Children's Home run by Bright Futures North West Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report for children’s home: 2734267 1 Registered provider: Bright Futures North West Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to two children who may experience social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and managed.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and/or the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2734267 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2734267 3

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inadequate

Since the home was registered, one child has lived at the home.

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inadequate

Inspectors identified significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice and leadership and management arrangements of the home. These shortfalls have significantly compromised the child’s welfare, safety and progress.

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inadequate

Leaders and the manager do not fully assess the child’s needs before they move into the home. The child’s plans are not up to date. This impacts on staff’s ability to provide safe and effective care to meet the child’s needs.

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inadequate

Staff do not provide the child with positive routines or structure to their day. The child does not have an education timetable and spends long periods of time in their bedroom without any structure or daily routine. Staff are uncertain about what the day-to-day plan is for the child. This negatively affects the child’s overall well-being and progress.

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inadequate

The child is no longer attending education and staff do not provide the child with a daily timetable. This means that the child is not making progress with their learning and development. Furthermore, the manager and staff are not aware of the local offer, which sets out the support available for children with special education needs. This is a missed opportunity to identify any additional resources for the child.

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inadequate

Staff are unable to engage the child in a range of activities and experiences. This limits the child’s progress in developing interests and hobbies.

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inadequate

Strategies to raise the child’s awareness of equality and diversity issues, and to educate them regarding socially aware behaviour, are ineffective. In addition, staff have not been able to develop relationships with the child, built on mutual respect and trust.

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inadequate

Staff support the child to spend time with the people who are important to them, such as family and friends. This enables the child to maintain relationships and develop their support network.

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

Leaders and the manager do not adequately respond to, or implement, appropriate strategies to protect the child living in the home. This has significantly impacted on the child’s safety.

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

Staff do not take effective action to keep the child safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2734267 4 The manager and staff do not understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. Staff do not have the skills to identify when children may be at risk of harm. One child has suffered significant harm when they were out in the community. Staff do not demonstrate any professional curiosity regarding serious incidents. This does not demonstrate effective safeguarding practices and places children at further risk of harm.

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

Staff do not know how to keep the child safe when they are under the influence of substances. Staff do not seek medical attention for the child. This places the child at further risk of harm.

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

Staff do not intervene to protect the child or deescalate situations. This means that staff rely on the police to manage incidents which may have been avoided.

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

One child has suffered from exploitation and online harms. However, leaders, the manager and staff do not implement clear strategies to keep the child safe through education, restricting access or regular checks of the child’s online devices. Therefore, the child continues to be exposed to harm when they use the internet.

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

One child makes allegations about staff. However, leaders and the manager do not report all significant events to the relevant authorities. This means the regulator has no immediate oversight of what action they are taking to keep the child safe. This impacts on the child’s overall welfare and safety.

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

Staff do not help the child to understand how to stay safe. They do not consistently engage the child in follow-up discussions after serious incidents. This means that the child cannot reflect on their actions or learn about risks such as substance misuse, fire safety and aggressive behaviour. This significantly compromises the child’s safety.

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

The child lives in a well-maintained and modern home. The child said that they felt safe in their home and enjoyed living there. However, on one occasion, staff prevented the child from entering their home as a means to manage a situation. This detracts from the home being a nurturing and safe environment for the child to live in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leadership and management arrangements in the home are poor and ineffective. There is poor management oversight, with very limited strategies in place for the staff team to help the child and reduce risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager is not leading and managing the home in a manner that is consistent with the aims outlined in the statement of purpose. This has had an adverse impact on the child’s safety and their overall experiences and progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management oversight of the home is poor. Monitoring and review systems are not effective. Some documents are not up to date. This does not support staff to Inspection report for children’s home: 2734267 5 monitor the child’s experiences and progress to ensure that their needs are met and to reduce the risk of ongoing harm to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and the manager do not review or evaluate incidents. There is no reflection with staff or robust evaluation of safeguarding incidents to improve the child’s safety and the practices of staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager and the adults caring for the child have not received relevant training to meet the individual child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Some documents use judgemental and stigmatising language about children. This means that staff record information in a way that is not helpful to the child. In addition, not all documents are signed by the author or the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff receive regular supervision and attend structured team meetings. However, some staff do not feel supported by their manager and feel that communication is not always clear within the team. This leads to inconsistent practice for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Due to the serious and widespread concerns identified, an immediate notice to suspend the registration of the home was issued. Ofsted will continue to monitor this suspension notice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2734267 6

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, to ensure that staff identify, understand and manage the child’s vulnerabilities and take appropriate action to safeguard the child. This includes follow-up work with the child to help them to regulate their behaviour. 8 March 2024

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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— 8 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2734267 7 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, to ensure that the registered person embeds robust monitoring and evaluation processes and takes effective action to prevent children from suffering harm. Also, to ensure that training is provided for all staff so they can respond to the child’s needs and keep them safe.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any 8 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2734267 8 such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, to ensure that staff engage children in structured daily routines inclusive of an education timetable. In addition, to ensure that all staff are aware of the child’s plans and promote their learning.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f) 8 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the 8 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2734267 9 registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)) Inspection report for children’s home: 2734267 10 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 8 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(c)) 8 March 2024

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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 and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (2)(a)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, to ensure that all aspects of the statement of purpose are met, and to ensure that the child’s vacant bedroom is not used as a staff sleep room. 8 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills. 8 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2734267 11 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that information is recorded on children in a non-stigmatising way and in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that managers and staff are aware of the local offer setting out the support available for children with special educational needs or disabilities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.4)  The registered person should include in the workforce development plan the process for managing and improving poor performance. (‘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: 2734267 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bright Futures North West Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 48-52 Penny Lane, Mossley Hill, Liverpool, Merseyside L18 1DG

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Inspectors

Mark Woodbridge, social care inspector Cathy Trengove, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2734267 13 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. 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

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Inspectors

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 .

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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

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