Children's home run by Four Branches Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2790147 1 Registered provider: Four Branches Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and is registered to provide care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This was the home’s first inspection since registration. The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2024. There were two children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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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: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2790147 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress. They are supported by a staff team who have a consistent, patient and caring approach to care. Staff know the children well, speak about them with pride and celebrate their successes. Children are consulted regularly to ensure that their views are fully captured. This enables children to feel listened to and understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to talk about their feelings in a way that children feel comfortable with. This is achieved through listening to music with them, going on nature walks and having meaningful conversations. Children are growing in confidence and self- esteem. A professional working with one child said, ‘[Name of child] is now more relaxed, gives eye contact, chats freely and I can see a fuller version of who he actually is.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff encourage family members to visit the home and plan for children to spend time with their family in the community. This enables children to spend quality time with the people who mean the most to them. One family member said, ‘The staff are brilliant, the home is comfortable, and things are well planned for [name of child].’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and children’s placing authorities ensure that children’s education plans are up to date. One child who has not accessed consistent education is now receiving tutoring at home and is due to start in an education setting. Another child is due to start school and preparation work is being done with them so that they can familiarise themselves with teaching staff and be ready for learning. Both children are eager to access vocational courses when they leave school, which demonstrates that they are thinking about their futures in a positive way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s health. They actively support children to attend routine appointments. When children are resistant to accessing health advice or support, staff take time to prepare and reassure them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to take part in a range of activities, such as football training, swimming, badminton, snooker, gym, youth club, going to Premier League football matches and visiting theme parks. These new experiences enhance children’s social development and promote good physical health. Photos of children taking part in these activities displayed around the home highlight the children’s progress in many aspects of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into and out of the home are managed well. Managers visit children before they move in and provide them with information to enable them to familiarise themselves with the home, the local community and the staff. However, having a fuller Inspection report for children’s home: 2790147 3 account of the children’s wishes and feelings would enable staff to understand the child’s views better and to promote the voice of the child from the outset.

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

The manager ensures children’s risk assessments and relevant plans are up to date and reviewed regularly. Children’s plans include current information that reflects children’s risks and needs. This means that children receive care which helps them stay safe.

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

The manager has instilled a culture in the home of leading by example and reinforcing positive behaviour. Staff are skilled in having thoughtful conversations with the children, giving advice and guidance about positive behaviour both inside and outside the home. Consequently, when children are in the local community, they are polite and well mannered. An example of this is when one child recently helped staff fix a neighbour’s fence.

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

There have been no incidents of physical intervention. Staff are proactive at de- escalating situations and are curious about why a child may be distressed or upset. Consequently, children have started to verbalise more readily how they are feeling. This means that children trust that staff are emotionally available and can help them make sense of their emotions.

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

Since the last inspection, there has been one incident of a child going missing from home. Staff acted swiftly to locate the child and reported the incident to the relevant agencies. Recording of the incident is clear, with good management oversight. Following their return, the child received a return home interview from an external professional, independent of the home.

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

The home is decorated and maintained to an exceptionally high standard and is a safe environment for children to live in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The supportive, caring ethos of the home has been shaped by an experienced registered manager who is assisted by an experienced deputy. Together, they lead by example and encourage a culture of high aspiration for children. The manager is held in the highest regard by his staff team, who value his experience and knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is fully committed to supporting the manager’s vision for developing the home to ensure that children always receive high standards of care. The staff are unfaltering in their shared enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager prioritises the training needs of his staff team to ensure that they have the necessary knowledge and skill required to meet the needs of the children. He is ambitious for professional development, provides regular, quality supervision which is meticulously recorded and completes in depth professional development plans with all staff which identify goals, workload priorities and effective time management. An Inspection report for children’s home: 2790147 4 experienced member of staff said, ‘The manager always discusses my professional development, and I am now more involved in staff development.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New team members receive a full induction which is reviewed periodically to ensure that it enables staff are acquire the required knowledge in relation to the factors impacting children’s lives. Staff have access to well-planned training in their induction phase to help them gain the skills and knowledge required to meet the children’s needs to a high standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager communicates exceptionally well with partner agencies. He actively sources, attends and encourages staff to attend additional training hosted by the local authority. This enables staff to gain a fuller understanding of the issues impacting on the lives of children who live in the local community. Staff reflect on training in team meetings and supervision, which improves practice and ensures that children are protected and kept safe from harm by staff who are highly skilled.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place monthly and are well attended by all staff. They are well planned by the manager and deputy and include research informed practice information sessions about various topics, such as criminal and sexual exploitation, caring for traumatised children, the missing-from-home protocol, and the whistle-blowing procedure. This means that staff have current research and relevant information which helps to inform their practice and maintain excellent standards of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager values the independent visitor reports and strives to make improvements without delay to ensure that there is no impact on children’s lives. The manager has developed effective monitoring systems to enable him to have full oversight of the running of the home. He is currently developing a review system which enables him to identify themes, patterns and trends which will inform the quality-of-care review report. Inspection report for children’s home: 2790147 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. An introduction to the home, including any communication with the child’s placing authority, should be accurately recorded to reflect the child’s wishes and feelings and understanding of key information about living in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.8)

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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: 2790147 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Four Branches Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Greengate Business Centre, 2 Greengate Street, Oldham OL4 1FN

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Inspector

Michelle Greenhalgh, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2790147 7 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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