Children's home run by Good Foundations Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2728615 1 Registered provider: Good Foundations Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social or emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Four children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2023.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2728615 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm, welcoming, and decorated to a high standard. Children are supported to personalise the home and their bedrooms to their individual preferences. There are photos and achievements displayed throughout the home, creating a homely feel.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out and one child has moved in to the home. Plans for these moves were clear and individualised to the children and their needs. The manager and staff are committed to providing ongoing support to children who move on from the home. This enables children to stay in contact with staff who are important to them.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop positive relationships with staff, who understand their individual needs and want the best for them. One social worker said, ‘[Child’s name] has amazing and strong, trusting relationships with all the staff, who he views as his family.’

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children can communicate their wishes and feelings in a way that suits their individual communication styles, including using pictures and communication devices. The manager and staff are strong advocates for the children’s wishes and feelings.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff help children to have positive experiences, and work hard to improve children’s overall outcomes. For example, staff help children to improve their overall health needs, independence, and social skills. Children are encouraged to see people who are important to them. This helps children to maintain safe and positive relationships in their lives.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to engage in education, and are making progress in line with their individual needs, including their attendance and social skills. This improves children’s individual educational outcomes. One teacher said, ‘The transformation is astonishing. Without the structure and care he [the child] receives from the home I don’t think he would be the phenomenal person he has developed into.’ Children who do not attend school are offered alternative activities to support their development. The manager challenges professionals to ensure that plans are implemented in a timely way for children to resume formal education.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can access a wide range of activities and experiences, including youth clubs, days out, holidays, and parties with friends and neighbours. Children work with different charities to raise money and enhance other people’s lives, including delivering items to homeless people and raising money through sponsored walks. These experiences provide children with a sense of achievement and belonging within the home and community. Furthermore, this has increased their self-esteem and confidence. Inspection report for children’s home: 2728615 3

p.2

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s individual needs and vulnerabilities. Staff are aware of the procedures to follow for a range of safeguarding scenarios, and have received training to develop their skills. Staff work well with a wide range of professionals, who are complimentary about the staff and their commitment to keeping children safe.

p.3

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

Children are supported to develop strategies to keep themselves safe, including keeping safe when they use the internet and developing healthy relationships. This helps children to make good choices about their safety, and they can talk to staff about their worries.

p.3

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

Staff provide clear and consistent boundaries for children. Staff offer praise and reward to reinforce positive behaviour. Positive behaviour management skills and de-escalation techniques are used by staff to manage incidents well. This helps children to feel safe and secure. Risks for children have reduced since they have lived at the home. One social worker said, ‘[Child’s name] has come on leaps and bounds since being here. The risks he presented with have significantly reduced, if not been eliminated.’

p.3

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

There has been one incident of a child going missing from the home. Staff act appropriately to ensure that procedures are followed and that the relevant action is taken to locate the child and return them home safely. Children have access to independent return-home interviews. This provides children with the opportunity to discuss any concerns with someone who is independent from the staff team.

p.3

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

There have been three occasions when a child has made allegations against staff. The manager and staff have shared these allegations with professionals. However, there are gaps in practice because the manager and staff did not follow all safeguarding procedures. The manager and staff did not ensure that allegations were recorded, investigated, and reported to the local authority designated officer in line with safeguarding policies and procedures. The manager accepted this shortfall and took action to rectify it at the inspection.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced, suitably qualified and child focused. The manager is well organised and has high aspirations for the children in her care. The staff share these high expectations, and work hard to provide children with the support and guidance they need to achieve their potential. One member of staff said, ‘We want our children to know that they can go into the world and achieve great things.’

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they enjoy coming to work and have a high level of support from the Inspection report for children’s home: 2728615 4 manager to develop their skills. Staff have opportunities to discuss children’s needs and any areas for development through regular supervision, appraisals, and team meetings.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training that is specific to the needs of children. As a result, the children are supported by staff who are suitably trained and fully understand their needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed positive working relationships with other professionals who are involved in children’s lives. The manager consistently challenges professionals when children are not receiving the services required to meet their needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses internal and external monitoring systems to evaluate the care and experiences of children in the home. However, the manager has not ensured that the quality of care review includes feedback from children, parents, and professionals to ensure that it is robust. Feedback from key stakeholders and parents is gathered regularly and is consistently of a high standard. Inspection report for children’s home: 2728615 5

p.4

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, 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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

p.5

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;

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that allegations are investigated, recorded, and reported to the local authority designated officer and Ofsted in line with safeguarding policies. 9 December 2023

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should undertake a quality of care review that focuses on the quality of care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there, and the impact that the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. The registered person should ensure that feedback from children, their parents, placing authorities and staff is considered within the review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2) Inspection report for children’s home: 2728615 6

p.5

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: 2728615 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Good Foundations Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 Tower Quays, Tower Road, Birkenhead, Merseyside CH41 1BP

p.7

Inspector

Jenni Gadsby, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2728615 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8