Children's Home run by Footsteps a Path to Change 08 Limited in Cheshire West and Chester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2787497 1 Registered provider: Footsteps A Path To Change 08 Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider and provides care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Two children live at the home. The children are siblings and have lived here since the last inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in May 2024.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2787497 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/10/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2787497 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have been supported to develop excellent relationships with staff. Staff spend time with them and they know them very well. These relationships enable children to feel safe and secure and help them to talk openly about any worries they may have.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home that is well maintained and homely. There are photos of the children on the walls and lots of appropriate toys and games available. Children are able to personalise their own bedrooms, and these are presented to a high standard.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to try new experiences and attend a range of activities. Staff take an active interest in children’s events and celebrate their achievements. This promotes children’s self-esteem and teaches them new skills.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to engage with education. Children attend school regularly, and learning is promoted in the home creatively. Staff are supporting one child with their upcoming transition to high school and have taken extra steps to make the process easier for them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals and parents say that children are well cared for and they are making good progress. They recognise that children have strong relationships with the stable staff team. The children’s social worker stated that staff support family time. Staff ‘go over and above’ to ensure that children maintain positive relationships with important people in their lives. This leads to children having a sense of belonging and retaining strong links to their family.

p.3

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

Children say they feel safe living at this home. Staff know the children and their risks well and understand their triggers. Incidents in the home are infrequent. When incidents have occurred, these have been evaluated, and strategies have been implemented to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

p.3

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

Staff speak to children regularly about topics specific to their individual needs and vulnerabilities. This is conversational and takes place across the whole staff team. Sessions are also completed in response to incidents and are targeted to specific topics. This supports children to understand and develop knowledge about how to keep themselves safe.

p.3

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

Children are cared for by a consistent staff team. Children can share any worries and know these will be listened to. Complaints and allegations are rare. When complaints or allegations are made, they are thoroughly investigated with consideration given to the impact on the child. This ensures that children are heard and know their views are important. Inspection report for children’s home: 2787497 4 Physical intervention is not used regularly. This is due to the positive relationships between staff and children and the effectiveness of de-escalation strategies. On one occasion when it was necessary to hold a child to keep them and others safe, a non-recognised hold was used. This was explored with the staff member but was not followed through into supervision or team meetings. This was a missed opportunity to share learning across the staff team.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced manager manages the home, and staff say that they feel well supported. No members of staff have left since the last inspection, and the stable staff team provides consistency for children at the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager knows the children well. She is visible in the home and has good relationships with staff and children. Staff say that they are being supported to progress professionally, and they feel valued and respected.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has good oversight of incidents and events at the home. There are robust monitoring and reviewing systems in place, which are used to drive positive performance and address any shortfalls. Where there have been shortfalls in staff practice, the manager has taken action to address these swiftly.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported with regular supervision sessions and team meetings. These provide an opportunity for reflection on children’s progress, training and celebrating achievements. However, records do not always reflect the extent of topics covered. This means that learning opportunities may be missed for absent staff members, and good practice is not always captured. Inspection report for children’s home: 2787497 5

p.4

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny, and opportunities for learning across staff teams are taken to ensure that their use is in line with training and the principles as set out in paragraph 9.35 are respected. (‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 46, paragraph 9.36)

p.5

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: 2787497 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Footsteps A Path To Change 08 Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Landmark House, Station Road, Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire SK8 7BS

p.6

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Charlotte Davies

p.6

Inspector

Danielle Allen, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2787497 7 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7