Children's Home run by First 4 Care Limited in Doncaster

Inspection report for children’s home: SC390293 1 SC390293 Registered provider: First 4 Care Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to 3 children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home. The inspectors spoke with one child.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2025.

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: SC390293 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/03/2025 Full Good 23/08/2023 Full Good 17/05/2023 Full Inadequate 03/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC390293 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The environment in the home feels welcoming. Children say that they are happy and have staff who they can talk to and feel comfortable with.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to access activities they enjoy and are supported to do so by staff. Staff create photo books to capture and preserve memories for children. Staff are providing ongoing life-story work for children positively and advocating on behalf of children to professionals where there are gaps.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with guidance and support from staff in accordance with their needs and risks. Key-work sessions are regularly completed with children, and staff record them well. Key-work sessions capture reflective discussions between staff and children and highlight staff being curious about children’s views and feelings.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home supports children to prepare for independence well ahead of their 18th birthday. Staff advocate for the appropriate transition planning for children and assist children to learn life skills. Staff aspire for children to achieve successful independence. One child is successfully working a part-time job as part of this transition work.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have up-to-date health plans that reflect their needs. Children’s decisions about staff attendance at medical appointments are respected, and children are supported where needed.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is not currently accessing meaningful education, and this has been challenged by the staff at the home. Staff are supporting the child to ensure that some education is completed in the home, alongside vocational activities. There is a lack of structure to the day for one child outside of their limited education. This is hindering their access to education and structure during the day.

p.3

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

Children have detailed support plans in place that provide a holistic view of their needs and risks. The plans include contributions from children and are child-friendly and informative. These support plans are regularly updated to reflect the changing needs of children.

p.3

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

Staff have good knowledge of behaviour management and know the children well. Staff know what approaches to take with children and when to intervene. Staff are good at supporting each other, particularly during lengthy incidents. Staff have been injured by children during some incidents but have always engaged in restorative resolutions with children afterwards and offered reassurance.

p.3

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

Physical intervention for children is used as a last resort. While there have been a Inspection report for children’s home: SC390293 4 number of physical interventions for children since the last inspection, a high proportion of de-escalation techniques have been used in the first instance. Children are routinely offered debriefs with staff after a physical intervention as an opportunity for reparation and resolution.

p.3

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

Children are well supported around issues of self-harm. There are thorough risk assessments in place that are specific to the child. Staff are vigilant to issues of self- harm and encourage children to accept first aid. Staff work alongside therapeutic services to provide children with additional support as required.

p.4

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

The registered manager has not resolved the recommendations made by the fire safety inspector during a visit to the home. This could impact on the children’s safety in the event of a fire.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a plan in place for the next 12 months for the running of the home and the care of the children. The registered manager speaks with warmth and care about the children in the home and has a good understanding of their needs. The registered manager is well supported by the higher management team to fulfil their role.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision, and this time is protected and prioritised by the management team. The registered manager checks on the emotional well-being of staff and recognises the challenges to the role. Staff are offered additional training and support if performance issues are identified.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children know how to make a complaint, and these complaints are responded to by the management team. A recent complaint has been managed with care. Staff have listened to the views of the child and investigated the complaint appropriately. Children’s complaints are responded to both in writing and verbally by the management team.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has monitoring systems in place to ensure that staff have access to the right support and that children are receiving good care from staff. The registered manager records actions from independent quality assurance visits and has implemented these into the development plan to ensure they are monitored and reviewed.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good management oversight of incidents and documents in the home. The registered manager takes appropriate action and considers lessons learned reflectively with staff. An opportunity to notify Ofsted about a serious incident was missed by the registered manager. This prevented regulatory oversight. Inspection report for children’s home: SC390293 5

p.4

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 that the registered person considers to be serious. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 63, paragraph 14.10)  The registered person should ensure that while children are not participating in education, the child is supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and is engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that the home complies with relevant health and safety legislation, particularly in relation to fire doors. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes

p.5

Recommendations

Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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: SC390293 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: First 4 Care Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 16 St Wilfrid’s Road, Doncaster DN4 6AA

p.6

Inspector

Mel Turner, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC390293 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 looked after children, 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