Children's Home run by Golden Future Care Limited in Bolton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2823275 1 Registered provider: Golden Future Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run and operated by a private company. It provides care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home, at the time of this inspection and spoke with the inspector

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in March 2025. This is the homes first inspection since registration.

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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

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2823275 2

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improvement to be good

One child moved into the home in early April 2025. They settled in quickly and were welcomed by staff. The child has developed good relationships with staff and feels safe and secure and enjoys living in this home. The child benefits from individualised, well- planned care. However, changes to the staff team have hindered the child’s ability to benefit from consistency and continuity of care. The child said, ‘The staff are nice. It’s funny, perfect and very comfy.’

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improvement to be good

The child has seen their family once since moving into the home. However, no formal plans are in place to promote the reoccurrence of family time to ensure that the child sustains their close relationships with their loved ones.

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improvement to be good

The child has not attended school for over two years. During their time in this home, there has been a lack of creativity, routines and structures to support the child’s learning in the absence of formal education. Staff have since identified a new school for the child to attend and they have visited the school with the child and are due to attend again for a period of assessment. Staff are hopeful and optimistic of this being helpful. A social worker said, ‘There have been huge positives. They [staff] have provided access to a privately funded appointment and have been instrumental in getting [name of child] back into school.’

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improvement to be good

There are some plans missing that are needed to meet the child’s needs effectively. The child requires a revised care plan, personal education plan and education and health care plan to support their progress in care and education.

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improvement to be good

The child is registered with the health services that they need to stay healthy. They are supported to attend their health appointments and have recently had an annual health needs assessment completed.

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improvement to be good

Staff have sourced specialist support for the child to attend to address issues with substance misuse and to provide support around sexual health. Staff encourage the child’s healthy lifestyle. A social worker said, ‘I think we are turning a corner with them [child].’

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improvement to be good

Staff have one-to-one discussions with the child to promote their safety and well-being. However, some of the language used in records is institutional and not child friendly or helpful to the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2823275 3

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improvement to be good

Staff promote the child’s safety and take action to protect them from harm. However, missing-from-home protocols are not recorded clearly, and risk management plans are not always accurate. For example, there is conflicting information about the time that the child is to be fully supervised in the community and risk assessments are not updated regularly, with the most up to date information.

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improvement to be good

Staff take appropriate action when the child is absent or goes missing from the home. They actively search for the child and work with the police to find them quickly and ensure their safe return. The child is actively supported to reflect on their behaviour and the impact on the local community. A social worker said, ‘When he goes missing, they are following the correct protocols and keeping him safe.’ However, none of the missing- from-home records contain management oversight or evaluation to ensure that practice is safe and effective.

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improvement to be good

Staff have a good understanding of the child’s needs and vulnerabilities. They support the child safely. Staff are trained in de-escalation techniques to help them diffuse incidents and prevent incidents from escalating. The use of restraint is a last resort that is only used to protect the child from harm. There has been one restraint which was applied safely, by staff.

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improvement to be good

There have been no complaints, accidents or allegations. Staff are trained in child protection and have recently revisited the home’s procedures on whistle blowing so that they know how to report concerns without fear of not being supported.

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improvement to be good

Significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities. However, notifications to Ofsted are not made in a timely manner. This reduces the oversight of the regulator.

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improvement to be good

Staff employed to work with vulnerable children are vetted and recruited safely to protect children from unsuitable people.

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

The previous registered manager and team leader no longer work in the home. Some staff have also left the company. Both the responsible individual and director have supported staff in the absence of a registered manager.

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

Additional staff have since been recruited, including a new deputy manager and manager. The new manager has shared an intention to apply for registration when they are in post. They have already met with the child and staff team and attended the last team meeting.

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

As some staff have left the home due to poor practice, the responsible individual has conducted a lesson’s learned exercise and shared their findings with the new leadership Inspection report for children’s home: 2823275 4 team to prevent similar incidents occurring. They have also revisited the whistle blowing policy with staff.

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

The statement of purpose has not been updated and reviewed to reflect staff changes. Many supervision records are missing, and the available records are of a poor standard and quality. Due to the absence of a registered manager, staff have not received adequate support or benefitted from professional supervision sessions. Additionally, there is no management footprint, evaluation or oversight of records.

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

Staff ensure that the home is well-furnished, comfortable and homely. Health and safety issues are addressed effectively, to ensure a safe environment for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2823275 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 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

The provider must ensure that the children’s risk management plans provide staff with to up to date information and clear strategies to manage and reduce risks to children. 15 July 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— 15 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2823275 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

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)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there is adequate management oversight of the home, and that staff receive regular supervision sessions which allows them to reflect on their practice in meeting the needs of children.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must also ensure that written records for staff supervision are in place and that supervision is of a good standard and quality.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 15 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to,

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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; 15 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2823275 7 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

is instigated; or 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. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all significant incidents are notified to Ofsted in a timely manner.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that a revised care plan, person education plan and EHCP are in place. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 26, paragraph 5.4)  The registered person should ensure that when a child is not participating in full time education, they are supported to engage in structured learning activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should work closely with the child’s placing authority to ensure that plans for family time are in place. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 38, paragraph 8.6)  The registered person should ensure that staff record information in a child friendly way that is helpful to children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62, paragraphs 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: 2823275 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Golden Future Care Limited

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2823275 9 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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