Children's Home run by Good Foundations Limited in Wirral

Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2727821 1 Registered provider: Good Foundations Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for up to four children who may have experienced social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in June 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

There were four children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Inspection date: 26 March 2025

Date of last inspection: 26 November 2024

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Inspection date: 26 March 2025

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 26 March 2025

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, 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. The inspector has 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: 2727821 2

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Findings from the inspection

Ofsted identified serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care of children and the effectiveness of managers in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

The home is managed by an experienced registered manager. Serious concerns were identified in relation to poor and ineffective leadership and management arrangements. This has had an adverse impact on children’s overall progress and experiences.

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Findings from the inspection

Children said that they do not feel listened to by leaders and managers. One child asked for specific toiletries, but they were told they would need to buy these out of their own money as they would not be provided. Another child said their views are not considered in relation to their education plans. This included the emotional support they wanted to help them attend education. Children spoken to said that they do not feel they have a positive relationship with the registered manager.

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Findings from the inspection

Children do not attend education. Since the last inspection, children’s attendance at formal education has decreased. The registered manager’s response to improve this situation for children is inconsistent and ineffective. Strategies are not in place to help staff support children’s educational needs. This is having a detrimental impact on children’s educational outcomes.

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Findings from the inspection

The registered manager ensures that there are risk assessments in place for children. Risk assessments include all risks and clear strategies for staff to follow to keep children safe. Staff carry out good-quality direct-work sessions with children following incidents. As a result, there has been a decrease in incidents.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager’s oversight of the home has not been effective. The manager has monitoring systems in place. However, these have not been effective in identifying the shortfalls found during the inspection. The manager does not demonstrate that she can meet the needs of the children. Plans that are not effective remain in place.

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Findings from the inspection

Three requirements from the full inspection in November 2024 have been restated as there has been no improvement in these areas.

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Findings from the inspection

The responsible individual took immediate action to address some of the shortfalls. The responsible individual also demonstrates that the leadership team is aware of the shortfalls in the management arrangements and has put steps in place to address them. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2727821 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/11/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/11/2023 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2727821 4

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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 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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(x)(b)) 21 May 2025 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2727821 5 Specifically, the registered person must ensure that strategies are in place to manage the impact of children’s relationships on their engagement with education and that all children are provided with opportunities to access informal learning opportunities when not attending school.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is 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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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)(a)(b)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h)) 21 May 2025 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2727821 6 Specifically, the registered person must recognise the impact that the quality of care they are providing is having on the progress of children and address this when it is not adequate.

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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 home’s 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—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and 21 May 2025 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2727821 7 make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children receive care that aligns with the home’s statement of purpose. Children must be provided with personalised care that meets their needs, such as being given the physical necessities needed to live there comfortably. This includes, but is not exclusive to, good-quality hygiene products, necessary clothing and access to the internet at times appropriate to their ages.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each child— 21 May 2025 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2727821 8 is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the views of each relevant person are taken into account, so far as reasonably practicable, before making a decision about the care or welfare of a child. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(b)(i)(e))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must develop positive relationships with children to ensure that children’s views, wishes and feelings are taken into account. They should ensure that children’s voices are heard and demonstrate to them how their wishes and feelings are taken into account and acted on, especially in relation to education and self- care.

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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

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust; 21 May 2025 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2727821 9 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)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(viii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the registered person strives to build relationships with children that are consistent and built on mutual respect and trust. The registered person must ensure that there is evidence of them spending time with children and working towards building positive relationships with both the staff team and the children.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the independent person is able to reach a rigorous judgement of the quality of the care provided in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.6)  The registered person should ensure that the review of quality of care report identifies areas of strengths and possible weaknesses in the home’s care, and that feedback from children is included in the report. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.4) Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2727821 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Good Foundations Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 Tower Quays, Tower Road, Birkenhead, Merseyside CH41 1BP

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Inspector

Rose Maddocks, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2727821 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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