Children's home run by Bright Futures Care Limited in Bolton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC456157 1 SC456157

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Registered provider: Bright Futures 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 operated by a private provider. It is registered to care for up to four children who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties as well as learning disabilities and sensory impairments.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living in the home at the time of this inspection. The inspector spent time with all three children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since January 2023.

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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: 24 October 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC456157 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/10/2023 Full Good 20/03/2023 Full Good 15/03/2022 Full Good 11/02/2020 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC456157 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make excellent progress in all areas of their lives. Their progress is underpinned by the care and attention they receive from staff who clearly care about them and want them to do well. Parents are complimentary about the care their children receive. One parent said, ‘I never dreamt he’d make the progress he has, he’s just so happy’. Another parent said of their child, ‘His communication over the last year has really come on leaps and bounds and that’s down to the work they’ve been putting in there’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have the opportunity to try new things and visit new places. Staff support children to pursue activities that interest them, such as visiting theme parks, water parks, the gym and other places of interest. Children are given choices every day about what they want to do and their views and wishes are consistently sought.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to develop skills for becoming more independent and prepare them for moving on to adult life. Staff help children to work towards different goals, such as achieving the Duke of Edinburgh award and identifying work placement opportunities. This helps children to develop aspirations of their own.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s health needs are met. When children have fears relating to health appointments, staff work hard to help them understand what will happen so they can still receive necessary care. This supports children’s health and gives them skills to navigate future appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is well supported. Staff work closely with education professionals to continue children’s learning at home. One child’s social worker said, ‘I had some issues last year with communication from school and the manager has been really proactive in improving that to make sure we are all working together’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children’s relationships with their families, welcoming families into the home and driving long distances to enable children to visit their home towns. Staff work well with parents to make arrangements that work for the whole family. This supports children to maintain key relationships and understand their family identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers are excellent advocates for children. They request additional services when required, and challenge professionals to ensure that children’s changing needs are met. One professional said, ‘Everyone communicates together really well and we are all on the same page. Nobody is afraid to say that this is what the child needs’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is decorated and furnished to a high standard throughout. There is plenty of space for children to play and relax, together or individually. There are photos of Inspection report for children’s home: SC456157 4 the children around the home, and plenty of toys that interest them. Children’s bedrooms are decorated to reflect their individual choices.

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

Children say that they feel safe living in the home. Many parents say how happy their children are when they see the staff after being away from them. This indicates that children trust the staff and enjoy being with them.

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

Staff understand children well. They create calm and fun environments where children thrive. When children become upset, staff know how to support them. Children are not held often to keep them safe, when this is done, it is used as a last resort. The manager and staff reflect on any holds to consider if things could have been done differently.

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

Due to high levels of supervision, children do not go missing from this home. However, paperwork is in place to support staff to respond quickly if this were to ever occur. Staff understand safeguarding procedures and how to report concerns if they ever had any.

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

Staff work with children to help them to understand how to keep themselves safe in the home and in the community. This is done at a level that is appropriate for each child, and staff focus on issues that are relevant for each child. This supports children to develop an understanding of their own safety.

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

Staff and managers are open and transparent with professionals and family members, working well together in the best interests of the children. One social worker said of this team, ‘They’ve probably been the most proactive provider I’ve worked with’.

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

The manager follows safer recruitment practices when recruiting new staff for the home. New staff are provided with a thorough induction to ensure that they are confident in caring for the children. This ensures that adults in the home are safe to work with vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has the experience and skills to lead the home well. Staff feel valued and are encouraged to contribute their ideas for the wellbeing of the children. The manager offers plenty of positive praise to the staff for all the good work they do but is equally willing to challenge them when improvements can be made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are forward thinking and plan well ahead for children’s needs and transitions. They advocate for other professionals to plan ahead as well to ensure that children have everything in place for moving on from the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456157 5 Managers have effective oversight and consistently work to further develop practice within the home. They offer reflective spaces for staff to consider their practice, as well as children’s needs. The manager seeks input from other professionals to help staff think about children’s changing needs and what they may be trying to communicate and to reflect on incidents and where improvements can be made. This ensures that staff continually consider how they can better meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective internal and external monitoring systems are used by managers to ensure that children’s needs are met. This allows the team to continually adapt to maintain the high level of care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No requirements or recommendations were made at this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456157 6

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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: SC456157 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bright Futures Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Asher House, Barsbank Lane, Lymm WA13 0ED

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Inspector

Aislinn Cooper, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC456157 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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