Children's Home run by First Blue Healthcare Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2699924 1 Registered provider: First Blue Healthcare Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to two children who have had adverse childhood experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is vacant. The provider has appointed a manager who is due to start in June 2024.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2699924 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2699924 3

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improvement to be good

One child lives at the home. This child was living in the home at the time of the last inspection. When a new child moves in, senior managers assess their needs before the move, and this assessment considers the child already living in the home. The two children who moved into the home have now left. Their experiences of moving on from the home were different. One child’s move was a positive experience, which was well planned. Another child moved at short notice after an escalation in incidents. This means that this child did not have an opportunity to prepare for the move and contribute to decisions about their future living arrangements.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, children have not received consistent care from staff who they know well. Some children have found it difficult to build positive relationships with staff. However, the child living at the home speaks highly of the care and support that she receives from staff who work at the home now. She has developed a sense of belonging and contributes well to her future care arrangements.

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improvement to be good

Education and learning opportunities for children are mixed. Since moving to the home, one child’s attendance at school has improved significantly. As a result, they are making progress and preparing to take their GCSE exams. On some occasions, the child’s attendance has been affected by incidents occurring through the night with another child who did not attend any education.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that children register with local health services and attend routine health appointments. Staff support children when there is a need for them to receive specialist health services from external organisations for their physical or emotional health. However, children’s access to the organisation’s therapist is variable. This means that children do not always get the emotional support they need when they need it.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not yet confident in understanding and applying the home’s therapeutic model of care, which is based on the PACE (playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy) model of care and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This means that when they respond to children’s behaviour that challenges them, staff do not always understand the reasons behind the behaviour and so they do not respond in a consistently nurturing and empathetic way.

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improvement to be good

The home environment is maintained to a reasonable standard. The manager has identified that some areas of the home would benefit from redecoration and plans are in place for work to be carried out. Items that have been damaged have not yet been replaced, to ensure that the environment feels inviting and homely throughout. Inspection report for children's home: 2699924 4 Staff encourage children to develop important life skills, including learning how to cook different meals. The interests of the child living at the home are encouraged, and staff recognise their artistic and musical talents.

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improvement to be good

Some behaviours and risks are not always managed well by staff. One child’s challenging behaviours and risks increased when they moved into the home. This was disruptive for the other child who, out of worry, engaged in some behaviours that were out of character for them.

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improvement to be good

On some occasions, staff have used physical intervention to reduce the risk of children harming themselves and others or damaging property. Physical interventions used are proportionate and managers ensure that children and staff involved in these incidents have time to reflect on what happened. Staff keep clear records of incidents, which are monitored by managers, who identify learning. On one occasion, there was a delay in recording information.

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improvement to be good

Children understand how to make a complaint. One child complained that the previous manager did not attend the home regularly. They said this made it difficult for them to challenge decisions made about the day-to-day running of the home, for example, having access to the home’s internet and an electronic device having been removed from them. On another occasion, a different child complained about the lack of supervision by staff, which resulted in them being hurt by another child living at the home. On both occasions, the complaints were taken seriously and investigated by someone independent of the home. They identified actions to be taken to resolve both children’s concerns. On one occasion, there was a delay in acknowledging a child’s complaint. This was recognised by the investigation and the child received an apology.

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improvement to be good

There has been an increase in children leaving the home without permission. On some of these occasions, it was not known where children went. On most occasions when children are missing from home, staff work well with the child’s family members and professionals to try and locate the child. However, on one occasion, a staff member did not communicate effectively with people trying to locate the child and did not respond promptly when they found out where the child was. This was a missed opportunity to ensure that the child was located promptly and their safety and welfare checked.

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improvement to be good

Staff worked well with professionals regarding a child who was vulnerable to being groomed online. They identified concerns and worked with others to understand more about this and manage the risk.

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improvement to be good

The provider ensures that there are effective recruitment systems. This helps to reduce the risk of children being cared for by unsuitable individuals. Inspection report for children's home: 2699924 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager resigned and since then, four different managers have supported the day-to-day running of the home. The inconsistent management arrangements have negatively impacted on the effectiveness of the monitoring of the home and the quality of care children receive. A new manager has now been appointed and is expected to start work in June 2024.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, seven members of staff have left. This has resulted in children receiving care from agency workers and staff from other parts of the organisation, which has led to inconsistencies in their care. Despite eight new staff being recruited, five have already left and only three staff remain. This means that there are not sufficient core staff to meet the needs of two children for which the home is registered to provide care. The provider is currently recruiting staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The small staff team working at the home now is motivated to provide care for children that will help them to make progress. However, they lack experience of working with children with complex behavioural needs in a residential setting and are not qualified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

New staff have not benefited from a well-organised and structured induction to working in the home. This has been identified by senior managers, who have arranged for additional learning opportunities, which new staff are embracing. This is enabling them to reflect on and develop their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers do not ensure that staff receive regular supervision and opportunities to come together for team meetings. This limits the staff team’s ability to agree consistent approaches to meeting children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have completed most of their mandatory training via an online training platform, with some courses delivered face to face. One member of staff who currently works on their own with a child has not completed physical intervention training. There is a plan for them to receive this training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Social workers and parents provided mixed feedback about the quality of care children receive and communication from staff and managers. One child’s social worker was complimentary about the updates she receives from one of the staff who takes a leading role in supporting their child. Another social worker and a parent raised concerns that they were not receiving regular information about their child’s experiences. This, along with concerns that the child was not making sufficient progress, contributed to the decision by the placing authority to move the child. Inspection report for children's home: 2699924 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 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

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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for 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)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is a consistent staff team and all staff have opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge to be able to use the therapeutic approach identified in the home’s statement of purpose. In addition, ensure that systems to 16 June 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2699924 7 improve management oversight of the quality of care children receive are implemented.

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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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iv)(v)) 29 May 2024

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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

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)(d)) 16 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development.

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(b)) 16 June 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2699924 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: 2699924 9

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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

Helen Dunn, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2699924 10 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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