Children's Home run by New Focus Child Care LTD in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2724156 1 Registered provider: New Focus Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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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 experience social and emotional difficulties and/or have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a permanent manager at the home, who became registered in June 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection there was one child living at the home. They were present and spent time talking with the inspector.

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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

Date of last inspection: 21 February 2024

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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: 2724156 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2724156 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living at this home is thriving and making progress because staff provide good quality and consistent care. A key focus of the child’s care is preparation for adulthood. Staff understand the independence targets the child is working towards. The child is integral to planning their targets, which are incentivised through rewards of the child’s choosing. As a result, they are motivated and are making progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the child to access health care. Where there are barriers to this, staff work collaboratively with the child to find pathways forward. For example, listening to the child about who they want to support them in attending appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a very relaxed atmosphere at the home. Staff spend time with the child, and their interactions are very natural. They show a genuine interest in the child’s hobbies and take the time to learn about these. There is a lot of humour in the interactions between the child and staff, and the home is often filled with fun and laughter.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child to reflect on their week and plan for the next, as part of listening to their wishes and feelings. The manager also spends time talking with the child about important topics. This also means that they are kept up to date about relevant information, such as changes and decisions that affect them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is a pleasant space for the child to live. The home is well designed to support the child’s interests. For example, there is a furnished workshop in the garden for the child to pursue their hobby of mechanics. Furthermore, preparations are underway to welcome another child into the home, with the addition of outdoor play equipment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff embed routines for the child that promote their engagement in education. As a result, the child is working towards qualifications. Whilst the child has an advocate, the manager did not ensure that they helped the child when their bespoke education package was changed and reduced.

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

The child feels very safe at this home, as staff have built trusting relationships with them. The child seeks support from staff and enjoys spending time with them. Staff invest a lot of time in talking to the child about keeping themselves safe. For example, addressing safety in the community, online safety and healthy relationships.

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

Staff have established clear routines at the home, and this includes setting boundaries. Therefore, the child understands what is expected of them. There are a low number of behavioural incidents at the home, with no requirement for physical intervention. Inspection report for children’s home: 2724156 4 Staff understand and use de-escalation techniques, as set out in the child’s plans. This is effective in helping the child to manage their emotions and behaviours and is a key area of progress for the child.

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

Following two incidents of the child going missing, the manager acted promptly to reduce the risk of this happening again. Staff were upskilled and door alarms were assessed as necessary. Furthermore, staff have spent time talking to the child about the risks of this, and this was reinforced by the local police community support officer. This has been effective and there have been no further occurrences. However, the manager did not ensure that the local authority arranged an independent return home interview. This was a missed opportunity to explore and learn from the event.

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

Managers have not consistently followed the homes procedure for managing allegations. On one occasion, when the manager was potentially involved in an allegation, they did not pass this on to the responsible individual to oversee. The manager did contact the local authority designated officer for advice. Furthermore, record keeping and management oversight of this has been disorganised at times.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has carefully planned the introduction of another child to the home. This is well balanced with retaining a focus on sustaining the experience and progress of the child currently living there.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has actively sought feedback from the neighbours and listened to some grumbles they had; action has been taken to extend the driveway to alleviate some parking difficulties. The child is also helped to foster good neighbour relations, by delivering baked cookies at Christmas to them and the neighbours also contributed to the child’s charity fundraising. As a result, the child is developing a sense of community belonging.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager recognises that the staff team are the key strength of the home. There is a core staff team, and this provides consistency of care for the child from familiar and trusted adults. No external staffing has been required and staffing ratios are sustained in line with the child’s plans. Furthermore, staff are safely recruited at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about working at the home, they are proud of the child’s progress, and they feel well supported by managers. The manager is very present and approachable, staff are confident that they can seek their support or advice at any time. In addition, staff receive regular supervision sessions that support their development and considers their well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training that covers a range of topics that helps them in their roles. However, there are inconsistencies between the training offer outlined in the homes statement of purpose, the workforce development plan and records of training Inspection report for children’s home: 2724156 5 completed by staff. Furthermore, there are gaps in staff training for child specific needs, for example autism. This reduces the expertise of the staff team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2724156 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

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

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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff receive training that equips them with the knowledge and skills in line with the homes statement of purpose, and to meet children’s specific needs.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to managers having effective oversight at the home to ensure that safeguarding concerns are responded to in accordance with the homes procedures. 30 May 2025

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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 involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; 30 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2724156 7 if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be 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 (a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that managers are proactive in challenging professionals to ensure their duties are fulfilled and the child has the services and support they require, including advocacy and return home interviews.

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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: 2724156 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Focus Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit A4, Dewsbury Road, Fenton Industrial Estate, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST4 2TE

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Inspector

Alison Snell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2724156 9 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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