Children's Home run by First Blue Healthcare Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2537375 1 Registered provider: First Blue Healthcare Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have experienced childhood trauma which has led to unmet emotional needs that require specialist care and support. Three children were living at the home at the time of this inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2023.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2537375 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/08/2023 Full Good 21/06/2022 Full Good 04/05/2021 Full Good 04/03/2020 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2537375 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved out of the home and two children have moved in. One child has lived at the home for just over three years.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child left the home when they reached an age where they could live more independently and the other moved back to live with their family, in line with their plans. The manager ensures that careful planning takes place when children move into or out of the home. This helps ease children’s anxiety over big changes in their lives.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a beautifully decorated and welcoming home, with managers and staff placing a strong emphasis on creating a family environment. Children are encouraged to invite friends and family to their home. One child has been able to have their sibling stay with them overnight. Some children have pets. These opportunities have improved children’s experience at the home and provided opportunities for them to have normal childhood experiences and spend quality time with friends and family.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to understand their wider community. Cultural events and public holidays are celebrated with children. Children are encouraged to feel empathy and compassion for others. Staff supported one child to collect items for a homeless charity. This helps children learn about the wider community and share positive experiences with staff, and helps to lay the foundations for more meaningful relationships in the future.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to pursue their hobbies and interests. Children enjoy horse-riding lessons, attend clubs and are provided with a variety of opportunities to have fun.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children’s education. They support children to engage in school and provide clear boundaries for them in relation to this. As a result, children are in good routines and engaging in their education and this helps better prepare them for their futures.

p.3

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

There have been occasions when children have gone missing from home. When this has happened, staff make robust attempts to locate them. This includes looking for children and contacting their friends. This provides children with a sense of care and reinforces their sense of belonging. Conversations take place following incidents of going missing and children are educated on the potential risks. The manager ensures that, on children’s return home, they are provided with the opportunity to speak to someone independent. This thorough approach has meant that incidents of going missing have reduced.

p.3

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

Staff have a good understanding of how to support children who self-harm. The manager ensures that there are clear and effective plans in place and that support is Inspection report for children's home: 2537375 4 provided for children, including help from the organisation’s in-house therapist. Children are also encouraged to engage in specialist support provided by external agencies. This approach provides a robust support network for children, to help overcome their difficulties.

p.3

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

Children understand how to make a complaint and are confident in doing this. When they have made complaints, the manager has taken action to understand and address their concerns. This promotes a healthy culture where children feel heard and able to raise concerns if they need to.

p.4

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

Staff work with children to help them understand the impact of their behaviour and how to keep safe. A concern arose relating to one child’s behaviour in the community. Staff and managers took a multi-faceted approach and thorough approach to educate the child about this. As a result, the child now understands the risks associated with their behaviour and is clear that they will not be engaging in this behaviour again. This is one example of many in which staff have supported children to stay safe.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and leaders have high aspirations for the quality of care provided to children and staff are positive about the organisation’s values. On occasions when the quality of care for children has fallen short, managers have taken action to address this. This helps improve quality of care.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive appropriate training for their roles. When staff start work at the home, they receive a good induction. As a result, they feel prepared and able to carry out their duties effectively.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager carries out regular monitoring of the quality of care provided to children. This is supported by the home’s responsible individual. This has generally been effective and has helped to drive improvement in children’s care. However, leaders were slow to identify that children’s local authority plans were out of date and that the home did not have a copy of children’s most recent education, health and care plans. This does not ensure that staff are adhering to the most up-to-date information.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff receive regular practice-related supervision. Staff say they benefit from this and use this as an opportunity to consolidate their learning. This helps improve the consistency of care provided to children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a significant turnover of staff. Leaders and managers ensure that staff working at the home are suitably vetted. This means that adults working at the home are safe to do so. However, the changes in staffing have affected children’s relationships with staff. Inspection report for children's home: 2537375 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1) (2)(b)(ii)(c))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that up-to-date plans are in place for children. 8 February 2025

p.5

Recommendation

 The registered person should demonstrate every effort to achieve continuity of staffing so that children’s attachments are not overly disrupted. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1)

p.5

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: 2537375 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: First Blue Healthcare Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Seighford Hall, Clanford Road, Seighford, Stafford ST18 9NL

p.6

Inspector

Chrisoula Contoyianni, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2537375 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7