Children's home run by Footsteps a Path to Change 08 Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2545082 1 Registered provider: Footsteps A Path to Change 08 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 two children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of this home registered with Ofsted in January 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home. They both spoke with the inspector about their experiences of living in the home.

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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: 2545082 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/06/2022 Full Good 22/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2545082 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm home which is clean and well maintained. Children have the opportunity to personalise their bedrooms and share their ideas about the home. Children’s photos and artwork are displayed around the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel supported and say that staff listen to them. Staff have built trusting relationships with children and take them out for new experiences. One child said, ‘People are good here.’ Staff teach children how to understand their emotions and how to keep themselves safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to remain active and take care of their health and self-care. When needed, staff take children to health appointments and ensure children take medication. Staff complete training to ensure they are able to meet children’s individual health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who live in this home have excellent attendance at school. Staff communicate well with children’s schools and other professionals to ensure that children’s needs are met. When children are not receiving the best support for their education, staff challenge professionals to ensure this is provided.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff have developed positive relationships with children’s families to ensure that they can work together for the children. One family member said of staff, ‘They are amazing, they go above and beyond.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team benefits from access to a psychotherapist who supports them to provide trauma-informed care to each child. Each child is able to spend time with a therapy dog who visits the home regularly. This supports their emotional well-being and mental health.

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

Children feel safe. They can identify staff in the home who can help them with their worries. Staff are consistent in their responses. They provide clear boundaries, along with nurturing care. Children understand why rules and boundaries are in place.

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

Staff have developed positive and effective relationships with key people involved in keeping the children safe. Staff are good advocates for children and challenge other professionals to better meet children’s needs. One social worker referred to the staff team as ‘incredibly supportive’, while another said children are cared for ‘exceptionally well’.

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

Children’s risk plans are updated regularly and provide clear guidance for staff to follow. When children go missing from the home, staff are proactive in searching for Inspection report for children’s home: 2545082 4 them and working with others to find them quickly. Effective staff responses to significant risks have helped to keep children safe.

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

Staff use physical interventions as a last resort. When staff do have to hold a child to keep them safe, they record this well and talk to the child afterwards about what happened. Allegations of harm are not made often. When incidents do occur, appropriate procedures are followed, and relevant safeguarding professionals are kept informed.

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

Children know how to make a complaint. They say that staff and managers will listen to them if they ask for things to change or improve. This helps children to feel heard and valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably skilled and experienced manager. She is supported by a wider management team. The manager is passionate about improving outcomes for children and is a strong advocate for them. One professional said, ‘The manager really advocates for the children and isn’t afraid to challenge decision-making.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers know the children well. They support staff to understand how children’s experiences impact on their emotions and behaviours. Staff and managers aspire to provide the best care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team is supportive of staff. One staff member said, ‘They have an open-door policy, I can go and chat to them about anything, anytime.’ Staff receive regular supervision and attend monthly team meetings which provide them with the opportunity to reflect on their practice and learn from others.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff working with the children are appropriately qualified, and safer recruitment practices are followed. Staff are provided with regular training opportunities that are relevant to the needs of the children living in the home. This ensures that all staff are suitably knowledgeable and safe to work with vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good internal monitoring systems and makes good use of independent monitoring to ensure staff provide consistently good care to the children. This oversight promotes the safety and well-being of the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2545082 5

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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: 2545082 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Footsteps A Path to Change 08 Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Landmark House, Station Road, Cheadle Hulme SK8 7BS

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Charlotte Davies

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Inspector

Aislinn Cooper, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2545082 7 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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