Children's Home run by Bright Futures Care Limited in Halton

Inspection report for children's home: 2652976 1 Registered provider: Bright Futures Care 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 managed by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to five children who have learning disabilities and sensory impairments.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, there were five children living here. The inspector spent time with all children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2023.

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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: 2652976 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/06/2024 Full Good 12/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2652976 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a large home that reflects their interests and has lots of toys, games and sensory equipment. Children enjoy spending time with the adults who care for them, as well as the other children they live with. The home has a lovely family-like feel and is frequently filled with the sounds of children laughing. All children have lived here for two years or more, which for one child is the longest they’ve lived in any one home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are offered a variety of different activities and enjoy days out to places of their choosing. One child who has not been able to cope with attending regular clubs before, now attends gymnastics club every week. One social worker said, ‘In holiday times, I have to make sure I let them know when I’m coming ahead of time because they are always out and about, going to different places and trying different things.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children continue to make good progress with their communication and independence skills. Staff work with children’s schools to identify targets for each child based on their individual needs and complete daily work with them to help them meet these goals. When children reach puberty, staff help them to understand their changing bodies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children’s relationships with people who are important to them. Staff regularly support children to spend time with their parents and siblings and will collect parents who struggle with transport to ensure that they can still enjoy days out with their child or visit their home. Additionally, staff support children to have regular video calls with people that they care about who live abroad. One mother said,

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

‘They always include my other kids in the activities and make sure that’s it’s a good day for everyone. They make me feel really at ease. They’ve gone out of their way to pick me up so I can come to his birthday parties. They include us in everything and make us feel really at home when we come to visit.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff teach children how to take care of their health and hygiene. They encourage children to add more movement into their days and promote a balanced diet. Staff take children to planned and emergency health appointments and seek medical advice when required.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers work well with professionals to plan for children as they grow up. However, all children living here are entitled to additional funds to support them with their daily living, which most children have not accessed. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that children have additional resources as they approach their adult years.

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

Children’s vulnerabilities have reduced, in part due to the trusting relationships that their carers have built with them. Staff have a good understanding of each child’s vulnerabilities and advocate for each child to be provided with the resources they need. Inspection report for children's home: 2652976 4 Staff know how each child prefers to be supported, and even very new staff are aware of how to manage risks for different children.

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

Staff are skilled in de-escalation and are often able to support children to settle when they become distressed. Children are held as a last resort to keep them safe. When this happens, staff record the incident in detail. The registered manager evaluates each incident and identifies learning when practice can be improved.

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

Many children who live here take multiple daily medications. While medication is usually administered without problems, there have been times when staff have made errors with children’s medication. When this has happened, staff have sought medical advice immediately, and notified managers, professionals, and family members of the mistake. Managers review medication errors when they occur, identifying and implementing learning for the individual or the staff team.

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

Professionals report excellent communication and good joint working with staff and managers in the home. When social workers do not visit children as frequently as they should, managers in the home escalate this to ensure that children are seen by someone independent. One social worker said of the team, ‘They’re very proactive and pay attention to every little detail. They always let us know what’s going on.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced and has the skills to lead this home effectively. Staff feel well supported by the management team and feel able to share new ideas. The registered manager offers praise to staff when they see good work but is equally able to challenge practice to continue improving in the best interests of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team supports staff with regular supervisions and team meetings. Staff find these spaces helpful and say that they benefit from the opportunity to reflect with their managers and their team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a lot of change in the staff team in the last year, but this has primarily been due to career progression opportunities. The registered manager has been proactive in recruitment efforts which has kept staffing numbers stable. When new staff join the team, managers ensure that appropriate checks are completed. This helps to make sure that adults in the home are safe to work with vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight is strong with clear improvements in the registered manager’s analytical approach to reflecting on practice. The registered manager completes regular internal monitoring which helps to identify areas of strength and development in the home. External monitoring provides further support and direction.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported to think about their development goals. They receive annual appraisals to identify progress and areas of future development. Staff have access to ongoing training throughout the year. However, the registered manager has not identified training for the team to meet the specific needs of children. Inspection report for children's home: 2652976 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(g)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff are provided with new research and updated training to meet the identified needs of children. 30 July 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they consistently advocate for children to have access to all the resources they are entitled to, including daily living allowance. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 17 paragraph 3.28)

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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 Inspection report for children's home: 2652976 6 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: 2652976 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bright Futures Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: c/o Bright Futures Care Ltd, Asher House, Barsbank Lane, Lymm WA13 0ED

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Inspector

Aislinn Cooper, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2652976 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 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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