured induction which prioritises their awareness of children’s risks and needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She knows the children and staff team well and follows the home’s ethos of providing therapeutic care to children. When she identifies any practice that is not therapeutic, she takes immediate action and reflects on this with the staff team.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works with local authority professionals to ensure that they are kept up to date with any changes in the home or incidents involving children. However, the statement of purpose is not regularly reviewed and updated to accurately reflect the care arrangements in the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers consult with children and staff. They welcome their views on how they could improve practice. However, there is little engagement with local professionals and agencies to secure their feedback, which could further inform practice in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2602585 5 The workforce development plan is linked to the children’s risks and needs. Staff attend all training, which is mandatory or linked to individual children’s needs. This has included missing-from-home and equality and diversity training.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff talk highly about the support they receive from the manager and the responsible individual. They feel empowered to deliver good care and develop their understanding of children’s needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision takes place in line with the statement of purpose and provides an opportunity for staff to take part in a detailed discussion about children and reflect on their own practice. Supervision and appraisals centre around the future training needs of staff and review the impact of training that has been completed.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended. There is a set agenda, and staff have the opportunity to contribute to this. The manager uses the meetings to share knowledge and encourage staff to see the world through the eyes of children. She is creative in the delivery of training to staff. In one meeting, she gave staff the opportunity to watch a film about county lines and developed a training session around this. Inspection report for children’s home: 2602585 6

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the statement of purpose is regularly reviewed and updated to accurately reflect the care and support the home offers. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.6)  The registered person should ensure that they regularly consult with services, individuals (including parents), agencies, organisations and establishments that work with children in the local community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.3)

p.6

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: 2602585 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Next Stage 4Life Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspector

Sarah Jackson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2602585 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8