Children's Home run by Future Care Plus Limited in Bradford

Inspection report for children’s home: 2795531 1 Registered provider: Future Care Plus 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 up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This home and the manager both registered in July 2024. Since the last inspection, four children have lived at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home. Two of these were spoken to as part of the inspection.

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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 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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good

Date of last inspection: 10 February 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2795531 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/02/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2795531 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s moves into and out of the home have not always been managed well. Some children have experienced unplanned and sudden endings. The manager has not considered the risks of different children living in the home together. This has resulted in incidents of abuse and violence occurring between children and towards staff.

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improvement to be good

The levels of progress that staff have supported children to make in the home vary. Some children have made progress. This includes developing their creativity and positive relationships. Other children have had more negative experiences. This has resulted in the provider asking two children to leave the home at short notice.

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improvement to be good

Children do not attend education that is appropriate for their age and target level. One child has not had a school place for almost a year. The manager has not made use of the placing authority’s complaints process to address this. Another child has not secured a college place in time for the start of term. This places children at risk of poor life chances due to missing out on formal education.

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improvement to be good

The home has received several complaints from different sources, including directly from children. Staff listen to children, and most complaints are addressed appropriately and in collaboration with them. However, one child said it ‘takes ages’ for things to get done for them or not at all. Where there are delays or misunderstandings, explanations are offered by staff and next steps agreed.

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improvement to be good

The physical environment of the home is not maintained well. There are many examples of damage and disrepair that have not been addressed. This makes the home feel unpleasant in some areas for children.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy a range of activities outside of the home. Staff support children to maintain regular contact with their family and friends.

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

Children feel safe and said that staff keep them safe. Staff create an atmosphere where children rarely feel the need to go missing from home. Staff support children to take risks in an age-appropriate way. This has helped some children develop their confidence and independence skills. This will help to prepare them for their future.

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

Staff know the children well. Children can identify trusted adults who they can turn to for support. Some children have developed greater emotional intelligence over time. Staff provide children with access to specialist help when needed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2795531 4 Staff challenge discriminatory attitudes and behaviour within the home. They celebrate children’s individual identities. Staff promote the values of tolerance and inclusivity to children.

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

Staff physically hold children and search children’s bedrooms only when necessary. Staff do this in a way that is proportionate to the risks for children. The manager has oversight of these incidents. Staff respect children’s rights and inform relevant people of any incidents.

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

Staff’s responses to children who are in distress have not always been consistent. Staff struggle to prevent or reduce confrontation between children and towards adults. This has resulted in serious incidents of concern, including staff needing police attendance.

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

An allegation against a staff member was not notified to Ofsted in line with regulations. The manager acted to protect children, but this prevented Ofsted from being aware of this.

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good

Leaders have an over-optimistic view of children’s experiences in the home. They struggle to recognise the possible causes of the challenges children have faced, and leaders do not recognise their responsibility to address this.

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good

Leaders’ plans to improve staff practice have not been effective. Some staff lack the knowledge and skills needed to manage children’s behaviour. This has resulted in serious incidents that could have been prevented.

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good

Children have experienced a lack of stability in staffing arrangements. There has been significant turnover of staff within the home. This includes staff working at all levels. A child said that it has felt hard having to get to know new people.

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good

Staff have not always worked well together as a team. At times, staff have provided inconsistent boundaries and responses to children. Leaders have not updated children’s plans to consider new information and events. This may have contributed to a lack of staff knowledge about how to manage issues of concern.

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good

Leaders do not provide effective supervision and appraisal of staff. This includes leaders not providing new staff with regular supervision. They have not taken account of staff’s experience levels, and leaders do not complete reviews of staff on probation in a holistic and evaluative way. Inspection report for children’s home: 2795531 5 The reports of the independent visitor do not offer critical analysis and evaluation. They do not support leaders with effective monitoring to help improve the quality of care for children.

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good

The quality of records kept by staff for children varies. Some staff write in a sensitive way, while others use blaming and judgemental language. Inspection report for children’s home: 2795531 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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 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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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

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; and

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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)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 17 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2795531 7 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; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the 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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that decisions about children coming to live at the home are inclusive and balance the needs of children requiring a placement with those already living in the home. The registered person should ensure that the needs and feelings of other children living in the home are taken into account in their planning. 17 December

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious (40(4)(e)). This includes any allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there, whether proven or not. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.10) Inspection report for children’s home: 2795531 8  The registered person should have regard to the relevant statutory guidance as to what should be treated as an allegation against a staff member. This includes any allegations about staff behaviour where children may not have been harmed directly. (‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023: A guide to multi-agency working to help, protect and promote the welfare of children’, page 108,

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Recommendations

paragraph 223)  The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: 2795531 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Future Care Plus Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5 Thorn Garth, Keighley BD20 6NQ

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Inspector

Sam Saxby-Brown, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2795531 10 and inspects to 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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