Future Beginnings

Inspection report for residential family centre: Future Beginnings 1 Future Beginnings Future Beginnings Limited Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This residential family centre is owned and managed by a private provider and is registered to accommodate up to six families at any one time.

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Information about this residential family centre

The centre provides residential assessments that assist local authorities and courts in making decisions which promote the welfare of children.

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Information about this residential family centre

At the time of this inspection, there were three families in residence.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and parents, taking into account requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and parents are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The residential family centre is not yet delivering good assessments, help and care for children and parents. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of previous inspection: not applicable

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for residential family centre: Future Beginnings 2

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improvement to be good

Assessments completed by the resident social worker are not always evidence based and do not provide a detailed rationale for the recommendations made. Leaders and managers do not ensure that all assessment reports and monitoring of individual children and parents comprehensively address their needs, are of high quality and are error free. This does not ensure that courts and placing authorities have sufficient accurate and detailed information to make decisions about children’s lives. The registered manager is now taking this shortfall seriously and has plans in place to address this.

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improvement to be good

Families have variable experiences of staying at the centre. Most parents say they have positive, trusting relationships with staff and that staff are supportive and approachable. However, one parent experienced inconsistent support and advice during their stay at the centre, which impacted on their relationships with some staff.

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improvement to be good

The centre is spacious and designed to meet the needs of the parents and children that stay there. There are age-appropriate toys and equipment for young children and private spaces where parents can meet with professionals. However, there are maintenance repairs required in some areas of the centre.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that children and parents have access to a range of activities in and outside of the centre to support the social, developmental and recreational needs of the children. Staff have devised learning programmes which are innovative and use a range of resources and research to create interactive sessions. Staff provide parents with opportunities to reflect on their learning and the impact this has had on their care of their children. Programmes are adapted for each family that comes to stay at the centre to meet their individual needs.

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improvement to be good

Families have positive experiences of moving into and out of the centre. Staff provide parents with information about the centre prior to them moving in. Where possible, parents are given the opportunity to visit the centre before they move in. Staff ensure that parents have the required information at the earliest opportunity and that parents understand the expectations of them while staying at the centre. Staff support families to move on from the centre regardless of the outcome of their assessment. Where appropriate, staff transport parents’ home and offer follow-on welfare visits to help them to settle back into the community.

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improvement to be good

Staff hold regular meetings with parents to gain their views. Parents are confident in raising issues with staff both in and outside of these meetings. Parents are kept well informed of the assessment process and understand what is working well and what their areas of development are. Staff provide families with regular opportunities to read and challenge what is written about them. Inspection report for residential family centre: Future Beginnings 3

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improvement to be good

Staff have a good understanding of the risks, vulnerabilities and concerns for each family and how to support them. However, some safeguarding concerns are not recorded or shared with relevant professionals. This does not ensure that the courts and placing authorities always have the most accurate information to enable them to make safe decisions about children’s safety and well-being.

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improvement to be good

Prior to families coming to stay at the centre, the manager completes a risk assessment which identifies the potential impact of known risks and vulnerabilities for the family. However, risk assessments do not always include guidance for staff to follow and do not consider the potential impact on other families already resident in the centre. On two occasions, staff did not follow a family’s individual risk assessment to appropriately address safeguarding concerns.

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improvement to be good

Assessment plans are informed by information from the child’s placing authority. However, for one child, relevant information was not received until the mid-point of the assessment to inform the assessment plan. Leaders and managers did not escalate their concerns about this effectively to prevent the delay. This demonstrates that staff do not always have the necessary information to inform assessments and support plans in a timely manner.

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improvement to be good

Accidents at the centre are well managed by staff. Accident records include details of how accidents occurred and any injuries sustained. However, accident records do not always detail the actions taken by staff to prevent future similar incidents. Furthermore, management oversight and the learning identified for staff is not evident in the records.

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improvement to be good

Searches of families’ bedrooms and belongings by staff are rare. However, on one occasion following a significant safeguarding concern, there was a delay in staff completing the necessary search of one family’s bedroom and belongings.

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improvement to be good

Parents know how to make a complaint. When complaints arise, leaders and managers take these seriously. Records of complaints include details of the actions taken by the registered manager to resolve issues and evidence a clear rationale for decision-making.

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improvement to be good

Families do not go missing from the centre. However, should parents and children go missing, staff know how to respond.

