Children's home run by Happy Futures Support Specialists Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2712049 1 Registered provider: Happy Futures Support Specialists 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 provider. It provides care for one child with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 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 requires improvement to be 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: 2712049 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/05/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/02/2024 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2712049 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child currently living in the home has made good progress from their starting point. They can now do more self-care tasks, with guidance, showing growth in independence and confidence. Staff have been particularly effective in enabling the child to make informed choices, fostering a sense of autonomy. They are skilled at supporting the child’s learning and development at a pace that suits the child, helping the child to progress and achieve a major milestone in education. Staff’s personalised approach helps the child feel valued and respected as they navigate adolescence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although plans for moving on have been delayed, this has not stopped staff from helping the child to come to terms with the pending changes, in readiness for the child’s move from the home. The child is supported through regular car drives to become familiar with their proposed new home area. In addition, the child benefits from familiarisation visits to the local hospital in preparation for the child’s planned medical intervention. This well- considered child-focused approach is helping to reduce anxiety for the child in preparation for these events.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Despite the positive and coordinated actions by staff to support the child to develop life skills and be able to move on positively, there are no written records of independence and moving-on plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family time is actively encouraged within the home. Staff demonstrate genuine empathy and sensitivity, ensuring that the child and their family feel supported during their time together. This compassionate approach helps strengthen family bonds.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the child’s health needs. The decisions to administer medication are agreed on a multi-agency basis led by health professionals. Staff attend important meetings to contribute to how best meet the child’s complex needs. However, one important meeting record in relation to the general practitioner’s escalation of crucial tests is not accessible for staff to read and be aware of the plans for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s plans are regularly reviewed. However, the child’s pathway plan is not available. The manager has not escalated to the local authority the concern about not having this plan in a timely way. Without the plan, staff may not coordinate support effectively, and the child may experience delays or gaps in accessing essential services.

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

The child is safeguarded effectively. Parents and professionals consistently speak highly of staff’s unrelenting commitment to caring for the child. Court-imposed restrictions placed on the child for their own safety are regularly reviewed by professionals to ensure that they continue to safeguard the child effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2712049 4 Staff are skilled at managing unwanted behaviours. As a result, the child is rarely held for their own safety. The manager’s oversight of physical interventions ensures that debriefs are completed with the staff involved to help them reflect and learn from the incident. Staff anticipate the child’s moods through facial expressions, sounds and distress signals. They use effective de-escalation techniques and respond with calmness to help the child to feel safe when struggling with difficult emotions.

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

Staff demonstrate a strong understanding of the child, using various communication aids, to ensure that the child’s voice is heard. Staff actively support the child to make choices, which has been pivotal in the child achieving positive outcomes. However, staff are not consistent in how they record the ways in which they gain the child’s views. Therefore, records do not capture the work they undertake and will limit oversight of their practice.

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

Staff are aware of the risks and vulnerabilities of the child. The manager completes well- articulated risk assessments with clear action plans for staff to follow. These plans specify when to seek help and advice in the event of self-injury. However, at the advice of the manager, staff do not always seek advice for the more worrying self-injurious behaviours. Staff may not be able to assess the seriousness of the incident accurately and may miss opportunities for timely medical intervention.

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

There is a lack of oversight from the responsible individual. This has left some of the manager’s decisions unchallenged when this would have been appropriate. This could potentially delay the child receiving timely and proportionate help and is linked to shortfalls in the plan regarding the child’s risk of self-injurious behaviours.

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

The manager does not always report incidents as significant, even when they may warrant further attention. This gap in reporting limits opportunities for external professionals to assess and advise appropriately. The regulator has not been informed on these occasions as well.

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

The lack of presence from the responsible individual means that the manager and staff may not receive a balance of support, guidance and challenge to their practice. Some of the staff were unable to comment on the support provided by the responsible individual due to their limited visibility within the home. This does not demonstrate strong senior leadership to the team. Most importantly, this results in minimal direct engagement or observation of the child.

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

The home features minimal decoration to accommodate the child’s sensory needs. However, some areas of the home are not homely. For example, ill-fitting curtains and the quality of decor. Additionally, the external areas would benefit from improvement to make the space more inviting. Plans for improvement are identified within the manager’s development plan. Inspection report for children’s home: 2712049 5 Staff feel well supported by the manager and say that they enjoy working at the home. They describe the manager as approachable and present, noting that reasonable adjustments are made to support their needs. Staff meetings are well attended and purposeful and provide opportunities for staff to contribute ideas. Additionally, staff receive timely and reflective supervision sessions that help them keep the child at the centre of their practice.

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

The manager demonstrates effective use of management tools to support their oversight of the home. However, there is limited evidence that the manager’s monthly management auditing is subject to oversight by the responsible individual. The manager monitors key areas such as staff training, and records show a high percentage of completion. Additionally, the manager values the monthly input and views of the independent visitor. Inspection report for children’s home: 2712049 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home.

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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 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

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received;

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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) (2)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the responsible individual must:

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Requirement Due date

 maintain a visible presence in the home to support their oversight; and

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Requirement Due date

 provide oversight and challenge to decisions about what constitutes serious incidents. 21 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 21 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2712049 7 that staff help each child to—

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(a) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff follow safety guidance and seek appropriate advice to meet the child’s health needs; and that they share relevant information with all professionals and that these records are accessible.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(iii)(iii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that the child’s relevant care and support plans are accessible and updated as needed. 21 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

and are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the child’s records of incidents and important meetings are accessible and kept up to date. 21 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— 21 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2712049 8 there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home offers a homely and domestic environment that meet the needs of the child. In particular, ensure that the home decor is updated, keeping all areas of the home clean, and that external areas of the home are well maintained. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the child is consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care. In particular, the manager should ensure that staff consistently record the child’s views, including when they use communication aids. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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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: 2712049 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Happy Futures Support Specialists Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: St Andrews House, 11 Dalton Court, Commercial Road, Darwen, Lancashire BB3 0DG

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Inspector

Tenji Wesa, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2712049 10 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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