Children's Home run by Footsteps Care Limited in Waltham Forest

Inspection report for children’s home: SC481293 1 SC481293 Registered provider: Footsteps Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to eight children who have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in December 2014 and the manager registered in May 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

There were eight 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 requires improvement to be 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: 28 September 2023

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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: SC481293 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/09/2023 Full Good 31/08/2022 Full Good 27/04/2021 Full Good 03/12/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC481293 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are settled in the home. One child has moved into the home since the last inspection. They benefited from a move that considered the staff’s ability to care for them and the needs of the other children living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff. Staff spend time getting to know the children and support them to have a voice and develop a personality. During children’s meetings, children share their feelings and concerns. Children are encouraged to open the meeting. This gives them a sense of responsibility.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend education. Some children are enrolled at school and other children attend tutoring while waiting for a school placement. Staff also teach children to develop their life skills. For example, children regularly do household chores and staff teach them about self-care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy activities that staff arrange for them. Children go on bike rides and to the zoo and trampoline parks. Staff encourage children to celebrate national holidays by decorating the communal areas in the home. This teaches the children in a fun way and helps them to feel involved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s physical and emotional needs are well met. Children have good access to local health services. Some children benefit from therapeutic support. This gives them a safe space to talk about their feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with their families. For example, one child’s family was invited to the home to celebrate the child’s birthday.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and children’s rooms are personalised according to their likes. The home is well resourced to meet children’s needs. Children enjoy spending time relaxing in the sensory room.

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

Staff closely supervise children and are attentive to children’s individual needs. Children have consistent and structured daily routines that they understand, as staff communicate with children in a way that is unique to each child. Children interact well with staff and each other. They are happy and comfortable.

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

Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities. Senior leaders work with external agencies and placing authorities, and this helps to keep children safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481293 4 Physically holding children is a last resort to keep children and others safe. The least restrictive measures and force are used. Staff de-escalate situations effectively, which helps settle children quickly when incidents happen. Children and staff are supported after each incident.

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

Staff use consequences as a way of addressing behaviours that are difficult to manage. Staff talk to children, who apologise. One child wrote a letter and completed an activity with staff to help them understand how their actions may affect others. Incidents significantly reduce.

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

Allegations of harm are taken seriously. Senior leaders consult with the local authority designated officer. Necessary safeguards are put in place while investigations take place, to protect children and staff. Training for staff is implemented when identified, to strengthen work practice.

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

The home is managed by an experienced registered manager. The manager has not obtained the required qualification within the appropriate timescales.

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

Staff feel well supported and valued. They can express their views about the care children receive and are listened to by the leaders and managers, who are available and approachable.

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

The frequency of supervision is not always consistent for all staff with the home’s statement of purpose. All permanent staff have received their annual appraisal; however, the quality of these appraisals is limited by the lack of strong goal-setting and the failure to incorporate feedback from external professionals and children.

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

Staff receive training specific to the needs of the children. This helps them to provide care and support for the children. Staff speak positively about the training on offer and how this influences their work practice.

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

Reports completed by the independent visitor do not consistently include feedback from parents. At times, information on safeguarding matters is limited. Leaders and managers have not challenged this and have not established effective methods of supporting this process. This is a missed opportunity and limits independent scrutiny and challenge.

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

Leaders and managers have not completed a quality of care review within the expected timescale, which constitutes a breach of regulations. This compromises management oversight and the continuous improvement of the home.

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

Leaders and managers work well with other agencies and, when appropriate, families, to support the day-to-day care of children. However, they do not obtain all relevant documents needed to ensure they have a comprehensive understanding of the children’s needs. For instance, they did not have all the local authorities’ care plans on file to inform the care they provide to the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481293 5 The manager’s monitoring and oversight of children’s documents and management records require improvement. There is a lack of detail around current risk and support strategies for children in individual risk assessments and inconsistencies in the thoroughness of management review of incidents. The home’s statement of purpose is not kept under close review and the workforce development plan is not up to date. This limits the manager’s capacity for reflection, review and development of support for both

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

Senior leaders do not consistently inform Ofsted of safeguarding concerns, as required by regulation. This hinders the regulator’s oversight of action taken to ensure children’s safety. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481293 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must implement an effective monitoring system to ensure that there is consistent oversight of children’s records and management records, to ensure that they are detailed and accurate. 3 February 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they have a copy of all children’s local authority care plans and that these inform the home’s care plans for children. 3 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) 3 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC481293 7 In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that notifications of serious incidents are made to the regulator without delay.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (2)(a) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they help the independent person to gain feedback from parents to strengthen their assessment children’s safety and well-being.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that the report produced by the independent person provides sufficient detail on how their opinion of whether children are effectively safeguarded and their well-being promoted is formed. 3 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1) (4)(a)) 3 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children; and 3 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC481293 8 For the purposes of paragraph (1)(b)(i), a person has the appropriate experience and qualification if the person has by the relevant date, attained

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Requirement Due date

(the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 5 Diploma"); or (a qualification which the registered provider considers to be equivalent to the Level 5 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

The relevant date is in the case of a person who starts managing a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 3 years after the date on which that person started managing a home. (Regulation 28 (1)(b)(i) (2)(a)(c)(i)(ii) (3)(a))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff receive regular and effective supervision which allows them to reflect on their practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that appraisals include feedback from children and from external professionals. Appraisals should also be effective in helping staff to develop their performance. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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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: SC481293 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Footsteps Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Orchard, Ashmead Drive, Denham, Uxbridge UB9 5BA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Anslim Narinesingh

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Inspectors

Chelsea Agyeman, Social Care Inspector Aneta Wasilewska, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC481293 10 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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