Children's Home run by Good Foundations Limited in Wirral

Inspection report for children's home: 2727821 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 privately owned children’s home provides care for up to four children who may have experienced social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in June 2023.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There were four children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2727821 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is beautifully decorated and furnished to a high standard. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms, which gives them a sense of belonging. However, there are no items, such as photos, in the communal areas of the home to indicate that children live there. This detracts from the homely environment.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children have access to education, but not all are taking part in learning opportunities. Since moving into the home, one child has started to reintegrate back into mainstream education. Their teacher said, ‘Previously, they were being taught one to one, but now they are learning in groups.’ Those children who are not attending school have education planners that include online learning in the home and educational activities in the community. One child who will not participate in their education planning is being encouraged to do so on a daily basis.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health, and the staff team works closely with health professionals. Children’s holistic health needs are considered, including their emotional and sexual health. One nurse said, ‘The staff have gone above. [Name of child] struggles with their emotional health, and they are doing all they can to help.’

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are listened to. They build trusting relationships with staff members. They know how to make a complaint, although all children are clear that they currently have no reason to do so. They have the opportunity to give feedback on the care they receive and are confident that if they raise any issues, they will be acted on.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children are reaching the age of transition out of the home, staff evaluate the areas of support they need to prepare them for semi-independence. They have individual transition plans that are linked to their pathway plans.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s time spent with family members is valued. Staff regularly talk to children’s family members, and family members visit the children at home. One family member recently spoke of the support that staff gave to them, their child and other family members following the death of a close relative. This approach leads to children having a strong sense of identity and security.

p.2

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

Children living in the home feel safe. They are provided with advice and guidance to keep themselves safe in the wider community. One child’s risks in respect of radicalisation have significantly been reduced since they moved into the home. The child no longer has their internet use supervised and is no longer monitored by external services. The child’s risks are fully understood by the staff team, as the manager secured the delivery of specialist training. Inspection report for children's home: 2727821 3 Children have individualised risk assessments that outline the strategies to keep them safe. The staff team understands and follows children’s risk assessments to reduce the risks to them.

p.2

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

Children do not regularly go missing from home. When they do, staff follow their individual plans and actively try to locate children by contacting their friends and family and searching the local area. When children return home, they have the opportunity to talk to staff and an independent person. The manager reviews all information relating to missing incidents and reviews care planning with the local authority to see if risks could be reduced with changes to the plans.

p.3

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

The manager and staff have effective links with external professionals. Staff communicate promptly about any safeguarding matters and ensure that any additional services needed to safeguard children are in place. When services were not in place for one child, the manager worked tenaciously alongside the looked after children’s nurse to pursue them.

p.3

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

The children living in the home enjoy varying levels of independence. One child requested an increase in the time they are able to spend in a neighbouring area. Staff advocated for this in light of the child’s age and understanding. The child is now spending more time with friends, and their teacher said they ‘are growing in confidence and have really grown up’.

p.3

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

The local area risk assessment is formulated in line with the children’s perception of the area they live in. They are asked how safe they feel in the area and who they could contact locally for help and support. This information enables the manager to gain insight into the local community from a child’s viewpoint, which adds another perspective to the assessment.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a dedicated, experienced and suitably qualified manager. The stable and fully qualified staff feel supported, and they all speak with enthusiasm about their strengths and shared vision.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the deputy manager know the children well. They have a good understanding of permanence planning, and when children’s plans are uncertain, the manager seeks clarity for them. The social worker for one child whose plan is not clear said of the manager, ‘They are really pushing for decisions.’ The manager will escalate the challenge if there is no response or if responses are not in the children’s best interests. When children consent, they are provided with an advocate to further strengthen their voice.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision takes place regularly and gives staff an opportunity to reflect on the children’s progress and their practice. Appraisals take place twice a year to review training and development needs and celebrate achievements. Appraisals include feedback from children and other staff members. The workforce development plan Inspection report for children's home: 2727821 4 clearly outlines the expectations of the staff team but does not outline how any issues of poor performance would be managed.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff have completed mandatory training. The manager has good oversight of the training needs of staff and facilitates training in line with children’s individual needs. This has included training in respect of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and criminal exploitation. The manager uses team meetings to further develop staff via information-sharing, followed by quizzes and discussion.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the practice in the home. There are systems in place to review and evaluate children’s experiences and consider any learning and improvements. There have been no complaints made about the home, but the manager uses learning from other homes in the organisation to demonstrate a proactive and preventative approach.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has systems in place for staff to consult with children about their plans, their home and the staff working with them. Views are included in plans, which the manager oversees to ensure that they are in line with the local authority care plans. Inspection report for children's home: 2727821 5

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the workforce development plan details the process for managing and improving poor performance. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that children live in a welcoming environment with a homely feel and consider how the children can be reflected and celebrated in all areas of the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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: 2727821 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Good Foundations Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

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

p.6

Inspector

Sarah Jackson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2727821 7 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.

p.6

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.7

Inspector

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

p.7

Inspector

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

p.7