Children's Home run by Bridge2Future Ltd in Staffordshire

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2772513 1 Registered provider: Bridge2Future Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately operated and provides care for up to three children who may have emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of inspection, there were two children living at the home. Both children were spoken to as part of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2024. They were not present for this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 22 October 2024

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable

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Information about this inspection

At these inspections, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2772513 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Children’s experiences of living in the home are poor. Children do not have positive, trusting relationships with all staff, and have fractured relationships with each other. Both children said that they do not feel safe and are unhappy living in the home. In addition, children do not always feel listened to by staff.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff lack the skills and guidance to safely support children when they are presenting with behaviours that are challenging. As a result, significant incidents in the home and incidents of children being missing from home have increased. This puts children at risk of harm.

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Findings from the inspection

Children’s experience and progress in relation to education are mixed. One child has made some progress with their education and their attendance is improving. However, one child does not attend school and there is a lack of structure and support to enable the child to engage in learning at home. For example, the child does not get up until lunchtime and there are no meaningful activities planned throughout the day. Managers have no plan in place to address this to help the child prepare to return to school.

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Findings from the inspection

Arrangements to respond to and reduce risk to children are poor. Managers and staff do not have a good understanding of risk. They do not always take prompt and effective action to manage children’s risks and vulnerabilities to support their safety and well-being. For example, one child said that they were scared and had not slept, due to threats from their peer. Managers and staff did not recognise the need to consider and implement strategies to support the child to help reduce their anxieties and increase their sense of safety.

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Findings from the inspection

The quality of children’s risk assessments is variable. Managers and staff have not ensured that children’s plans contain information about all the children’s current risks, and so staff do not have clear guidance to follow. This results in inconsistent staff practice, which does not support children to be safe. This is particularly pertinent when there is a high turnover of staff working with children, who do not know children well.

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Findings from the inspection

When there is guidance, staff do not consistently follow children’s risk management plans. For example, staff do not always ensure that daily bedroom checks are conducted when there has been an escalation in a child’s aggression, threats to others and there are concerns around possession of knives and weapons. This inconsistent practice does not fully keep children safe.

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Findings from the inspection

On one occasion, there was a delay in the manager responding to a child’s complaint. This delay exacerbates children’s sense of not feeling listened to. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2772513 3 Poor leadership and management and a failure to take effective action to improve the quality of care in the home have compromised children’s safety, experiences and progress. Leaders and managers’ monitoring continues to be ineffective and does not ensure that there are clear arrangements in place to protect children from harm or improve the quality of care they receive.

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Findings from the inspection

Managers have not ensured that there are sufficient, skilled and experienced staff to effectively meet children’s needs. Cover for shortfalls in the rota is provided by staff from other homes in the organisation. Staff are unfamiliar with the children, their vulnerabilities and needs, and the actions they need to take to promote their safety and progress. Children do not receive consistently good care. In addition, changes in staffing do not help children to build trusting relationships with staff who know them well, nor does it help them to feel and be safe.

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Findings from the inspection

There continue to be shortfalls in staff supervision. The manager has not ensured that all staff receive regular supervision. This does not give staff opportunities to reflect on and develop their practice and feel valued. In addition, not all staff have had training in the service’s model of care. This does not ensure that all staff have the skills to deliver care to children in line with the statement of purpose.

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Findings from the inspection

There have been occasions where the manager has failed to notify serious incidents to Ofsted. As a result, Ofsted is unable to carry out its monitoring function adequately to help ensure that appropriate action is taken by the provider to safeguard children.

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Findings from the inspection

Managers’ working relationships with partner agencies, including children’s local authorities, are ineffective. Staff do not always keep children’s local authorities up to date with children’s experiences or give accurate information on children’s routines. One professional commented that managers’ and staff’s communication is poor and there are concerns around the staff’s responses to risk management. This has resulted in a lack of coordinated care for children. One child is being moved from the home, as the local authority is not assured by the staff’s approach to keeping the child safe. Managers have served notice on the other child. The lack of good-quality care has impacted on children’s stability.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have not taken appropriate action to address the requirements made at the previous inspection. At the last full inspection, Ofsted raised seven requirements and one recommendation. However, leaders and managers have failed to meet five of the requirements. Repeated breaches of regulation do not provide Ofsted with the reassurance that managers are able to take effective action to bring about the required changes to improve the quality of care that children receive. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2772513 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/10/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2772513 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that: 27 March 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2772513 6  risks are understood and effectively managed by managers and staff  staff have the skills and experience to respond to children’s risks and keep them safe  risk management plans contain up-to-date and clear guidance for staff to follow and mitigate risk  staff consistently follow children’s plans to ensure that they provide children with good-quality, consistent care, which keeps children safe.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and has been restated.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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;

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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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that: 27 March 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2772513 7  there are sufficient staff to meet each child’s needs  that when staff cover is required, this does not impact on the continuity of care for children as far as possible  staff have the appropriate skills to respond effectively to children’s needs  that there are effective monitoring and review systems in place to ensure ongoing improvements to the quality of care provided to children.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and has been restated.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and has been restated. 27 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; 27 March 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2772513 8 understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a) (2)(a)(i)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff respond to children’s needs in line with the therapeutic approach outlined in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and has been restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and has been restated. 27 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children are provided with clear boundaries, structure and routine, and supported to engage in constructive activities when they are not in education. 27 March 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. (Regulation 5 (a)) 27 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— 27 March 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2772513 9 a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2772513 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bridge2future, Surestore, Ninth Avenue, Burton- On-Trent, England DE14 3JZ

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Inspector

Sonia Sullivan, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2772513 11 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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