Children's Home run by Bright Futures Care Limited in Halton

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2652976 1 Registered provider: Bright Futures Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by an independent company. It is registered to provide care for up to five children who may have learning disabilities, sensory impairment and social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, five children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2023.

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Inspection date: 18 December 2023

Dates of last inspection: 12 and 13 September 2023

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Inspection date: 18 December 2023

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 18 December 2023

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2652976 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Children like living in the home. Staff understand children and provide individualised care to meet their needs. This helps children to have positive experiences.

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Findings from the inspection

Since the last inspection, the home has been redecorated throughout, which includes the children’s bedrooms. Soft furnishings have been purchased and improvements to the home environment have been made. This enhances the condition of the home and supports children to develop a sense of belonging.

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Findings from the inspection

Each child receives a high level of supervision and is cared for by a small team of staff who know them well. Children’s care and risk plans are detailed and are regularly updated to reflect children’s current and emerging needs. This ensures that children receive consistent care.

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Findings from the inspection

A new online recording system has been introduced to the home. This enables staff to record each child’s journey throughout the day and ensures that the recording is robust. This system gives the manager and senior staff daily oversight of children’s records.

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Findings from the inspection

Allegations are well managed, and information is appropriately shared with relevant professionals. Staff have received further training in relation to behaviour management and the steps to take if an allegation is made. This has helped staff to better understand the care they deliver.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff know how to respond to incidents where children are held to keep themselves and others safe. Records are clear and there is oversight from appropriate professionals and internal behaviour support staff to identify any learning. The manager has recently started to evaluate these incidents, but this practice is not yet fully embedded. This was a requirement at the last inspection and has been restated.

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Findings from the inspection

The staff team is consistent. New staff are introduced to the home sensitively to take into consideration children’s complex needs. The manager has a detailed rota where he allocates the most appropriate staff to look after the children each day.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff receive good support from the manager and deputy manager. Supervision sessions provide opportunities for staff to reflect on their practice. Staff have access to relevant training and have benefited from additional workshops on epilepsy and physical intervention techniques. This ensures that staff have the knowledge and skills to keep children safe. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2652976 3 The manager has monitoring systems in place to ensure the smooth running of the home. This also shows how children are making progress in every area of their lives. The manager’s review of the quality of care report is not yet due. Therefore, the requirement raised in relation to this at the last inspection is restated. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2652976 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2652976 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

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that they have oversight of all areas of practice in the home. Any incidents must be evaluated to establish patterns and trends and to identify areas of learning to make continuous improvements.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 4 February 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children; 4 February 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2652976 6 the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that there is clear evaluation of the quality of care provided to children in the reporting period. There should be clear reflection about whether systems in place are working well, and actions to improve practice as needed.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2652976 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bright Futures Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bright Futures Care Limited, Asher House, Barsbank Lane, Lymm WA13 0ED

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Inspector

Colin Jones, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2652976 8 inspects 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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