Children's Home run by Footsteps a Path to Change 08 Limited in Cheshire West and Chester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2787497 1 Registered provider: Footsteps A Path To Change 08 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

The home is owned by a private provider and provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. The children are brother and sister, and both told the inspector about their experiences of living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in May 2024. This was the first full inspection of the home by Ofsted.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2787497 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they like living in the home, and they are proud of where they live. Children are helped to develop positive, trusting relationships with staff through the warm, nurturing care they receive from them. Staff understand the needs of the children well and provide a high level of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have been effective in implementing routines and consistency for the children. One child struggled to sleep at night prior to living in the home, which made it difficult for them to engage in education. Staff support the children with routines which help them to feel safe and settle easily. As a result, children attend school well rested and are able to learn.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to explore their own individual interests as well as spending positive time together as siblings. The children have active daily lives, and participate in activities such as football, dancing and visiting animal parks. This helps the children to build their self-esteem and learn about the wider world.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff welcome the children’s family members into the home. Family members have visited the home and taken part in activities with the children, such as baking. One parent said that he now has a positive relationship with his children because of the support from the staff. This means that the children are building strong relationships with the people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff advocate for children to ensure that they are provided with equal opportunities. Staff work closely with educational professionals from the children’s school to maintain their educational place. This means that external professionals who are important in the children’s care have a consistent presence in their lives.

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

Staff ensure that children are safe in this home. Managers and staff use the expertise of the provider’s therapist to ensure that their responses are in line with the therapeutic model. Managers ensure that any effective strategies are shared with external professionals. This ensures that the children’s care is consistent across all professionals in the children’s lives.

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

Staff have developed strong bonds with the children, which they use to hold conversations with them about important topics. Staff ensure that they use tailored resources to enable children to understand the information. Consequently, children are learning how to keep themselves safe in the community and online.

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

Staff engage the children in learning everyday skills in a way that is fun. Children enjoy spending time with the staff and join them on household activities, such as doing the Inspection report for children’s home: 2787497 3 weekly shopping. Staff set clear expectations of behaviour which the children understand. However, negative consequences are not always recorded. This is a missed opportunity for managers to ensure that all strategies used by the staff are effective.

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

Staff know how to effectively respond and support the children when they experience episodes of distress. As a result, the number of incidents has reduced for one child since living in the home. However, some records of incidents do not contain the level of detail needed. This means managers cannot fully evaluate the practice of staff when they are responding to children in distress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they feel supported by managers and that they are part of a team that communicates effectively. Managers ensure that more experienced staff work alongside those who are newer to the home. This provides children with the positive environment that they need to make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals say that managers have a child-focused approach to the children’s care. They ensure that the children’s wishes and views are heard. As a result, the children are learning to express their individual likes and dislikes and develop their own identities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that there is a culture of reflective practice in the home. Team meetings and supervisions are held regularly and are safe spaces for staff to reflect on their own practice. This means that there is a positive culture of continuous improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers use clear systems of monitoring to evaluate the quality of care being provided for the children. This ensures that areas of development are identified at the earliest opportunity. As a result, there is a strong focus on developing the care provided to the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2787497 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3) (a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv)) 29 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2787497 5 In particular, the registered person must ensure that all consequences for negative behaviours used by staff are recorded in line with the regulation, with clear oversight by the manager, and are evaluated for their effectiveness.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4).

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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: 2787497 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Footsteps A Path To Change 08 Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Landmark House, Station Road, Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire SK8 7BS

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Charlotte Davies

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Inspector

Sarah Gilbert, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2787497 7 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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