Children's home run by Fledglings Child Care Limited

Inspection report children's home: 2669905 1 Registered provider: Fledglings Child Care 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

The home is owned and managed by a private organisation. It provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home and both children were spoken too.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2669905 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/05/2024 Full Good 01/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/03/2023 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2669905 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out, and another child has moved into the home. The child who left, had lived at the home for three years prior to them moving into supported living accommodation. The newest child has settled in quickly and has already formed positive relationships with the staff. The child said, ‘It’s comfortable, enjoyable and the people here are nice.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in relation to their starting points. The support provided by staff contributes to significant improvement in the children’s lives. A social worker said, ‘It’s going fantastic. He is a completely different child. I can see a huge change in him.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively promote the children’s health needs being met. They encourage the children’s attendance at health appointments and ensure that they have access to the services they need to be healthy. One child has received extensive support from staff to have dental work completed, after overcoming their fears and anxieties of having dental treatment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children’s education and learning. One child is attending school with good support and encouragement from staff. The other child has enrolled on a college course and is waiting to start in January 2025. Both children have historically struggled with their education. A social worker said, ‘He’s attending school. He’s more engaging, and his confidence has come on leaps and bounds.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote family time and ensure that children sustain their close relationships with their friends and loved ones. They encourage children’s interests and hobbies. For example, children enjoy trips to the cinema, go karting, meals out and going to the gym. One child has attended mixed martial arts classes and won a medal during a competitive competition. The child said, ‘My best memory was winning the medal. It was my best moment.’

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

Children are kept safe and develop a strong sense of personal safety. Staff have a good understanding of the needs and specific vulnerabilities of children. The use of clear risk management plans enables staff to keep children safe from harm. A personal advisor said, ‘Staff and, especially the manager, are very aware of his needs and will challenge and advocate on his behalf, it’s useful when you have people who know him, so well.’ Staff promote and support the children’s positive behaviour. They act quickly to help and support children to manage their feelings and emotions safely. They defuse unwanted behaviours and take appropriate action to prevent unwanted behaviours from escalating. A child said, ‘My behaviours improved. I have matured a lot.’ Inspection report children's home: 2669905 4 There have been no significant or serious incidents. There have been no allegations, restraints, or missing from home incidents since the last inspection.

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

Staff praise, reward and reinforce positive behaviour and ensure that the use of negative consequences is kept to an absolute minimum. When negative consequences are used to address unwanted behaviours, they are reviewed and evaluated by the manager to ensure that they are balanced, fair and proportionate. Staff employed are recruited, selected and vetted carefully to protect children from unsuitable individuals. Staff provide children with a clean, comfortable and homely living environment. The home is physically safe, and staff manage health and safety matters effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A well-qualified and experienced registered manager provides staff with strong and effective leadership that ensures that the home runs smoothly. The manager maintains high standards for the staff and has consistently high aspirations for the children. They stimulate staff’s efforts, leading by example, providing staff with a clear sense of purpose and direction. As a result, staff feel well supported and led.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that staff’s training needs are identified and met. Staff benefit from relevant training that helps them develop the skills and knowledge needed to meet the children’s specific needs. All staff receive training on trauma, loss and attachment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from professional supervision sessions and the manager holds regular team meetings for group discussions and reflections. As a result, there are effective opportunities for the staff to reflect on their practice and review the children’s progress and experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff develop strong partnerships with the families of children, schools, social workers and other professionals to ensure that children benefit from the best possible help and support. A social worker said, ‘They always keep me updated and have developed good relationships with his family.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is visited each month by an independent person who reviews the quality of the care provided for children. These visits, combined with the manager’s own monitoring activities, are used to tackle weaknesses in practice to improve the care provided for children. Inspection report children's home: 2669905 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that eligible care leavers are engaged in further education, training or employment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.16)

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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 children's home: 2669905 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Fledglings Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Collonade House, 1st Floor, 163 Kingsway Manchester, M19 2ND

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2669905 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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