Children's Home run by My Future Matters Ltd in East Sussex

Inspection report children’s home: 2736855 1 Registered provider: My Future Matters Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in April 2024. This is the first inspection since registration. The home can care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has not had a registered manager since 13 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: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2736855 2

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improvement to be good

This inspection was brought forward in order to address specific concerns received by Ofsted. The concerns include the registered manager leaving soon after the home was registered, and a complaint about the care and safety of the children.

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improvement to be good

Since the home has been registered, two children have lived in the home. Staff were unable to keep the children safe from risks that could not have been predicted. For the safety of the children, immediate notice was given to one child and they left the home in an unplanned way.

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improvement to be good

Since the home has been registered, four staff have left the home, including the manager. Three staff have left at short notice, with only two permanent staff working in the home. Agency staff have been used to fill the staff shortages and, on occasions, only agency staff have worked in the home. Agency staff have quickly developed positive relationships with the child. However, this does not provide the child with a stable staff team and has the potential for care provision to be inconsistent.

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improvement to be good

A small number of staff know the child well, including the responsible individual. The child has an independent visitor who spends time with them in and out of the home. This offers some stability and consistency for the child.

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improvement to be good

The child has made positive progress from their starting point. Staff have supported them to attend health appointments, mental health services, to gain a college placement and apply for paid work.

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improvement to be good

Staff listen to the child’s views and wishes, including providing activities that the child enjoys and that promote their future career aspirations. The child attends a tennis club, drama school and other leisure activities such as shopping and cinema trips, and they recently had a holiday abroad.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to see their family and communicate with them regularly via telephone. Staff ensure that this is carried out in line with the plans agreed by the child’s social worker.

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improvement to be good

The home is decorated well and any damage or repairs are resolved quickly to maintain a suitable home environment.

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improvement to be good

For a short period of time, when two children were living in the home, there was an increase in incidents. The risk assessments do not provide sufficient guidance to staff to Inspection report children’s home: 2736855 3 support the child during their times of difficulty. For example, one risk assessment states that staff should take whatever action is deemed necessary to keep themselves safe and that they can search the child if needed. Staff have not used this practice and have been supported by the responsible individual during the incidents to ensure that appropriate strategies are used to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

On three occasions, staff have contacted the police to support them in managing the risks in the home. On one occasion, the records did not detail what led to the incident or what strategies were used to de-escalate the situation before the police were called. Children have not been criminalised following the police attending the home. However, it is possible that, on one occasion, the police were called unnecessarily.

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improvement to be good

Following incidents, discussions are held with the children and staff to reflect on behaviours. The responsible individual has implemented strategies and safeguards for staff to follow to reduce and prevent the risk of similar incidents reoccurring. During the unsettled period, follow-up key-work sessions were not always written up to evidence that the use of homophobic and racist language had been discussed. This has not been an ongoing issue and, overall, key-work sessions are well recorded and are relevant to the individual needs of the child.

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improvement to be good

Missing from home incidents do not happen regularly. When a child has gone missing from home, staff have taken appropriate action, including following the child, reporting them missing and trying to find them. However, written protocols for one child provide little guidance to staff on what action they should take. This has not impacted on the child, as staff have taken appropriate action to ensure the child’s safe return to the home. This is a recording issue, rather than a practice issue.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not used physical restraint to manage children’s behaviour. Reward-based systems are used to encourage positive behaviour and consequences are used only when necessary.

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improvement to be good

During the period of increased incidents, staff kept the children safe with the support of the responsible individual. The child in the home has become increasingly safe and has made good progress since living in the home. Staff have supported the child to manage their emotions in a more positive way, by listening to the child’s views, implementing journaling for reflection and recognising and praising positive behaviour. This has been effective and, overall, incidents have significantly reduced.

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improvement to be good

Staff, including agency staff, have the required training to meet the needs of the child to keep them safe.

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

The registered manager was away from the home from the end of May 2024 and cancelled their registration with Ofsted on 13 June 2024 with immediate effect. The responsible individual has been managing the home since the manager left. Inspection report children’s home: 2736855 4 A manager, deputy manager and some staff have been recruited and are awaiting safer recruitment checks to be completed before they join the home. In the meantime, agency staff and the responsible individual are working in the home to maintain the required staffing levels.

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

The responsible individual is child centred and has focused on keeping children safe, ensuring that staffing levels have been sustained by working directly with the children. This has impacted on her ability to have full oversight of the home and ensure that monitoring systems are effective. She is aware of the strengths and areas of development in the home. An action plan is in place to make the required improvements, including the shortfalls identified in this inspection.

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

The responsible individual has been involved in some incidents and has written the incident reports and added her management review of the incidents. This does not provide independent scrutiny of the incidents and has the potential for learning opportunities to be missed.

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

The home is working towards a therapeutic model of care and staff receive monthly reflective clinical supervision, which is informative and allows staff to reflect on practice and identify strategies to use to work with the child. Staff feel well supported by the responsible individual.

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

The responsible individual has positive relationships with professionals. A social worker shared that they are happy with the support provided to the child and the progress they have made, and report good communication with the responsible individual. Inspection report children’s home: 2736855 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)) 4 October 2024

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 4 October 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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(e)) 4 October 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that positive behaviour and relationships are reinforced, praised and encouraged; poor behaviour should be challenged, discussed and recorded when key-work sessions have taken place. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11)  The registered person should ensure that no more than half the staff on duty at any one time, by day or night, at the home should be from an external agency. (‘Guide to Inspection report children’s home: 2736855 6 the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.17)

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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 children’s home: 2736855 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: My Future Matters Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: My Future Matters Ltd, Lytchett House, 13 Freeland Park, Wareham Road, Poole, Dorset BH16 6FA

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Inspector

Lisa O’Donovan, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report children’s home: 2736855 8 and 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 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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