Children's Home run by Bright Futures Care Limited in Halton

Inspection report for children's home: 2652976 1 Registered provider: Bright Futures Care 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 by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to five children who may have learning disabilities, sensory impairment and social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since January 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

There were five children living in this home at the time of inspection. The inspector spoke to four of the children.

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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

Date of last inspection: 11 October 2022

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2652976 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2652976 3

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improvement to be good

Children make progress in all areas of their lives, but their overall experiences are varied, due to shortfalls in management oversight and responses to some incidents in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children interact with staff in a way that suggests that they feel safe and confident. Professionals and family members have commented on the nurture and quality of care that children receive in this home and the impact of this on the progress they make. One external professional said, ‘The progress we’ve seen has been quite significant.’

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to attend education and achieve their individual goals. Children have improved their ability to communicate since moving to this home, which has reduced their overall frustration. One social worker said, ‘The staff have really helped to bring on the child’s communication. He’s really thriving now.’

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improvement to be good

Staff develop positive relationships with people who are important to children. They support children to spend time with their families. One family member said, ‘[Name of child] seems very happy. They always make sure [name of child] comes to see me.’ This supports children’s relationships and understanding of their family identity.

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improvement to be good

Staff assist children in taking care of their health and hygiene and take children to planned and emergency health appointments. Staff support children to achieve monthly targets to help them improve their self-care abilities. This enables children to remain healthy and develop independence skills at a level they can manage.

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improvement to be good

Children are taken on various outings and activities. Their achievements are celebrated, and they have memory books and photos of their experiences. This supports children to enjoy and understand their journey through care.

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improvement to be good

This home is large and bright, with sufficient space for the children living there. Children’s bedrooms are personalised, and photos of the children are displayed throughout the home. However, maintenance tasks, such as repairing damage to children’s bedrooms, are not always carried out in a timely manner.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand children’s individual vulnerabilities and risks. Children’s plans are regularly updated to ensure that they include relevant information. Plans include clear guidance and strategies for staff to follow to work with children in a way that works for each child. However, staff are not always assigned to work with children in a way that ensures children’s safety. On occasions, new staff are paired together Inspection report for children's home: 2652976 4 rather than working with more experienced staff to ensure staff are vigilant to all known risks.

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improvement to be good

Staff act appropriately to safeguard children when serious incidents occur. However, recording of serious incidents is not consistent and discrepancies in recording have not been identified by managers. This does not provide sufficient oversight to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Shortfalls in management oversight of allegations means that allegations have not been dealt with in line with appropriate procedures. In two cases, despite appropriate action being taken by staff, records lack detail and managers have failed to ensure that allegations are appropriately investigated or that relevant professionals have been notified. This does not ensure the safety of children.

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improvement to be good

Staff use physical interventions as a last resort. When staff have had to intervene to keep chidlren safe, they have recorded the incidents appropriately. Children do not go missing from this home but missing-from-care plans are in place should this risk arise.

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good

This home is managed by a permanent and suitably qualified manager. The registered manager is supported by an area manager and a responsible individual. Staff say they feel well supported by the management team and feel their manager is approachable.

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good

The staff team is stable, and children are cared for by staff who know them well. The team includes a good balance of experienced and newer staff. Staff receive regular supervision and attend monthly team meetings which provide them with the opportunity to discuss the needs of the children. One member of staff said, ‘Support is brilliant, I love working here.’

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good

Staff are appropriately qualified and safer recruitment practices are followed. Staff practice is challenged to provide consistent care to children. This ensures that all staff are suitably knowledgeable and safe to work with vulnerable children.

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good

Staff are provided with training opportunities that are relevant to the children who live in this home. Staff feel they have excellent opportunities to develop their knowledge and progress in their career.

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good

Management oversight of incidents is poor. The manager does read incident records but does not evidence reflection or evaluation of incidents. This is a missed opportunity to assess potential triggers, to consider staff practice and to identify patterns and trends. This does not ensure good practice for children. Inspection report for children's home: 2652976 5 The manager has internal monitoring systems and makes use of independent monitoring of the home. However, these systems are not robust and do not support the development of practice in the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2652976 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 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 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staffing arrangements promote the safety of children. 14 November

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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

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; 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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that they have oversight of all areas of practice in the home. Ensure incidents are evaluated to establish patterns and trends and identify areas of learning in order to make continuous improvements. 14 November Inspection report for children's home: 2652976 7 The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response;

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Requirement Due date

describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 34 (2)(b)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that allegation procedures are always followed. 14 November

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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))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that recording is clear, consistent and detailed. Records should show the full experiences of each child in the home. 14 November

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that the regulator is notified of all allegations and serious incidents. 14 November Inspection report for children's home: 2652976 8 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. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure there is clear evaluation of the quality of care provided to children in the reporting period. There should be clear reflection about whether systems in place are working well, and actions to improve practice as needed. 14 November

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Recommendations

 The registered person should consider all potential risks in the immediate and surrounding areas when considering whether the location of the home is appropriate for vulnerable children. Plans should include strategies on how to mitigate potential risks to children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)  The registered person should ensure that children have a homely environment to live in and maintenance issues are addressed in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.3)

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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: 2652976 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bright Futures Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: c/o Bright Futures Care Ltd, Asher House, Barsbank Lane, Lymm WA13 0ED

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Inspector

Aislinn Cooper, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2652976 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 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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