Children's home run by Positive Footsteps Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2693873 1 Registered provider: Positive Footsteps 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

This home is owned and operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who may require support with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has recently appointed an experienced manager who is not yet registered with Ofsted. The home’s manager and responsible individual were present and supported the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home and were spoken to.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 13 February 2024

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2693873 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2693873 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children enjoy positive and meaningful relationships with staff. They show emotional warmth to the children and there is lots of fun and laughter. The children know that staff are there for them and will never give up on them. This helps the children to build trusting relationships with staff, which supports them to feel settled in the home and make good progress. One professional said, ‘They are very child-centred; they really showcase what the children can do and how they are progressing.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff know the children extremely well. They understand their needs and are providing excellent individualised care and support. This includes understanding and meeting their needs in relation to race, culture and identity. As a result, children are thriving in their development and sense of self. One parent said, ‘They have become a different child since being there. The staff have supported and encouraged them so much that they now have confidence in themselves and self-esteem. I have seen such a difference, which I am very proud of.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff use their knowledge of the children’s interests to encourage their participation in activities. Staff and children spend valuable time together and children undertake a wide range of activities in the home and the community. Activities include trips out, joining sports teams, horse riding and playing games and having fun at home. The children get to try new things and have experiences that they will remember, and these are captured in memory books that children keep when they leave the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff actively support children to attend and make good progress with their education. Managers and staff advocate strongly for children, who are all in some form of education. One child has recently stopped attending on-site education. The team has worked well with the multi-agency network to develop a plan to progress the child’s reintegration into an alternative provision in line with the child’s wishes. The staff work positively with education providers and other agencies to help children re-engage and build confidence to start learning again.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are supported to spend time with people who are most important to them. Staff also build good relationships with the children’s family. This contributes to the stability of the children’s placements. One parent said, ‘They keep me very well informed, and I get lots of lovely photos. They help us to manage [child’s] time with us.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children receive comprehensive support with their physical, emotional and psychological well-being. Staff are responsive to children’s emotional needs and know when there are changes in children’s presentation. Staff understand the traumatic experiences that children have been through. Practice is underpinned by bespoke training in the home’s preferred model of care, with regular input from the organisation’s therapeutic team and the wider professional network. Inspection report for children’s home: 2693873 4 Staff ensure that children have stability. Staff describe themselves as a family around the children. There is an emphasis on the house feeling like a family home. The interior environment is homely and welcoming and is furnished to a high standard with lots of personal photographs and toys. This helps children to settle when they first arrive and contributes to their sense of belonging.

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

Children receive help and support to manage their behaviours and feelings safely. Staff use their training, knowledge and strong relationships with children to understand their behaviours. Therefore, the children receive swift and coordinated responses from staff to keep them safe.

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

Children feel listened to and supported to participate in day-to-day decision-making and planning of their care. For example, children meet with staff regularly to share their views of how best to support them during times of crisis. This allows staff to respond consistently to each child, which helps to build a strong sense of safety and well-being. One child has made excellent progress, considering their starting point, and is now able to talk to staff about any worries or concerns they have. One parent said, ‘When there are issues with behaviour, [the child] tells us about it, which they never would have before. [Child] has the trust with staff to think things through and tell them.’

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

The help and protection children receive has resulted in a significant decrease in their vulnerabilities and risks. For example, one child arrived at the home with high safeguarding risks, including being missing from home and increased vulnerability to exploitation. Managers and staff ensured that robust risk assessments were in place to guide staff’s care practice in keeping the child safe. Alongside this, the manager has tracked incidents to highlight patterns and has implemented changes to independent time along with targeted key-working, to address emerging themes. Consequently, the child’s risks have greatly reduced amidst a shared understanding of how to keep safe.

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

Staff use physical restraint as a last resort to keep the children and others safe. The least restrictive measure is always used. All incidents are reviewed by the manager, with reflection and debrief discussions informing staff practice. Children are spoken to following an incident and in regular key-work sessions. Staff use a restorative approach with children after an incident, which enables relationships to thrive.

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

Staff undertake training in safeguarding and child protection alongside specific training in relation to the children’s individual needs. Staff also benefit from bespoke support from the organisation’s therapeutic team to understand the complexities in behaviours and the safe management of these. Monthly therapeutic team meetings allow staff to discuss risks and observations and plan the most appropriate support strategy for each child, using a trauma-based approach. This provides a consistent approach for each child, which is shared with external professionals. Inspection report for children’s home: 2693873 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a recent change to the management team. The home’s manager has been in post for four months and has applied to register with Ofsted. There has been a lengthy and robust handover between managers prior to her commencing the role. This has ensured a smooth transition for the children who have been supported through the changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manger is highly ambitious and committed to providing a home where the children can develop and flourish. She has implemented several positive changes in the home, including the introduction of staff emotional wellness action plans, which staff report makes them feel valued and supported in their role. The staff are highly motivated and happy in their jobs. They say they feel able to express their views and opinions and feel listened to. The managers are always visible. They work directly with children and have good relationships with them. They have a detailed understanding of each child and lead the development of care plans as they know the children so well. This means that staff have the right support in place to provide an excellent standard of care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has high expectations of staff. She provides excellent management oversight, supporting staff to be equally ambitious for the care provided to the children. She is a strong and tenacious manager who is proactive in advocating for each child. The manager has built strong links with local authorities and key safeguarding agencies and is proactive in challenging any drift or delay. When responses are not sufficient, leaders and managers escalate their concerns effectively. As a result, there is a strong multi- agency approach to the care of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular team meetings and supervision discussions, which encourages consistent reflection and learning. The team has collaboratively researched age- appropriate independence skills and has devised a bespoke learning programme for the children, which focuses on ‘stages, not ages’. This independence plan is tailored to each individual child and allows the children to work towards life skill targets and earn badges for each area that they successfully complete. This provides a sense of achievement for children alongside acquiring vital life skills that can be taken forward into adulthood.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is attuned to areas of strengths and actively drives change to improve areas for development. The manager has excellent support from a strong leadership team, whose members are equally committed to the care and progress of the children. This is an integral part of the home and its success. Inspection report for children’s home: 2693873 6

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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: 2693873 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Positive Footsteps Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 43 Merstow Green, Evesham WR11 4BB

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Sanita Marshalleck

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Inspector

Caroline Coop, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2693873 8 regulates and inspects 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 looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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