Children's home run by Supporting Futures Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2687920 1 Registered provider: Supporting Futures Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider and is registered to care for up to three children. The home may provide care for children who experience social or emotional difficulties and/or children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living at the home at the time of this inspection. The inspectors spoke to all the children about their experiences of living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in September 2022.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2687920 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/03/2024 Full Good 18/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2687920 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have built strong and secure relationships with staff. They enjoy activities and days out together. These positive experiences are captured in photos, which are displayed throughout the home. Children feel valued by staff, who know them well. One child said, ‘They [staff] haven't given up on me here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff know the people who are important to children. The manager has driven plans for children to spend time with family members. For one child, this means that plans for them to return to live with family are progressing. Friendships are supported, and children can spend time with friends in the community. Staff check in with children during this time to ensure that they are safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are receiving education. Children have positive routines that support their attendance at school or college. Children have access to all universal health services, and attend appointments when needed. Staff support children to attend specialist services related to their individual health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff keep records about children’s progress and achievements. Staff help children to develop their independence skills. This includes cooking, budgeting money and keeping their bedrooms clean and tidy. Direct work is planned and takes place in response to children’s emerging needs or vulnerabilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some areas of the interior and exterior of the home need repair. This includes a broken fence, shed and one child’s chest of drawers. The toilet in one bathroom could not be used due to plumbing issues. The shower control valve in one bathroom was broken. This room requires redecoration and general maintenance.

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

Staff ensure that consistent rules and boundaries are in place. Risk management plans identify children’s individual vulnerabilities. There are strategies in place so that staff know what to do to keep children safe. Children contribute to these plans so they know what actions staff will take to keep them safe.

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

Physical interventions have never been used at the home. Staff use distraction or de- escalation techniques to prevent the need for physical intervention. Staff support children to manage their feelings safely. Children say that they can talk to staff about any worries they may have.

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

Children do not go missing from home. However, children have clear and comprehensive missing-from-home plans. Staff know and understand these plans. This ensures that there is a consistent approach from staff should children go missing from home. Inspection report for children's home: 2687920 4 Children have access to mobile devices. Staff regularly check devices to ensure that children are not at risk, or communicating with individuals who may pose a risk to them. This supports children to stay safe online.

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

Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities. They take appropriate action when safeguarding concerns arise.

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

Leaders and managers have not consistently reported safeguarding concerns to Ofsted without delay which means that on one occasion, the regulator’s oversight was limited.

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

The home is led by an ambitious management team. They understand therapeutic approaches to support children with complex needs. Staff implement these in their practice.

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

Children are cared for by a stable staff team. Staff receive regular supervision and say that they feel supported by the management team. Annual appraisals recognise staff’s progress and consider feedback from children and professionals. The manager has implemented a staff recognition scheme, which children contribute to.

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

Team meetings take place every month and are well attended. Discussions take place about children’s needs and staff training and well-being. Staff work together to provide children with consistency and stability.

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

The manager has a monthly oversight system in place to review the care that children have received. However, there was one incident that was not reviewed and evaluated effectively by the manager. This limits the effectiveness of any response or learning from the incident.

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

Door alarms alert staff if children leave their bedrooms during the night. This practice is not regularly reviewed.

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

Some local authority documents, including care plans, review minutes and health assessments, are not recorded in children’s files. This means that children may not be receiving support to address their needs.

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

The independent person has not consistently gathered feedback from professionals, children and family members. They have not always viewed all areas of the home during visits. This limits the impact of external scrutiny to improve the quality of care for children.

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

The manager’s review of the quality of care report does not include or evaluate the views of children. The report does not fully evaluate the impact of the care being provided and the progress that children are making. This is a missed opportunity for leaders and managers to evaluate the quality of care effectively. Inspection report for children's home: 2687920 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered persons 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 persons 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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that they have oversight of all incidents and subsequent work being completed. Ensure that work is evaluated to establish patterns and trends and identify areas of learning in order to make continuous improvements. 20 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children's homes overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 20 March 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2687920 6 ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the registered person ensuring that the home is well maintained to a high standard and any damage or maintenance issues are rectified in a timely manner.

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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

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation (40) (4)(e)) 20 March 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the use of monitoring systems on children's bedroom doors is risk assessed and kept under regular review. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.10)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they have all the local authority care planning documents in a timely manner. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the independent visitor consults regularly with children and a range of stakeholders as part of their assessment of the home. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the quality of care review is evaluative and contains feedback from children. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weaknesses in the home’s care, which will be captured in the written report. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 65, paragraphs 15.2 and 15.4) Inspection report for children's home: 2687920 7

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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: 2687920 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Supporting Futures Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sinclair, 300 St. Marys Road, Garston, Liverpool L19 0NQ

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Inspectors

Anna Belshaw, Social Care Inspector James Meeks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2687920 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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