Children's home run by First Blue Healthcare Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2724741 1 Registered provider: First Blue Healthcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in April 2023. It provides care for up to three children with learning disabilities and who have been affected by adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and complex behaviours. The home is privately owned and forms part of a large organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, the registered manager has voluntarily cancelled her registration with Ofsted and is no longer working in the home. A new manager has been appointed and started on 13 November 2023. He has submitted his application to register with Ofsted. However, an interim manager has been in day-to-day charge since the last 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

Date of last inspection: 27 September 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Following the last inspection, Ofsted issued a notice restricting accommodation at the home. Compliance notices under Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and Regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard) were also issued. Inspection report for children's home: 2724741 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/09/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2724741 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, the same child has remained living in the home and no other children have moved into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders have worked effectively since the last inspection to make significant improvements to the care that the child receives. The compliance notices in relation to Regulation 12 and Regulation 13 have been met. Also, all requirements and the recommendation raised at the last inspection have been addressed. As a result, Ofsted has removed the notice of restriction of accommodation on the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build positive relationships with the child. They ensure that the child’s views, wishes and feelings are listened to and acted on. Also, staff support the child to contribute to their plans and make decisions about their day-to-day care. These opportunities enable the child to express their views, contribute to and understand decisions made about their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help and support the child to overcome barriers to attending school. Since the last inspection, managers and staff have worked with education professionals to identify a suitable school for the child. Consequently, the child has recently started to attend school, having been out of school for the previous two years. In addition, the interim manager held several meetings with the school to support the child’s transition effectively. This support helps the child to feel valued and has provided them with opportunities to learn.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work with professionals to support and promote the child’s health needs effectively. For example, staff have arranged for the child to receive support from the home’s therapist. As a result, the child is now accessing specific support for their emotional health. Staff described how the child was benefiting from this support and the positive impact it had begun to have on the child’s emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise the child’s family time. They work hard to ensure that the child spends time with loved ones. For example, the child sees their family every week. In addition, the interim manager has worked to improve communication with the child’s parents. This has helped to improve and strengthen their relationship and will provide the child with support in the future. The child’s parent said, ‘Communication is good. I am happy that [name of child] is safe,’ and ‘[The staff] are doing a fantastic job.’

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

The child said that they feel safe in the home. This is because staff now ensure that there are clear boundaries and expectations, which help to keep the child safe. Staff also know the child well and understand their complex needs. As a result, the child is settled, and there have been no significant incidents since the last inspection. Inspection report for children's home: 2724741 4 Staff described how their training has improved their skill set and their ability to keep the child safe should they go missing from home. There have been no missing- from-home incidents since the last inspection. Should the child go missing in the future, there are now robust missing-from-care protocols for staff to follow. To summarise the child’s progress, one external professional said that the child ‘was going missing from the home every night’ before living in this home and that the child was at ‘high risk of child sexual exploitation’. However, support from staff has

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

meant that ‘[name of child] has hardly been missing since living in this home’ and ‘is now low risk in terms of child sexual exploitation’.

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

Staff ensure that the child’s risk assessments are reviewed and updated regularly. Risk assessments now identify clear strategies for staff to follow to support the child. Furthermore, staff have consulted with the child’s social worker and the local authority. As a result, the child’s plans are current, reflective and provide staff with guidance to keep the child safe.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been no incidents requiring physical restraint with the child. Also, managers ensure that consequences issued to the child are balanced and reinforce boundaries in the home. Leaders have ensured that staff understand the home’s behaviour management policy and the expectations placed on them. As a result, staff have been given the support to equip them with the knowledge to promote positive behaviour in the home.

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

The quality of direct work completed with the child to keep them safe is good. Staff ensure that key-work sessions are well planned and specific to the child’s needs. For example, the child has completed direct work with staff on recognising the signs and dangers of exploitation. Consequently, the child is provided with opportunities to develop their resilience and learn about risk.

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

The interim manager has reviewed the home’s location risk assessment. It has been updated to reflect risks in the local area. However, the views of external professionals have not been considered when completing the assessment. Therefore, the assessment of local risks to the child has not been fully explored.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, a suitably qualified and experienced interim manager has been in day-to-day charge of the home. She is organised, child-focused and has high expectations. In addition, she has been supported by senior leaders, and they have taken on the responsibility of addressing the shortfalls raised at the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have taken action to ensure that staff have the skills to safeguard children effectively. For example, the management team has reviewed the staff’s skills and knowledge. During team meetings, staff have completed exploitation training and have upskilled their abilities in relation to missing-from- home episodes. These systems have assured the interim manager that staff now have the knowledge and skills to safeguard children. Inspection report for children's home: 2724741 5 Staff feel well supported by the management team. Staff receive regular and reflective supervision sessions. In addition, the interim manager has ensured that development plans implemented for staff are specific to the needs of the home. These supportive systems have had a positive impact on the care that the child receives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager works effectively in partnership with a range of professionals. She advocates well for the child and escalates concerns to the local authority when required. Professionals are positive about the care and support the child receives and the communication they have with the manager and staff. They see that the child’s confidence is improving, and the child is making progress from their starting points.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has made improvements to the monitoring systems used in the home. Internal and external systems used have helped to identify actions and improve the quality of care delivered to the child. However, the interim manager has failed to ensure that her formal quality of care review report is sent to Ofsted within the required time frames. These delays reduce the oversight the regulator has on the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2724741 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. To inform this review and overall assessment of risk, the registered person should consult with and consider the views of partner agencies. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)  The registered person should put in place processes to enable the quality of care review to take place. These should allow for a report to be generated at least once every six months. The generated report should be sent to Ofsted and the placing local authority of all looked after children in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.3)

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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: 2724741 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: First Blue Healthcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Seighford Hall, Clanford Road, Seighford, Stafford ST18 9NL

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Inspector

Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2724741 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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