Children's Home run by Supporting Futures Limited in Cheshire East

Inspection report children’s home: 2548403 1 Registered provider: Supporting Futures 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 and provides therapeutic care for up to four children who experience difficulties relating to trauma. The provider offers support to children who have displayed harmful behaviour. At the time of the inspection, four children were living in the home. Since the last inspection, one child has moved out and two children have moved in.

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Information about this children’s home

This company also runs a school, which is registered with the Department for Education, in the same grounds as the children’s home. One child from the home currently attends this school. The inspector only inspected the social care provision.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2019.

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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

Date of last inspection: 15 November 2022

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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: 2548403 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/11/2022 Full Good 25/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2548403 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience well-planned moves into the home. They visit the home before they move in and meet the staff team and other children. Staff fully consider children’s wishes and feelings before they move in. As a result, there are excellent working relationships between staff and families. Some children have lived in the home for several years. Children have formed very positive attachments to staff. These strong attachments enhance children’s self-esteem and support their personal development. One grandparent said, ‘It doesn’t bear thinking about where [name of child] would be without the support from the staff.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff nurture children and support them with self-care, by providing lots of reassurance and guidance. This nurturing ethos is also reflected in the home environment, where children have access to different toys and games and have personalised bedrooms. As a result, children enjoy living here and receive the one- to-one attention that they deserve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team is dedicated to resolving educational challenges for the children, ensuring that their needs are met. One child attends the on-site school, others are in mainstream school or college. The team continues to work with other agencies to help one child engage better. Despite these efforts, presently this child continues to struggle with engagement. Other children’s engagement and attendance in school has improved. This is good progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s interests are actively encouraged, and they have opportunities to engage in positive activities, both in and outside the home. For example, one child is taking climbing lessons to support their future career, while another child with a passion for building structures has been assisted by the staff to enrol on a college course that aligns with their area of interest.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met because staff are creative in supporting them. Approaches are personalised to individual children and staff help them attend and engage in appointments and receive any required assessments and support. One child is now successfully managing their health condition without the need for medication, as their health assessment has determined it’s no longer necessary.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s positive behaviours are recognised and celebrated. Staff acknowledge and praise both small and significant achievements for children and present them with certificates and rewards. This gives children a sense of achievement and encourages positive behaviours and progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of children’s therapeutic needs. Collaborative working with the therapeutic team is developing through reflective practice sessions. As a result, staff are given skills to enhance their understanding of the children’s specific needs and behaviour. Inspection report for children’s home: 2548403 4

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

Children are supported to take safe and appropriate risks in line with their care plans and developmental needs. Staff complete risk management plans for each child. This enables staff to identify and understand children’s risks. Staff review plans regularly with children and discuss them in team meetings. This helps staff to maintain consistency when protecting children from harm.

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

Children are supported by staff who listen to them. Staff spend quality time with children on a one-to-one basis. Discussions take place to help children understand how to stay safe, the importance of good personal hygiene and managing their emotions. As a result, children say they feel safe and supported.

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

Staff undertake a broad range of good-quality training in safeguarding matters. Safeguarding themes are further explored with staff through supervision and team meetings. As a result, staff know how to recognise, report and act on any safeguarding concerns that they may have.

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

When children are missing from home, staff take swift action to ensure that children return safely. Staff have a proactive approach to achieve the child’s safe return to the home. However, the reports do not reflect the discussions in the return home interviews. This can limit staff’s ability to ensure the safety and well-being of the children in their care.

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

Complaints are responded to appropriately to safeguard all involved. The staff are confident in their use of whistle-blowing. Professionals are notified promptly to ensure that there is a transparent approach. Children can identify trusted adults in the home who they can make a complaint to. Complaints are thoroughly investigated, and any lessons learned are discussed as part of reflective sessions.

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

The manager maintains comprehensive risk assessments to support staff in effectively managing risks. However, the manager has not reviewed the necessity of rodent deterrent boxes in the home when there have been no reports or concerns regarding rodents for an extended period of time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably experienced and supported by her senior staff team. The leadership team has a thorough knowledge of the children. The manager listens to children’s views and considers their wishes and feelings. This promotes children’s development and progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been some changes in the staff team. However, the team is now consistent and stable. When there have been vacancies, these have been covered by the existing staff team or staff known to children from the agency. Staff said that the manager is approachable and that they feel valued. Inspection report for children’s home: 2548403 5 The staff and manager know children well. They recognise and understand children’s individual needs through multi-agency working and building effective relationships with those external to the home. As a result, the feedback from children, professionals and those important to children is complimentary. One professional said, ‘Staff work in excellent partnership with me and family members. This shows their commitment to all areas of the child’s life, including his life before he moved in.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s internal reviewing and monitoring systems are effective. The manager has oversight of all documents and ensures that staff have read and understood children’s plans. The manager benefits from the external monitoring provided by the independent person. As a result, she has made improvements to children’s plans that capture their progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are supported by their manager through supervision sessions, which helps them improve their work through reflection. However, some staff have experienced delays in their supervision, which does not align with the home’s statement of purpose. This could impact on how staff develop in their roles. Additionally, the manager has not developed a workforce plan to include the detail required to meet regulation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the strengths and areas of improvement. They have implemented systems to improve their oversight through regular auditing and evaluation. This is improving practice in several areas and means that staff provide better care for children. The manager has met the requirements made at the last inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2548403 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that accurate records are kept in relation to return home interviews. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraphs 9.30)  The registered person should ensure that they consider whether pest control deterrents are necessary, provided that there are no concerns about rodents in the home. Homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a homely atmosphere rather than an institutional one. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should have systems in place so that supervision takes place in line with the timescales in the statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which includes details of the

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Recommendations

management and staffing structure, the process and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction and training, the process for managing and improving poor performance, and supervision. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: 2548403 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Supporting Futures Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sinclair, 300 St Marys Road, Garston, Liverpool L19 0NQ

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Inspector

Jennifer Quest, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2548403 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 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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