Children's home run by Positive Homes for Positive Futures Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2633818 1 Registered provider: Positive Homes for Positive Futures Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a charity and provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since October 2024.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2633818 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/07/2024 Full Good 23/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2633818 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, three children have moved out. On one occasion, the manager took proportionate action to safeguard all children which meant one child had to move on. Leaders and managers feel that the move was planned sensitively. However, the child’s social worker reported that the child did not experience a positive move from the home.

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improvement to be good

Children who are new to the home move in with appropriate levels of support to enable them to settle. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms, which gives them a sense of belonging. However, children’s safety in the home is compromised as fire doors are propped open, which undermines fire safety procedures and places children at potential risk in the event of a fire.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to attend education. One child recently started college and another, who had been out of education for a significant period, has now achieved functional skills qualifications in English and maths.

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improvement to be good

Children have developed positive relationships with staff and can identify adults they trust, including the manager. Children enjoy spending time with staff, taking part in everyday activities such as going shopping.

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improvement to be good

Children receive praise from staff, which promotes their confidence, independence, and emotional well-being. For example, with support and praise, one child can now travel independently to a youth centre using public transport.

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improvement to be good

Children benefit from consistent emotional support from staff, which contributes to their overall well-being. Staff regularly check in with children, offering opportunities for children to talk about their feelings in a safe and supportive environment. This helps children feel understood, valued and emotionally secure. For one child, incidents of self- harm have significantly reduced.

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improvement to be good

Systems for storing confidential information are not sufficiently secure and confidential information could be accessed by unauthorised individuals. This compromises children’s right to privacy.

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improvement to be good

Children say staff listen to them and take their worries seriously. When children have made disclosures, staff offer them support and ensure that all relevant professionals are notified, including the police where relevant. Children are given clear information about what to expect during any investigation, helping them feel safe and supported. However, Inspection report for children’s home: 2633818 4 some records contain language that places responsibility on children, that may lead to children feeling blamed.

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improvement to be good

Children have plans that set out what staff should do if they go missing. However, these have not always been followed. On two occasions when a child was missing overnight, staff did not make efforts to search for them. Management oversight of these incidents did not consider what actions the staff could have taken to secure the child’s return home.

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improvement to be good

There have been occasions when one child has stayed overnight at a known address, without this being agreed or assessed as safe. Although the child was not harmed, staff did not take action to ensure the child was safe at this address and relied on the child intermittently returning to the home to check if they appeared well. Staff encouraged the child to stay at home; however, no action was taken to escalate concerns when they chose not to do so.

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improvement to be good

Safe recruitment processes are in place to ensure that adults caring for children are suitable to do so.

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

The manager is well supported by the responsible individual and has taken action to address previous requirements. While there have been occasions when placing authorities were appropriately challenged, this is not yet consistent or embedded in practice. The manager recognises the need to build greater confidence in advocating for children’s needs, particularly in multi-agency decision-making.

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

Although there have been changes to the staff team, children have received consistency in care. Any shortfalls in staffing levels are covered by regular agency staff who are familiar to the children.

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

Staff receive regular supervision, and team meetings take place routinely. The manager ensures all staff have an annual appraisal and that supervisions are focused on practice and development. Staff complete a structured induction and are either enrolled on or have completed the relevant qualification. The manager has identified individual areas for staff development and used the probation process effectively to offer additional support.

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

Staff say they feel supported and enjoy their roles. The manager promotes a positive team culture and has an open-door policy that encourages communication. The manager has identified the home’s strengths and areas for development and is committed to making improvements.

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

Despite some improvements, the manager’s monitoring of practice is not consistently effective. Management oversight of incidents has failed to identify shortfalls in staff responses and safeguarding practice. Consequently, shortfalls have not been addressed Inspection report for children’s home: 2633818 5 to ensure improvements are made, which limits the opportunities for staff reflection and development.

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

Three of the requirements and one recommendation raised at the last inspection have been met. Two of the requirements raised at the last inspection have been restated. Inspection report for children’s home: 2633818 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 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when children are missing from home, staff take action to search for them and locate them without delay.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that known addresses are assessed to ensure children’s safety is not compromised. 26 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case 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

securely in the children’s home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there; and

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Requirement Due date

in a secure place after the child has ceased to be accommodated in the home. (Regulation 36 (1)(a) (2)(c)(d)) 31 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2633818 7 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

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

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)(f)(h)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that management oversight identifies shortfalls in practice, the impact of any shortfalls on children and drives changes to improve practice in the home. 31 December 2025

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

make arrangements for persons working at the home to receive suitable training in fire prevention; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that fire doors are not propped open, as this compromises the home’s fire safety strategy and could place children at risk in the event of a fire. 26 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2633818 8 The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual, and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust. (Regulation 11 (1)(a) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff avoid using language in records that blames children for their behaviour. Instead, records should highlight a child’s vulnerabilities in a respectful way that shows staff understand their needs. 31 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2633818 9

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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: 2633818 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Positive Homes for Positive Futures Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Positive Futures, 181 Townsend Lane, Clubmoor, Liverpool L13 9DY

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Pamela Constance

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Inspector

Nicola Forrester, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2633818 11 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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