Children's home run by Bright Futures Care Limited in Bolton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC456537 1 SC456537 Registered provider: Bright Futures 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 home is owned and managed by a private provider. It is registered to care for up to four children who may have learning disabilities and sensory processing difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were four children living in the home at the time of this inspection. The inspector saw all four children and spent time with two children.

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Information about this children’s home

This home has two managers who are registered with Ofsted. The first manager registered with Ofsted in November 2021 but has been on maternity leave in this inspection period. The second manager registered with Ofsted in January 2025. Another manager was registered to lead the home in the interim.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC456537 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/08/2023 Full Good 01/03/2022 Full Good 12/02/2020 Full Good 14/11/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC456537 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a large home. Staff have decorated the home to a high standard, using their artistic skills to benefit the children. Children’s bedrooms reflect their personalities and interests, and there are photos of children displayed around the home. Children have plenty of space to relax and play together or on their own.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s health and well-being and help children to achieve different well- being goals. Staff have introduced children with limited diets to new foods and textures to help them begin to increase their tolerance to new and healthier foods.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to stay active and try new things, such as horse-riding and ice- skating. Staff encourage children to go out to places they know and enjoy. Staff also bring activities to the children, such as creating their own light walk in the garden and arranging a visit by Father Christmas to the home. This ensures that all children have the same opportunities as their peer group, despite their additional needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with their families. When children have struggled with sibling relationships, staff arrange for the siblings to spend time together, without their parents, to focus on rebuilding their relationship. Additional support is also available to children’s parents. This includes supporting them with transport to ensure that they can come to the home to visit their child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move in or out of the home, this is planned in detail and carefully considers the best interests of the child. Children who already live in the home are well prepared before any new children arrive. Children who are due to move in receive photos of their new home and social stories are used to prepare them for this move. Children are always given the opportunity to visit their home before moving. Effective transition planning helps children to settle quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers advocate effectively for children to ensure that their changing needs are met. Managers provide consistent challenge when professionals are not meeting children’s needs in a timely way. This contributes to children getting the services that they require.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are all making considerable progress. Staff help children to develop their independent living skills at a level that is right for each child. One parent said, ‘Staff allow him to take the time he needs to do things for himself.’ Professionals and parents have commented on the positive change they have seen since their children moved to this home. One professional said, ‘I never expected to see this kind of improvement. We are just so amazed with this incredible level of progress. [Name of home] has been life- changing for [name of child], and that is no exaggeration.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC456537 4

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

Staff have developed trusting relationships with children. Staff interact with children in a warm and nurturing manner, ensuring that children know how much they are cared about. One parent said, ‘[Name of child] is a different child since moving there. [Name of child] is happy and feels safe there.’

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

Staff help children to communicate their views in different ways. Children are given choices to contribute to the care that they receive. As children’s communication and understanding improves, their risks and vulnerabilities are decreasing.

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

Staff understand individual children’s needs and know how to respond differently to each child. Children’s individual documents provide staff with strategies to follow should risks arise..

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

Staff respond appropriately to keep children safe when they are distressed. Staff know children well and recognise when a child may be feeling unwell or frustrated. This enables staff to prevent situations and behaviours escalating. When staff do have to hold children to keep them safe, this is done as a last resort only, in the best interests of the child.

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

Children have not raised any concerns about the staff who care for them. When a complaint was received from a member of the public, managers responded to this quickly and effectively. Learning was shared with the staff involved to prevent similar issues in the future.

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

Staff understand safeguarding procedures and know how to report concerns should they have any. Managers test staff to check they know who they would contact if they had worries. All staff have contact details for internal and external professionals, to raise concerns with should any arise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Despite the changes in the management team over the last year, leadership in the home has been robust, with smooth transitions and effective handovers. Staff feel valued and supported, as the management team nurtures a culture of ongoing learning and development. This enables staff to reflect on their practice and learn from each other.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills they need to provide a high quality of care to the children. Staff feel prepared for their roles from the start of their employment and are offered ongoing learning and development opportunities. One new member of staff said, ‘The induction training was the most thorough I’ve ever seen. I was amazed at the level of knowledge I took from that.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers provide staff with regular supervision and prioritise staff’s own well-being. All staff have a well-being plan in place that helps their manager understand how best to support them. Equally, managers are willing to challenge staff when there are Inspection report for children’s home: SC456537 5 opportunities for them to improve their practice. This ensures a positive and open culture that puts children’s needs first.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team provides effective oversight of practice in the home. They make good use of internal and external monitoring to ensure that children’s needs are consistently met. This helps to keep children safe.

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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: SC456537 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bright Futures Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: c/o Bright Futures Care Ltd, Asher House, Barsbank Lane, Lymm WA13 0ED

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Children’s home details

Registered managers: Nicola Maginess and Andrew Elcoat

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Inspector

Aislinn Cooper, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC456537 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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