Children's home run by Future Focused Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2726531 1 Registered provider: Future Focused Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered in August 2023 and is operated by a private provider. It offers care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since August 2023. He is not registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home. The child spoke to the inspector about their experiences living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2726531 2

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improvement to be good

The child says that they are happy living in the home. They have been supported to develop positive relationships with staff. Staff know the child and can engage them effectively in conversations. However, due to shortfalls in management oversight of practice in the home, the child has not always received appropriate messages about acceptable behaviour.

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improvement to be good

The child has recently started at a new specialist education provision. Before this, they were tutored in the home. The child benefited from an individual and sensitive plan to integrate them back into classroom learning. This has been successful, and the child now looks forward to going to school.

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improvement to be good

The child’s wishes and feelings are listened to and acted on by staff. Weekly meetings take place where the child can influence the decisions in the home around meals and activities. This helps the child to feel valued and is increasing their confidence and social skills.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the importance of supporting the child to maintain relationships with their family and other people who are important to them. The child spent Christmas Day with their family at the home, which was a special time for them all and helped to improve relationships between the child and their family.

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improvement to be good

The child is helped through key-work sessions to understand issues such as relationships, positive play and positive self-belief. The sessions are written up and reviewed by the manager for quality, and staff are given guidance to improve their work.

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improvement to be good

The home is homely in appearance and has photos of the child on display. However, some areas of the home are untidy, and dining room furniture needs to be replaced. Replacement chairs were ordered by the responsible individual during the inspection.

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improvement to be good

The child’s risk plans are detailed and contain all the information that staff need to fully understand the child’s risks and vulnerabilities. These are updated as required and signed by staff to ensure that they understand the most appropriate way to care for the child.

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improvement to be good

The child is helped to attend all routine health appointments. Staff are supported by an in-house therapist who offers advice when required. The in-house therapy team ensures that the child receives the most appropriate support from the specialist Inspection report for children’s home: 2726531 3 health services they require. However, changes in the child’s behaviour have not always been shared with their placing authority social worker in a timely manner.

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improvement to be good

Staff recruitment is effective and all necessary employment checks are carried out for new staff. Where there have been issues, relevant risk assessments have been carried out by senior managers. There is one vacancy at the home. This is currently covered by a temporary worker to provide consistency for the child.

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improvement to be good

Allegations against staff are not always appropriately reported or dealt with in line with safeguarding procedures. An allegation from staff members against another member of staff was reported to managers and an internal investigation was carried out. Appropriate action was taken to suspend the member of staff, but the investigation was extremely weak and failed to consider all known concerns regarding the member of staff’s conduct towards the child or presentation in the home. Full details of the concerns were not shared with the local authority designated officer (LADO) for consideration or with Ofsted and the placing authority social worker. This places children at risk of being cared for by adults where risks have not been fully evaluated.

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improvement to be good

There has been a reduction in incidents of the child being physically held for their own and others’ safety. However, when incidents occur, records lack detail. On one occasion, the record was not reflective of the actual events and lacked clarity on the measures used. This limits management oversight of practice in the home.

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good

There have been several management changes since the home registered. The current manager has been in post since August 2023 but has not submitted a complete application to register with Ofsted. Senior managers have not assisted the manager in resolving this issue with the regulator.

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good

Staff feel supported by the manager. Regular staff supervision sessions and team meetings take place, which allows staff to develop their knowledge and skills and reflect on their practice. Staff inductions are comprehensive, and this is supported by ongoing training to enhance their skills.

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good

Partner agencies generally say that the manager is proactive and good at communicating with them. However, there are shortfalls in sharing concerns with the child’s social worker, LADO and Ofsted regarding reduced external oversight of practice in the home.

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good

Leaders and managers have not appropriately addressed concerns about a staff member’s conduct. They did not carry out direct work with the child following the concerns emerging or ensure that there are clear messages about appropriate behaviours and boundaries in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2726531 4

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the responsible individual must ensure that any concerns about staff conduct or practice are thoroughly investigated in line with safeguarding procedures and shared with relevant safeguarding agencies. 2 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2726531 5 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 registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the responsible individual must ensure that staff report concerns about acceptable behaviours regarding staff or children. 2 May 2024

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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a description of the measure and its duration;

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details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; 2 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2726531 6 within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the responsible individual must ensure that the measure used is accurately recorded.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the responsible individual must ensure that any significant changes in a child’s behaviour are discussed with the placing authority social worker to inform their care planning. In addition, the social worker must be informed if there are safeguarding concerns relating to staff in the home. 2 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2726531 7 The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the manager submits a complete application to register with Ofsted. 2 May 2024

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

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

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the home is clean and tidy and decorated and furnished to a high standard 2 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2726531 8 throughout. Additionally, the registered person must ensure that dining furniture is appropriate.

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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: 2726531 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Future Focused Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Future Focused Limited, Crows Nest Business Park, Ashton Road, Billinge, Wigan, Lancashire WN5 7XX

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Inspector

Colin Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2726531 10 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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