Children's Home run by Brighter Futures for Children Limited in Reading

Inspection report for children’s home: 2502334 1 Registered provider: Brighter Futures for Children Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a local authority and provides a shared care service for children with learning and/or physical disabilities and/or sensory impairment. The home supports 10 children, with up to four staying at one time. In addition, there is one bedroom that is used only for emergency support needs.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were staying at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2018.

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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: 2502334 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/03/2024 Full Good 10/01/2023 Full Outstanding 23/06/2021 Full Good 13/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2502334 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy fun-filled stays in this home. Staff plan well for children’s visits, identifying activities both inside and outside the home. Some activities are linked to children’s interests, and others are arranged to help children make progress, such as with independence or movement. Inside the home, children enjoy baking, playing computer games and spending time in the sensory room. Outside of the home they enjoy a wide range of enriching activities, including trips to local attractions, parks and woodland and meals out. Staff celebrate the achievements children make as they happen. An achievements day is also held, when progress can be shared with children’s families and friends. Staff support children’s engagement with the local community. Children raise money through events such as a bake sale and sponsored physical activity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a welcoming environment for children. Children’s bedrooms are set up with their bedding and photos of their loved ones. A local organisation provide handmade quilts for all children. There is an abundance of toys and activities available for children to choose from. Outside, there are a range of different areas to spark interest. There is space for children to run around and play, areas for sensory exploration, and space to grow vegetables. Children’s views form a central part of their stay. Staff consult with them about what they would like to do and what they have enjoyed doing. Children are offered choices throughout their stays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from positive relationships with staff. Staff know children well and understand how to support them to make progress. Staff seek feedback from parents about what has gone well and how to improve. Parents identify that their children improve their communication, try new foods and can spend more quality time with their families. Parents say they see their children’s confidence grow.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff develop positive relationships with families and professionals. Family members are positive about the home and feel that staff care greatly for their children. Communication is seen as a strength. Parents say they know about their children’s experiences while they stay away from home. Two parents expressed sadness that their children will soon be 18 and no longer attending the home. In response to parental anxiety, the manager facilitated a session for parents with adult services to help parents better understand the support available.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s plans contain good detail about their health needs and how their health conditions might affect how they present or behave. This helps staff to provide the right support. While the plans contain reference to some aspects of children’s religion and culture, the information is not sufficient to provide a clear understanding about their culture and identity. Inspection report for children’s home: 2502334 4

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

Staff ensure that children are safe during their stays. They know how to identify safeguarding concerns and understand the process to report them and how to escalate if they continue to be worried.

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

Staff record incidents that occur and track new behaviour and concerns. They identify any marks or injuries on children and work with parents and professionals to understand the cause or explanation for these. Because the staff know the children well, they understand the context. Managers review incidents well and evaluate them to identify learning. When necessary, increased monitoring is in place to develop an understanding of how to better support children. Staff use specially designed forms to capture information about children’s well-being after incidents. This helps children who might not be able to express their views verbally.

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

Restrictive practices are used in the home due to the needs of some children. Staff carry out risk assessments which reflect the use of these and how they affect children. The risk assessments do not always make it clear that children’s views have been sought or how their views have been considered. For some children, it is recognised that the restrictions for other children will impact negatively on their own freedoms, and this is mitigated through staff support. It is not always clear that restrictions are kept under regular review or that different ways of working are considered.

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

Staff understand how to support children in the event of a fire. Managers practise scenarios with staff to provide real-life context. Through these scenarios, learning has been identified and adopted into practice.

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

Recruitment processes follow safer recruitment guidelines. The manager continues to consider how to improve these to ensure that they recruit good-quality candidates for the roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A strong and cohesive team of staff work together to provide children with enriching opportunities. An experienced and passionate manager leads the service and seeks opportunities to improve the home. Managers create opportunities for training, team- building and sharing practice wider.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working in the home. They feel well supported by the manager and that they have a voice about the support and care for children. They are positive and passionate about the job.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular opportunities to come together as a team for learning and development sessions. Team meetings provide staff with opportunities for group discussion about what is happening in the home and to explore training opportunities. Inspection report for children’s home: 2502334 5 An educational psychologist works with the team to support staff to explore reflective practice. Supervision provides a space to discuss performance and practice. Staff regularly update their training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff maintain a range of records and documents to capture children’s experiences in the home. However, some of the language used includes generic phrases which do not always provide clarity, limiting the learning from what is written. Inspection report for children’s home: 2502334 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that restrictive practices in the home are regularly reviewed, with the ambition of reducing their use. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that risk assessments around restrictions consider children’s views. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.6)  The registered person should ensure that there is a clear understanding of children’s culture and identity and how these contribute to their experiences. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.2)  The registered person should ensure that language in records is clear to understand and avoids professional jargon where possible. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2502334 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Brighter Futures for Children Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Reading Borough Council Civic Offices, Bridge Street, Reading, Berkshire RG1 2LU

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Helena Macieira Baptista

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Inspector

Clare Nixson, Social Care Inspector Karen Hallam, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2502334 8 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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