Children's Home run by Full Circle Care Limited in Tameside

Inspection report for children’s home: SC396104 1 SC396104 Registered provider: Full Circle 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 company. The home provides care for up to six children of the same gender who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, the home was providing care for six children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2019.

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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: 22 January 2024

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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: SC396104 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/01/2024 Full Good 13/09/2022 Full Good 10/08/2021 Full Good 12/11/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC396104 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

An experienced and child-centred staff team provide children with good-quality care. Children are positive about living in the home, describing staff as kind and available when they need them. Staff work hard to build trusting relationships with children. Children describe the home as warm and welcoming. They said that staff take the time and effort to make sure that celebrations such as birthdays and special events are memorable. As a result, children feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is well promoted in the home. When barriers to learning are identified, staff advocate on behalf of children to ensure their individual needs are met. Children in the home are all engaged in a level of education. Staff promote engagement and develop effective working relationships with education providers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to make a positive transition into the home. When a child moved into the home in an emergency, staff continued to make considerable efforts to ensure that the child was supported and kept informed. Since the last inspection, two children have moved on in an unplanned way. Staff worked closely with the children’s placing authorities when challenges were identified. When it became apparent that staff could not meet the needs of the children, they sought to provide a positive ending. A third child has moved on with a well-planned transition into independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is not responding positively to the staff in the home. Staff are consistent in their efforts to support the child, providing ongoing education around risks in the community. The registered manager is working closely with professionals to identify further support to ensure that the child remains safe and supported, while also respecting their wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to engage in positive activities to build their self-esteem and develop new skills, such as photography and football. Staff provide children with opportunities to go on holidays. Children’s views are routinely sought through children’s meetings and individual consultations on a one-to-one basis. Children say they are listened to and know how to make complaints, which are acted upon.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to spend time with family members and those that are important to them. The staff have supported children’s relationships when they have faced challenges with family time. This has enabled children to maintain and develop their connections to widen their support networks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a homely environment in which they have been able to personalise their own space. However, some areas of the home require redecoration and bedroom door surveillance alarms are not subject to risk assessments for individual children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC396104 4

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

Children say that they are safe and receive support from a staff team who understand their needs. Individual risk assessments identify the risks faced by children. These have reduced since moving into the home. Children’s support plans are detailed and bespoke, reflecting their individual needs. Plans and assessments are regularly reviewed and provide staff with clear procedures to follow.

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

Staff work hard to develop positive and supportive relationships with children and know them well. Staff are aware when children are displaying behaviours that are out of character. Staff use professional curiosity to ensure that they are fully aware of the impact of any external influences for children.

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

For one child, there has been an increase in incidents of going missing from home over recent months. Staff actively look for the child and consistently promote their welfare. Staff are proactive in their attempts to re-engage the child in the home and have sought support from external agencies to promote the child’s safety when in the community. Key-work sessions take place regularly and staff spend time with children to help them understand how to keep themselves safe.

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

Positive relationships between staff and children mean that staff can de-escalate incidents of challenging behaviour and children are rarely physically held. When incidents do occur, staff manage these well and use strategies that require minimal physical intervention. However, for one incident there is no clear record of management review to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. This is a missed opportunity to reflect and identify areas of development.

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

The registered manager and management team respond to all incidents involving children effectively and act in a timely manner to ensure that children are safe. Relevant professionals are informed and updated regarding incidents. The registered manager has also requested a multi-agency approach when necessary to further support children. However, on two occasions, the registered manager did not inform Ofsted of significant incidents. This impacts on the regulator’s overview of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a dedicated registered manager who leads by example. She is supported by two equally committed and experienced deputy managers. Staff say they receive support from the management team, and they enjoy working in the home. Managers are visible and open to staff suggestions on what is needed to improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report that there are clear mechanisms in place to provide consistent care to all the children. Staff use team meetings and handovers to share good practice ideas and keep children’s plans updated. New staff receive a detailed and thorough induction which has Inspection report for children’s home: SC396104 5 helped them to understand the needs of each child as well as learning about the policies and practice in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a range of training that meets the diverse needs of children in their care. Although a training matrix is in use, the registered manager should ensure that dates that staff have completed training are easily accessible and referenced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff spoke positively about the dedicated time they receive from the provider’s clinical psychologist, who provides one-to-one and group support. This helps the staff to understand children’s histories and ensure that they are providing the right level of support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monthly team meetings include information-sharing and an opportunity to review children’s needs and how these can be met. When children have moved from the home, managers discuss care practices and identify any areas for development. The agendas for meetings are fluid and include feedback from the children’s meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular supervision which is supporting their development. The use of a standardised template ensures that critical areas of practice, such as training, safeguarding concerns and staff well-being, are discussed. When managers identify that standards in practice fall short of the home’s expectations, this is quickly identified, and staff are appropriately supported to improve this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents and carers say that their children are well cared for in the home. They reflected that staff understand their children’s needs and are attuned to and respond positively to changes in their lives. Parents say that the staff show care and compassion and are positive about the opportunities offered to children by staff. Parents receive regular feedback on the progress of their children and are well engaged in the care children receive. Inspection report for children’s home: SC396104 6

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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

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that bedroom door surveillance alarms are subject to risk assessments for individual children and not used as a blanket provision. 20 November 2024

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this relates to the use of restraint. Leaders and managers must ensure that they review the effectiveness of the restraint used. 20 November 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is decorated and furnished to a good standard. Children’s bedroom decoration should be updated. (‘Guide to the Inspection report for children’s home: SC396104 7 Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that they have a clear and effective overview of staff training to support the development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the regulator. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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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: SC396104 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Full Circle Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Danielle Barton-Crump

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Inspectors

Carrie Mayes, Social Care Inspector Lisa Summers, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC396104 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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