Children's Home run by Progressive Futures Care Limited in Sefton

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC066242 1 SC066242 Registered provider: Progressive Futures Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run 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

There is currently one child living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a manager in post who has applied to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate on the 10 May 2023. Inspectors identified poor practice relating to safeguarding, risk management and care planning. Following the full inspection, two compliance notices were issued under section 22a of the Care Standards Act 2000. These relate to regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard).

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This monitoring visit

At a monitoring visit on 19 June 2023, the inspectors found that the provider had taken action to address the steps outlined in the two compliance notices. However, at a second full inspection on 8 August 2023, inspectors identified poor practice relating to safeguarding, risk management and care planning. The provider had been unable to sustain the improvements made at the monitoring visit on 19 June 2023. This poor practice had impacted on children’s progress, experiences and safety. In addition, the leadership and management of the home are inadequate.

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This monitoring visit

Following the full inspection on 10 August 2023, Ofsted issued two compliance notices under section 22a of the Care Standards Act 2000. These relate to regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard).

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to review the provider’s progress in meeting the steps in the compliance notices. However, the inspectors found that the provider had not taken sufficient action to address all of the steps outlined in the two compliance notices. The monitoring visit also identified further shortfalls in care practices. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC066242 2 Since the last inspection, one child has returned to live with family members. One child remains living in the home. The interim manager has remained in the home and has applied to register with Ofsted. This will be their first post as a registered manager.

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This monitoring visit

The interim manager arranged training for the staff team and reviewed documentation in the home. However, the quality remains variable. The interim manager has been covering day shifts, night shifts and waking night shifts due to staffing shortages. This has impacted on her ability to lead a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps the child aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their safety and welfare.

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This monitoring visit

Managers and staff do not demonstrate professional curiosity when there are concerns about a child’s safety. As a result, they have missed opportunities to intervene to keep the child safe. Staff are unable to communicate effectively with the child, who is currently spending long periods of time on his mobile phone. As staff do not understand the child’s first language, they do not know who the child is speaking to during the day and evening. This has left the child at risk of potential harm.

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This monitoring visit

A strategy was implemented for staff to conduct daily checks on the child’s mobile phone. However, this has not consistently taken place, as the child has refused to provide staff with access to their mobile phone. On the few occasions that the child has agreed for staff to review their mobile phone, the browser history has been deleted, and staff cannot access the applications that are in the child’s first language. This remains an ongoing safeguarding concern and an unassessed risk for the child.

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This monitoring visit

The interim manager reviewed the child’s risk management plans and behaviour support plan. However, the information in the documentation about the actions staff should take if there are missing-from-home incidents remained unclear. In addition, staff had a different understanding of the times they should report a child missing and the actions they should take. This remains a safeguarding concern if clear processes are not in place for each child.

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This monitoring visit

The provider reviewed the training package for staff and arranged for further training opportunities. Most staff attended the new training sessions. This included trauma-informed practice, recording and reporting allegations and basic safeguarding. However, this training did not focus on the individual care needs of the child living in the home and the ongoing risks they may face. When training is attended, the provider has implemented a detailed assessment for managers to individually review with staff their learning from the session. However, this has not taken place. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the child. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC066242 3 Staff have received training about the actions that they are required to take when visitors attend the home. This includes recording their details in the visitors book

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This monitoring visit

and checking the credentials of all persons attending the home to complete repairs or remedial work. This will ensure that all visitors are suitably vetted. The changes made to the process were discussed with staff who attended a recent team meeting. Further work is planned to ensure that all staff understand this safeguarding procedure.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual has reintroduced monthly monitoring and review systems. This will enable the interim manager to 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. However, this is not fully embedded into practice, and the interim manager has not provided an analysis on the next course of action that managers or staff will take to improve care practices.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the levels of concern about the number of allegations made by the child, staffing levels have been increased to 2:1. However, this has meant that staff are now using the empty child’s bedroom to sleep in. There has also been an increase in the number of agency workers and managers being used to cover the shortfalls in the rotas. Consequently, if the home was at full occupancy, there would be no bedroom for the second child and insufficient staff. This is a breach of the home’s statement of purpose and conditions of registration.

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This monitoring visit

Following the case review, it is Ofsted’s view that the provider has not taken sufficient action to meet the compliance notices. Further notices under regulation 12 (the protection of children) and regulation 13 (leadership and management) are issued alongside a restriction notice.

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This monitoring visit

Requirements set at the last inspection will be considered at the next full inspection. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC066242 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/08/2023 Full Inadequate 10/05/2023 Full Inadequate 24/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC066242 5

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c)) 20 September

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; 11 October 2023 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC066242 6 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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. It remains unmet since the first inspection judged inadequate in May 2023.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on —

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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)(a)(b)(c)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 11 October 2023 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC066242 7 This requirement is restated. It remains unmet since the first inspection judged inadequate in May 2023.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must provide a copy of the statement of purpose to HMCI and make a copy of it available upon request to—

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Requirement Due date

a child, or a child for whom accommodation in the home is being considered.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. It remains unmet since the first inspection judged inadequate in May 2023. 20 September

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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

This requirement is restated. It remains unmet since the first inspection judged inadequate in May 2023. 20 September

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 20 September Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC066242 8 maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. It remains unmet since the first inspection judged inadequate in May 2023.

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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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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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

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 20 September

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject of a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff behaviour management strategies are understood and applied at all times by staff, and they must be kept under review and revised where appropriate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34) Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC066242 9

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC066242 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Progressive Futures Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 55 Hoghton Street, Southport, Merseyside PR9 0PG

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Inspectors

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Alexandra Pearson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC066242 11 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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