Children's Home run by Good Foundations Limited in Wirral

Inspection report for children’s home: 2727821 1 Registered provider: Good Foundations Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for up to four children who may have experienced social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in June 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

There were four children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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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

Date of last inspection: 20 November 2023

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2727821 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/11/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2727821 3

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improvement to be good

The children say they are happy living in the home. However, support is not in place to meet all their needs. As a result, children’s progress is variable in some areas.

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improvement to be good

The manager spends time with children and their families before they move into the home. This helps children to settle into the home well and helps alleviate any anxieties that children and their parents may have. However, records do not demonstrate how children’s individual needs and risks may impact on them or those children already living in the home.

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improvement to be good

The children living in the home are cared for by an established but small staff team. Staff spend time getting to know the children when they move in. As a result, positive relationships are formed.

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improvement to be good

The children living in the home do not attend school on a regular basis. Staff maintain regular contact with school professionals to manage any issues regarding children’s engagement with education. Incentives are used to promote children’s attendance at school. However, children’s engagement with education is influenced by the behaviour of their peers in the home. When children do not attend school, this impacts on the attendance of the other children living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Arrangements are not in place to manage group dynamics and relationships. As a result, children have a preference to spend time together in the home rather than to attend school. Plans are in place to provide children with educational activities in and out of the home when they do not attend school. However, staffing levels in the home mean that educational activities cannot be provided to all children when they do not attend. Educational activities outside of the home are not provided by staff.

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improvement to be good

Children say they enjoy spending time with each other in the home and in the community. However, arrangements are not in place to ensure that children are able to spend time together safely. Staff cannot manage the children’s behaviour as a group when spending time in the community. This impacts on children doing activities together.

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improvement to be good

Staff value and respect children’s relationships with their families. They support children to maintain relationships and enjoy meaningful times with those important to them in line with the children’s preferences. Staff develop positive relationships with children’s families. Parents say they feel involved in their children’s care and that they are kept well informed of their progress. Staff work closely with parents in relation to behaviour management strategies. This means that the children receive consistent care in the home and when spending time with family. Inspection report for children’s home: 2727821 4

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improvement to be good

Children speak positively of their relationships with each other. However, strategies are not in place to manage the children’s relationships following incidents of drug misuse, bullying and violence. Plans do not reflect incidents of children entering each other’s bedrooms or communal areas together in the home during the night. Children are left unsupervised in the home when staff are asleep.

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improvement to be good

The strong relationships between the staff and children mean that staff de-escalate incidents of challenging behaviour in the home well. Staff are empathic and nurturing in their approach to the children. However, recording of incidents is not consistent for all the children. Support that children may need following incidents is not consistently identified by staff.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of children being missing from the home are rare. When incidents do occur, staff manage these well. Staff support children to spend time in the community safely. Staff maintain contact through regular phone calls. However, strategies are not in place to manage incidents of children leaving the home without permission.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments and behaviour management plans do not include all their known risks and vulnerabilities. Records are not consistently updated following incidents. This means that strategies are not in place to reduce all the known risks for children or provide the support that children may need.

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improvement to be good

Positive behaviour is promoted in the home using incentives. However, these strategies are not reviewed when they are not effective. There is a lack of structure and routine for the children.

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improvement to be good

Behaviour management strategies are implemented in line with how staff can manage incidents based on the number of staff working in the home. This impacts on leaders, managers and staff’s ability to ensure that consistent routines and boundaries are in place.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not have plans to support children to have healthy sleeping habits. Action is not taken to prevent children from staying awake throughout the night to spend time on their games consoles and mobile phones. Furthermore, staff are unable to check children’s devices to ensure that they are accessing the internet safely.

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

The home is managed by an experienced manager. She is supported by a dedicated deputy manager. They share high aspirations for the children and are committed to providing them with the care they need. Inspection report for children’s home: 2727821 5 Staff say they enjoy their roles and that morale in the home is good. They speak highly of the manager and the support she provides.

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

Shortfalls in staffing to cover sickness and annual leave are covered by different staff working in other homes within the organisation. This means that the children do not always receive care from a consistent staff team that knows them well.

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

Shortfalls in staffing mean that the manager is also required to cover shifts in the home on a regular basis. This impacts on her ability to fulfil her management responsibilities. Delays in obtaining local authority plans and documents mean that staff do not have the most up-to-date information in respect of the children. The manager has not escalated concerns when plans are not received in a timely manner. Furthermore, delays in the sourcing of additional support for children by external professionals are not followed up by the manager.

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

Staff benefit from regular supervision by the manager and deputy manager. Monthly team meetings provide the staff with opportunities to reflect on their practice. However, not all staff have undertaken training that is relevant to the children’s needs.

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

Changes to the independent visitor mean that consistent independent oversight of the care is not being provided. As a result, feedback from parents and children is not consistent. Internal monitoring of the home lacks evaluation of the care being provided. Independent feedback from children is not obtained by the manager. The children’s views of the care that they receive are obtained from the independent visitor. Development plans are not individual or unique to the home and lack evaluation of areas for improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2727821 6

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. 22 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2727821 7 (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that strategies are in place to manage the impact of children’s relationships on their engagement with education and that all children are provided with opportunities to access informal learning opportunities when not attending school.

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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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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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)(iii)(iv)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children’s plans include all known risks and vulnerabilities; that records are updated following incidents for all children; that strategies are in place to manage children’s relationships; that staff monitor and manage children’s use of electronic devices in the home and that children are appropriately supervised at all times. 22 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— 22 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2727821 8 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff are trained in all topics that are relevant to the children’s needs; that records reflect managerial evaluation; that staffing levels in the home meet the children’s needs and that development plans evaluate the care being provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be 22 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2727821 9 inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 6 (1)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff engage children in direct work and support them following incidents. 22 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(c)) 22 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2727821 10

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the independent person is able to reach a consistent and rigorous judgement of the quality of the care provided in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 15.6, page 64)  The registered person should ensure that the review of the quality of care report identifies areas of strength and possible weakness in the home’s care and that independent feedback from children is included in the report. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 15.4 page 64)

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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: 2727821 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Good Foundations Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 Tower Quays, Tower Road, Birkenhead, Merseyside CH41 1BP

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Inspector

Claire Hobbs, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2727821 12 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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Inspector

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