Children's Home run by Bright Futures Homes Limited in Norfolk

Inspection report for children’s home: 2808400 1 Registered provider: Bright Futures Homes 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 privately run and provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left home on 21 November 2024. A new manager has been appointed and has applied to register with Ofsted in February 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2808400 2

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improvement to be good

This inspection was brought forward to address specific concerns or allegations received by Ofsted. This is the first inspection. The child living at the home was spoken with.

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improvement to be good

The home opened in November 2024. Since this time, two children have moved in, one of whom has moved out. The child’s move out was unplanned and a lack of effective planning contributed to this.

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improvement to be good

This inspection has identified several shortfalls that require addressing before children are receiving a good service. However, a new manager has been appointed, has some awareness of the shortfalls, and has demonstrated the potential capacity to ensure that the necessary improvements take place.

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improvement to be good

Previous leaders and managers have not planned effectively for children’s moves into the home. Two children moved into the home two days apart at a time when there was no registered manager in the home. Manager’s planning for these moves in such close succession was not sufficient. There was not enough curiosity about the suitability or timing of these moves for both children. Managers did not suitably identify some potential concerns about children’s behaviour when living together, and staff did not know these children well. As a result, there was a difficult ending for one child, and they moved out of the home within two weeks.

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improvement to be good

Feedback from the social worker of the child who moved out was that staff could have handled behaviour differently and offered a more trauma-informed approach, and that the child’s move out of the home was ‘unexpected’. Despite some concerns, the social worker said ‘the staff were nice’ and the child’s initial experience had been good when they first moved in.

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improvement to be good

The child currently living at the home, who moved in in January 2025, is not in education. They are enrolled with a school in their home area. The new manager has requested a meeting with relevant professionals. An education planning meeting is yet to take place to identify suitable educational support local to the home. Staff are helping the child to think about educational opportunities in their local area. However, staff have not been consistent in recording what they are doing in order to support the child with their education.

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improvement to be good

The child currently living at the home has been helped with some health and identity needs. Staff have worked with the child to find specific care items that have helped to improve their self-esteem. Children who have moved into the home have both used electronic cigarettes. Staff did not always consistently discourage the use of these. Staff have since made a health appointment to discuss the child’s use of electronic cigarettes and access to smoking cessation advice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2808400 3 Staff are beginning to capture memories for the child by taking pictures and recording this in a scrap book to help them remember their time living at the home. Capturing memories for children helps to create a sense of belonging at the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff are helping the child to do activities that they enjoy, such as swimming or skating. These shared activities with staff are helping the child to build relationships. The child said ‘staff did care for them and listen to them,’ but also said they were not happy with their local authority care plan.

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improvement to be good

The home is furnished to a high standard and is a welcoming and homely environment. When children move in they are able to personalise their room to their own tastes.

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improvement to be good

One child has gone missing from the home and managed to travel a significant distance. Staff responded quickly once they noted the child had gone missing. However, at the time there was no clear plan in place to help staff know what to do if that child went missing from care. This reduced staff’s capacity to help keep the child safe. This concern was noted by the new manager and a plan was created following this event.

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improvement to be good

Children have been held by staff as part of incidents. When a child’s behaviour has warranted the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint, staff are not consistently spoken to after the event. This does not help leaders and managers understand staff practice or explore what they could do differently next time. Children are offered to be spoken to immediately after the event, but this does not give children time to reflect and think about their thoughts and feelings. These conversations with children were sometimes initiated by the person who held them. This does not give children an opportunity to speak about the event independently. Linked records are not detailed and therefore do not help the manager to understand what happened.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to make complaints, and they have shared their worries with staff. However, one child did not receive a response to their complaint, and there is no management overview. This did not help the child to understand how their views had been considered. In another complaint, a child shared a worry that they had been hurt by a member of staff. This was not captured as a potential allegation, meaning this incident was not reported to the manager or other professionals in a timely way. The new manager has since reviewed this record and highlighted the shortfall in staff practice and training.

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improvement to be good

Staff recruitment checks are generally well recorded to ensure safe recruitment practices take place. However, for one member of staff, not all recruitment checks were recorded in a timely way before the staff member started working with children.

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improvement to be good

Children have had unsafe items in their room. Staff have completed appropriate room searches to remove items to help keep children safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2808400 4

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

There have been lots of changes in management since the home registered. The registered manager left the service within two weeks of the home opening. The deputy manager stepped up to act as the manager and was in this role for six weeks before stepping down. During this time, the acting manager had a period of absence from the home. The home was then supported by another deputy manager. In January 2025, a new manager was appointed, and they have been in post for two weeks at the time of this inspection. They have applied to register with Ofsted, and they hold a relevant qualification.

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

Although leaders took steps to appoint new managers in a timely way, several shortfalls in leadership and management have been identified as part of this inspection. However, the new manager is aware of the identified shortfalls and has plans in place to address the changes required to improve care for children.

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

Management changes in the home have reduced the effective oversight of records and care planning for children. Leaders and managers made decisions to move two children into the home without effective care plans in place. Leaders and managers do not have effective recording systems in place to track and monitor children’s progress. Records about care planning for children are not detailed and managers have not collected all information about children to understand their local authority care plans. This does not help managers or staff to understand how they should be supporting children.

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

All staff are new to the home, and many are new to working with children. Staff’s skills and experiences are varied. Eleven of the 13 staff do not yet hold a relevant qualification. There is one member of staff who has not achieved a relevant qualification within the required time frame, which has carried over from their previous role. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the inexperienced staff team has been reduced when there has not been the stability of a consistent registered manager.

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

Staff have received induction training in line with policy. Staff said the training covered relevant topics to help them think about caring for children. Several staff are still to be enrolled on a relevant first-aid course. One member of staff, who has not worked in a children’s home before, is not trained in the home’s model of restraint practice but was involved in a restraint with a child. This reduces the effectiveness of the care staff give to children.

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

Since the home opened, staff have received regular supervision sessions. However, the quality of this supervision has varied. Two staff have only received single subject supervision, which did not cover the relevant topics as outlined in supervision plans. The new manager has identified this and has started to complete new supervision sessions with all staff to ensure that staff are spoken to about their care practice with children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2808400 5

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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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(ii)(iii)) 28 February 2025

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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— 30 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2808400 6 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

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)(c)(h))

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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; 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)(b)) 28 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and 1 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2808400 7 has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(ii)(v)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare; and

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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)(i)(iii)) 1 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 31 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2808400 8 the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b)(d) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how staff should support the child on return to the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)  The registered person should ensure there are systems in place so that all staff receive supervision of their practice, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that the ethos of the home supports each child to learn, emphasising the value of independent study and reading for enjoyment. Staff should support children with home study by encouraging them to learn independent

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Recommendations

study skills and helping them to practice those skills consistently with records of their work and achievements. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.18) Inspection report for children’s home: 2808400 9

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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: 2808400 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bright Futures Homes Limited

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Inspector

Rebecca Hannell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2808400 11 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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Inspector

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