Children's home run by First 4 Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1250196 1 Registered provider: First 4 Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care and support for up to two children with learning disabilities. One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection. The inspector spent time with the child and staff during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in April 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 23 November 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

There has been a restriction of accommodation which ended in April 2024 and a child now lives in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1250196 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/11/2021 Full Outstanding 28/01/2020 Full Good 02/10/2018 Full Good 06/03/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1250196 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff in the home are warm and nurturing and this has helped the child to settle in. Staff are responsive and attentive and are committed to helping the child live a full and active life in their community. Staff have received training in therapeutic play and focus strongly on play in the home and out of it. This has supported the child to take part in lots of fun activities and helped them to make friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote education well, working in partnership with schools and teachers to support individual educational progress. The child is making good progress in school and attends school regularly. The child also recently enjoyed an organised school trip. This is something they previously struggled with. Therefore, this was a notable achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is modern, clean and fresh. It has been decorated to meet the sensory needs of the child living there. Play equipment is developmentally appropriate and meets the sensory needs of the child. There are colourful books which staff read with the child and there are photos which show the child having fun and trying new things. The child has learned to play since living here.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand and meet the child’s health and emotional needs. The child now sees medical professionals and is making progress with many self-care skills. The home has communication tools, symbols and timers at hand for the child around the home. These tools help the child to share their feelings, be independent, ask questions and make choices for themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported to have time with their family and important people in their life. This happens regularly and staff are sensitive to support fun times for the child and the family. The home captures daily memories effectively in a journal, which the child keeps.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The statement of purpose does not reflect the variety of professionals involved with children in the home. This means that the current statement of purpose does not fully reflect the current uniqueness of the home and how staff care for children.

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

Staff record information about the child’s risks and vulnerabilities well. They capture the specific needs of the child and plans are worded positively. This helps staff to focus on the desired outcome rather than a presenting behaviour. These are kept under regular review and reflect the child’s changing needs.

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

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into and out of the home in a short period of time. The manager and team quickly identified that they could not safely care for the child. In this instance, the manager engaged with external colleagues and a well-being professional to advocate for the child. This means that an alternative arrangement was Inspection report for children’s home: 1250196 4 made in the least disruptive way. The child feels safer now and is much happier with the new arrangements.

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

The manager follows a safer recruitment process and makes additional checks where necessary. Staff receive a through induction to the home. The manager understands and fulfils their responsibility to address safeguarding concerns. The manager works with other professionals openly when there are any concerns and their focus remains on the child’s well-being.

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

The child does not go missing from this home. However, staff have robust plans in place should this occur. The need for physical intervention is rare and only used as a last resort. When this does occur, the incident is carefully reviewed by the manager and the child’s plans are updated accordingly. The review of plans has enabled staff to reflect and helped them to adapt the way they worked with the child.

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

Staff in the home use appropriate boundaries and guidance consistently. This, alongside a structure and routines, has helped the child to feel better protected in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a reflective professional who is driven and determined to build an open and learning culture in the home. They welcome and seek guidance from other professionals. Professionals speak highly of the manager and staff. One professional said: ‘Communication is absolutely brilliant. The manager keeps me up to date. It is astounding to see how much the child has thrived since being there.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff are creative in the way that they work with the child. They find solutions to problems that arise. The manager and staff celebrate the child on a daily basis and are all aware of the many small steps of progress they are making. These small steps represent areas of significant progress for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is relatively new to the home. The manager ensures that all staff complete the necessary training and meet regularly with the manager for supervision sessions. This helps to mitigate the inexperience within the team. Positively, the manager and deputy have worked alongside the team and act as good role models. This has helped to create an environment where good practice can flourish.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has acknowledged that the admissions process could be tighter. This is because there was a missed opportunity to fully understand one child’s needs prior to them moving into the home. The manager has reflected on this and has taken some learning for future practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 1250196 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the statement of purpose contains all the necessary information stated in schedule 1. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 13, paragraph 3.6)  The registered person should ensure that they have sufficient information from the child’s placing authority and other relevant agencies to assess effectively whether they can meet the child’s needs before agreeing to the placement, to avoid disruption and instability for the child in future and for other children in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, pages 56 and 57, paragraphs 11.4 and 11.5)

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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: 1250196 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: First 4 Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 16 St Wilfrids Road, Bessacarr, Doncaster DN4 6AA

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Inspector

Carol Jagger, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1250196 7 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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