Children's Home run by Fledglings Child Care Limited in Manchester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2773737 1 Registered provider: Fledglings Child 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 operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to two children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. There were two children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager 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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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 for children’s home: 2773737 2

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improvement to be good

Two children have moved into the home since it was registered in April 2024. Both children’s moves were well planned, despite time constraints. Regular care planning meetings ensure that any issues are quickly addressed to help minimise any disruption for the children.

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improvement to be good

One child attends college at a local adult learning centre. Key staff have worked hard with the child in preparation for this move, and have provided them with options for their future. As a result, the child aspires to go to a mainstream college and is considering apprenticeships. One child does not yet have a place at a school. The manager has worked with the placing authority and an application has been submitted. However, in the interim, the child has not been engaged in structured activities that will help them with a return to school.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are met through the attendance of appropriate routine appointments, as well as other services that are involved to support children’s emotional well-being. Children are supported by the staff to attend and engage in these appointments. However, one child has not been supported to understand a diagnosis that would help them to accept this as part of their identity.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported by the staff to maintain relationships with those who are important to them, including family and friends. The staff are creative in the ways that they support friendships positively so that children feel listened too and are kept safe.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy different activities with the staff both in and out of the home, including making sensory boxes to encourage calming and comfort, bike riding, hiking and visiting other cities. However, when there are restrictions put on children’s time alone outside of the home, the reasons for this and how this will be reviewed have not been explained to children.

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improvement to be good

The staff have regular conversations with children that address issues and problems that children are facing. Responses from the staff are honest, compassionate and accepting, and ensure that children do not feel judged. However, children are not consulted with regularly about the quality of care provided. This is a missed opportunity to make improvements for the children.

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improvement to be good

The staff work collaboratively and adhere to robust guidelines to keep children safe. Incidents are rare and there has not been any use of restraint. One concern is children Inspection report for children’s home: 2773737 3 going missing from home. However, the staff respond well to these incidents, actively trying to locate children and challenging professionals when appropriate.

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improvement to be good

Children are administered their medication by trained staff. However, there is not always a record of when medication has been refused by children. This impacts on the oversight of the effectiveness and use of medication.

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improvement to be good

Children who vape are not discouraged from doing so, and instead, this is facilitated by the staff. This practice does not support children to stop vaping and it affects their long- term health.

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improvement to be good

The manager follows robust safer recruitment processes. This reduces the risk of inappropriate adults supporting the children.

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improvement to be good

The manager ensures that appropriate referrals are made to relevant services following incidents involving the children. This reduces the risk of the children engaging in the behaviour in the future and educates them on the risks of doing so.

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

The manager is appropriately experienced and qualified. The manager knows the children well and he is keen to provide a stable home for the children. He does this by working closely and openly with professionals from placing authorities and other agencies regularly to discuss children’s progress and any issues affecting this.

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

Staff say that they feel supported by the manager and receive regular supervision. However, the manager was not aware of the importance of ensuring that all staff, including agency staff, are supervised to ensure that they have the skills and the opportunity to reflect on the how they care for the children.

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

The staff team has remained stable and there is a good balance of gender and experience. There has been a need to use agency staff in line with one of the children’s plans. However, these staff have not been recorded on the rota. This makes it difficult to see who is on duty.

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

The manager has a good oversight of any incidents in the home and the evaluations of the records are thorough and reflective. However, reports from the independent person have not been sent to Ofsted. This impacts the regulator’s oversight of children’s experiences and progress.

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

The members of the staff team have received appropriate training, and the manager is keen to develop the staff. There is a clear workforce development plan in place for this. However, this does not address the management and improvement of staff members’ performance. Inspection report for children’s home: 2773737 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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that staff are not supporting children to be able to vape. 1 November 2024

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 1 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2773737 5 ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s privacy will be respected and the circumstances when it may have to be limited. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to ensuring that children are provided with opportunities to feedback on the quality of care provided to them.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, this relates to staff having conversations with children about any restrictions placed on them, the reasons why and how this will be reviewed.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

upon request, the local authority for the area in which the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

the registered provider and, if applicable, the registered manager; and

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Requirement Due date

the responsible individual (if one is nominated). (Regulation 44 (1) (7)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 1 November 2024

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager needs to record the full names of all staff on the rota, including agency staff. 1 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2773737 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records are kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, that the child is supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered manager should ensure that where children have specific health needs or conditions, they are supported to manage and understand these, subject to their age and understanding. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the

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Recommendations

quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.10)  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including agency staff, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8) Inspection report for children’s home: 2773737 7

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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: 2773737 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Fledglings Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Fledglings Child Care, 163 Kingsway, Manchester M19 2ND

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Inspector

Kerri Lynch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2773737 9 regulates 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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