Children's Home run by Footsteps Care Limited in Waltham Forest

Inspection report for children's home: SC481293 1 SC481293 Registered provider: Footsteps Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to eight children. The home’s statement of purpose states that the home looks after children who have a learning and/or physical disability and/or complex healthcare needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2020 and is working towards his level 5 qualification in children’s residential care.

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Information about this children’s home

There were eight children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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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: SC481293 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/08/2022 Full Good 27/04/2021 Full Good 03/12/2019 Full Good 02/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC481293 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who live at this home have a positive experience. They are supported to engage in a wide range of activities in the home, including dancing, arts and crafts, and baking. The facilities at the home include an activity room, sensory room and a spacious garden. Children also enjoy positive activities in the community, including holidays, day trips and trips to the funfair.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children have appropriate routines in place, with an individualised weekly planner on display in their bedrooms. This helps children to feel settled and secure as they always know what to expect. Furthermore, children are supported to make their beds, clean their bedrooms and prepare basic meals. This supports children to develop and practise their independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s individual achievements are celebrated. Children receive monthly certificates for the progress they make. These records of achievement are important for children and form a part of their life story.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children do not attend school, staff support them to engage in educational learning activities that are arranged by schools and tutors. One child has improved their reading and their handwriting skills through these activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff support children’s time with family and friends. Children are also supported to speak to family members on video calls. This enables them to maintain positive relationships with the significant people in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children participate in fortnightly house meetings where various topics are discussed, including house rules, fire safety, achievements, food menus and activities. This allows the children to share their wishes and feelings and make a positive contribution in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When one child expressed that they did not like being restrained, the registered manager treated their comments as a complaint. The manager spoke to the child and ensured that staff carried out a key-work session with the child to support them. This demonstrates that children’s wishes and feelings are taken seriously.

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

Managers and staff take care to meet children’s individual health needs. For a child who has unique health concerns, the manager ensured that all staff received relevant training, and that the child has access to appropriate equipment to support them during personal care. For another child who has concerns related to their health and weight, staff encourage healthy eating and exercise. As a result, the child has made significant progress, leading to better health and well-being. Inspection report for children's home: SC481293 4 Staff and managers have a good understanding of children’s emotional needs. They use effective de-escalation techniques to support children when their behaviour becomes risky. Restraint is only used if children put themselves or others at risk of harm. Children are supported appropriately after incidents. Staff speak to them about what has happened to help them to feel better. Following incidents, staff and

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

managers reflect together to help them to understand the reasons behind children’s behaviours and implement effective plans to prevent similar incidents in the future.

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

Admission processes are not robust. One child’s risks and needs were not known at the point of referral. This meant that the manager could not fully consider the child’s needs and whether the staff’s skills and abilities were sufficient to support the child. It was also difficult to assess the impact the child moving into the home would have on the children already living there. This child left the home in an unplanned way following a significant incident that required involvement from the emergency services. Ofsted was not notified of this incident, consequently preventing appropriate regulatory oversight. The registered manager demonstrated his reflection and learning from this situation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers know the children well and understand their needs and behaviours. They have high aspirations for children and work with families to support children’s progress and development. Managers ensure that there are sufficient numbers of staff to support children on a one-to-one basis. This ensures that children achieve good outcomes and have enjoyable experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and they are effective. Managers and staff discuss relevant topics such as safeguarding, communication and different ways of supporting children. Whistle-blowing procedures and where to report safeguarding matters are discussed. This further ensures the protection of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision that focuses on child-related practice and staff well- being. Staff performance and practice are appraised annually. This ensures that managers have good oversight of staff practice and development. However, supervisions are not always recorded effectively, which prevents the reader from understanding when the supervision session took place or which manager carried it out.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Mandatory training, including training in fire safety and autism, has not been completed within the set timescales by some staff. This impacts on the staff’s knowledge and their skills to support children effectively at the home. Inspection report for children's home: SC481293 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 within the given timescales.

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must monitor and improve the quality of records. This relates to risk assessments, key-work sessions and monthly summaries, which do not detail all risks or work conducted with children or highlight the progress children are making.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that staff receive the appropriate support and training, including deprivation of liberty training, to provide a good quality of care to children and ensure that their needs are met well. 28 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 13 October 2023 Inspection report for children's home: SC481293 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they have a copy of all children’s local authority care plans.

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Requirement Due date

When considering new children moving into the home, leaders and managers must also fully consider the needs of children already living there, as well as whether the staff have the skills to meet the needs of all children in their care.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that notifications of serious incidents are made to the regulator without delay. 13 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2)) 13 October 2023 Inspection report for children's home: SC481293 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that notes of the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions are kept and that both the person giving the supervision and the staff member have a copy of the record. Specifically, this relates to ensuring that good records of the content of supervision are maintained for the purposes of staff development. This recommendation has been restated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)

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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: SC481293 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Footsteps Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Orchard, Ashmead Drive, Denham, Uxbridge UB9 5BA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Anslim Narinesingh

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Inspector

Amena Begum, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC481293 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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