Children's Home run by Future Focused Ltd in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1270301 1 Registered provider: Future Focused Ltd

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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 run by a private organisation and provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 18 October 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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1270301 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/06/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 31/10/2023 Full Good 04/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1270301 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children live at the home. Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home. Two children spoke to the inspector, and one child provided written feedback.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good quality care and are supported to make positive relationships with the staff who care for them. Children who come to the home in an unplanned way are made to feel welcome and are quickly supported by the staff to ensure that they have the things that they need to provide some familiarity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are accessing education. Staff work with educational professionals to ensure that children are receiving the right support so that they can achieve success. Staff work flexibly to support children with bespoke timetables to ensure that they maintain good school attendance and punctuality.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to attend routine and specialist appointments, and the children are in good health. Staff encourage children to eat healthy meals and are proactive in promoting children’s personal hygiene through regular prompts and encouragement. A recommendation has been raised to ensure that children’s oral health is frequently promoted.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are fully involved in day-to-day decisions in the home. They contribute their views through regular meetings and one-to-one key-work sessions with staff. Appropriate requests are responded to in a timely manner, which enables children to feel heard and listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities, such as days out to the beach, trampolining, swimming, visits to dessert shops, bike rides and music sessions with staff. Children’s bedrooms are furnished according to their specific tastes. One child told the inspector, ‘I have everything’, when proudly displaying their personal belongings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are supportive in their approach when arranging for the children to visit friends and family, ensuring that the children are taken to and from their family time visits and supervising visits when required. This ensures that children get to spend time with the people who matter most to them while ensuring their safety is prioritised.

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

Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding practice and there is effective partnership working with agencies such as the local authority, police and health professionals. This ensures that there is a collective approach to safeguarding children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1270301 4 Staff understand the risks associated with children offending, misusing drugs or alcohol and being exploited online. Risk assessments have been put in place and updated so that staff are provided with clear guidance about the actions to be taken to monitor children’s health and well-being and to ensure their safety.

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

When children are new to the home, the manager ensures that their needs have been assessed in line with staff knowledge and skills as well as considering the needs of the children already living at the home. However, there was a missed opportunity to review the location risk assessment in line with a child’s presenting risks. A recommendation has been raised.

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

Serious incidents are infrequent. There has been one incident when a child left the home during the night. This incident was not reported to the regulator, and a requirement has been raised about this.

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

Physical intervention is used as a last resort and is only used when it is necessary to protect the child or others. Incidents are recorded and monitored by leaders and managers, and the child’s views are obtained.

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

When children are feeling in a low mood, staff take appropriate action and obtain medical advice and assistance. Staff encourage children to take a proactive approach to addressing their emotional well-being through specialist therapy services such as the child and adolescent mental health services.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced manager who is supported by an experienced deputy manager. They are knowledgeable about the home and children and have a clear vision for the home’s future growth.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about working at the home. The manager is well regarded, and staff feel well supported. There is effective support and challenge, and the manager ensures that all actions are reviewed. This means that poor practice is addressed effectively and that good practice is promoted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been some recent changes in the composition of the staff team, but these have not had a negative impact on the quality of care provided to children. New staff are familiarised with their role and develop the required skills and competencies through induction processes, supervision and training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision sessions. The record of supervision includes discussions about care practice, debriefs, performance and areas for development. Team meetings take place regularly. These are well attended and provide the staff with the opportunity to reflect on practice, consider new ways of working, share ideas and make suggestions. This practice leads to positive staff morale and effective teamwork. Inspection report for children’s home: 1270301 5 The home and its surroundings provide a welcoming, nurturing environment for children. There are regular health and safety checks of the home to ensure that repairs are carried out quickly and the environment is safe for children to live in. Inspection report for children’s home: 1270301 6

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

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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)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)) 17 July 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that documents such as the location risk assessment have been fully considered alongside the child’s presenting risks and behaviours as set out in the child’s relevant plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff encourage children to take a proactive role in looking after their day-to-day health, including oral hygiene, through the use of regular meaningful discussions. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.10) Inspection report for children’s home: 1270301 7

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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: 1270301 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Future Focused Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ashton Road, Billinge, Wigan, Lancashire WN5 7XX

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Inspector

Michelle Greenhalgh, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1270301 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 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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