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good

The manager is committed to providing a high-quality service to families. However, the monitoring and review systems are not effective in identifying shortfalls and blurring of professional boundaries by the resident social worker. The manager Inspection report for residential family centre: Future Beginnings 4 acknowledges the shortfalls and has reflected on these. The manager is keen to take action to make the necessary improvements.

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good

There is an inconsistent approach to multi-agency working. Some professionals say that communication is ‘great’ and that they are kept well informed about the progress and assessment of families. However, one social worker said that safeguarding concerns had not always been shared with them and raised a concern about the conduct of the resident social worker. There is an action plan in place to address these concerns.

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good

The registered manager follows internal policy to ensure that staff are recruited safely. However, the reference check for one member of staff was not sufficiently robust and impartial.

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good

Staff say they ‘love’ their jobs and are happy in their roles. They say they are well supported by leaders and the manager and that they feel valued. Staff are provided with regular opportunities to reflect on the support they provide to families and their own development during supervision and team meetings.

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good

There is a range of training that staff attend, which is specific to the individual needs of the families. Staff say they benefit from quality training to support them in their roles. Inspection report for residential family centre: Future Beginnings 5

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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, Residential Family Centre Regulations 2002 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall prepare and implement a written child protection policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the residential family centre from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of any allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure under paragraph (1)(b) must in particular provide for—

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Requirement Due date

liaison and co-operation with any local authority which is making child protection enquiries in relation to any child accommodated in the residential family centre;

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Requirement Due date

the prompt referral to the local authority in whose area the residential family centre is situated, of any allegations of abuse or neglect affecting any child accommodated in the residential family centre;

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Requirement Due date

notification (in accordance with regulation 26) of the instigation and outcome of any child protection enquiries involving any child accommodated in the residential family centre, to the Commission and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

written records to be kept of any allegation of abuse or neglect, and of the action taken in response;

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Requirement Due date

consideration to be given in each case to the measures which may be necessary to protect children in the residential family centre following an allegation of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

a requirement for persons working at the residential family centre to report any concerns about the welfare or safety of any child accommodated in the residential family centre to one of the following— 10 January 2025 Inspection report for residential family centre: Future Beginnings 6 the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

an officer of the local authority in whose area the residential family centre is situated; or

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Requirement Due date

an officer of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. (Regulation 12 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that conclusions or recommendations are made as a result of the assessment or monitoring and that—

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Requirement Due date

such conclusions or recommendations are objective and based on verifiable evidence; and

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Requirement Due date

the evidence on which they are based is capable of being presented in a manner that is clear, accessible and appropriate to the persons who will need to consider them. (Regulation 13A (4)(b)(c)) 10 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider and the registered manager shall, having regard to the size of the residential family centre, the statement of purpose, and the number and needs of the residents, carry on or manage the centre (as the case may be) with sufficient care, competence and skill. (Regulation 8 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person having sufficient management oversight of the centre. 10 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that there is, having regard to—

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Requirement Due date

the statement of purpose of the residential family centre, its size and the numbers and needs of its residents; and

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Requirement Due date

the need to safeguard and promote the health and welfare of residents,

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Requirement Due date

a sufficient number of suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons working for the residential family centre. (Regulation 15 (1)(a)(b)) 10 January 2025 Inspection report for residential family centre: Future Beginnings 7 This specifically relates to the resident social worker only undertaking tasks in line with their job description and maintaining their professional boundaries.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff carry out room searches when necessary, of a parent or child’s room or their possessions to avoid any likely significant injury or harm to themselves or another person. Any search of a room or possessions should be carried out in a timely manner for the protection of children. (‘Residential Family Centres National Minimum Standards,’ page 11, paragraph 4.7)  The registered person should ensure that the centre provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained and decorated. (‘Residential Family Centres National Minimum Standards,’ page 19, paragraph 11.2)  The registered person should ensure that robust and impartial recruitment and vetting checks have been carried out on those working (including as volunteers) for the residential family centre. (‘Residential Family Centres National Minimum Standards,’ page 22, paragraph 14.3)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and parents 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 Residential Family Centre Regulations 2002 and the National Minimum Standards. Inspection report for residential family centre: Future Beginnings 8

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: Future Beginnings Limited

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: The Sunflower Childrens Centre, Victoria Street, Hyde SK14 4AA

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Residential family centre details

Email address: kaela.francioli@outlook.com

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Inspectors

Leanne Carr, Social Care Inspector Stacey Ilaboya, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Future Beginnings 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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