Children's Home run by First Blue Healthcare Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2726993 1 Registered provider: First Blue Healthcare 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 operated by a private organisation. The home is registered to provide care for up to 2 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living in the home. Both children were spoken with and shared their experiences with inspectors.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2024 and is suitably qualified.

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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

Date of last inspection: 11 September 2024

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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: 2726993 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/09/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2726993 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home and another child has moved in. Both children experienced positive and planned moves. The child who remained living in the home was spoken with and offered support around the changes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living in a welcoming and warm home. The games room offers space for relaxation and enjoyment. There are games for sensory input and entertainment options that children enjoy. Children's bedrooms are personalised and there are photographs throughout the home, reflecting their individual identities and promoting a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The importance of education is promoted and the manager advocates well for children's educational needs. One child is in full-time education and their attendance has improved significantly since moving into the home. Opportunities for informal learning are promoted by staff for a child who is awaiting a suitable provision.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have taken account of children's individual interests when planning activities, which has resulted in children having meaningful experiences. Staff are creative in finding opportunities for the children to try new things, which has led to an increase in their confidence and skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, staff practice is child centred and they develop good relationships with children. However, when children have expressed views that would be supported by them having access to an independent person to speak to, referrals to an advocate have been delayed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Robust independence planning is taking place for one child. This has resulted in them having increased confidence and skills, preparing them for adult life.

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of children's individual needs and children have made good progress from their starting points. Staff have a good understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities and take a proactive approach to keeping children safe.

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

Children's risks are well understood and regularly reviewed and updated in plans. Plans are thorough and updated following incidents to reflect any changes or newly identified needs. As a result, staff respond efficiently and effectively to keep children safe.

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

When physical restraint is used, it is necessary and proportionate to keep children safe. However, some staff responses during incidents have been inconsistent. On some occasions, de-escalation techniques identified in children's plans were not utilised appropriately. Furthermore, consequences are not consistently proportionate or restorative Inspection report for children's home: 2726993 4 in line with the home's therapeutic approach. Management oversight identifies these shortfalls; however, there is limited evidence of what action has been taken.

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

Children are listened to when they make complaints and their concerns are taken seriously. Complaints are investigated appropriately and children are informed of the outcome. However, learning and the actions taken in relation to staff practice have not always been addressed or evidenced.

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

Recruitment processes are robust and ensure that staff employed in the home are safe and suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children well and wants the best for them. Staff say that they enjoy working at the home and feel well supported by leaders and managers. Staff receive regular supervision that is focused on practice and the children's needs. There are plans in place to support the professional development of individual staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers understand the home's strengths and development areas. They recognise that there are shortfalls with consistency and the quality of record-keeping. However, there has been limited development around this since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of management oversight is inconsistent. At times, identified areas for learning and development have not been followed up. On some occasions, management oversight is reflective and detailed. However, on other occasions, it lacks professional curiosity. There is a lack of evidence of action when management oversight has identified areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders do not ensure that important conversations with children are consistently recorded. This has resulted in a lack of available information about what has been discussed with children, and their views and wishes are not being recorded. This has the potential to impact the quality of the care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good working relationships with partner agencies, and external professionals said that communication is a strength of the home. The manager sustains a good level of communication with the local authority to effect good-quality planning and information-sharing. This has led to improved outcomes for the children. Inspection report for children's home: 2726993 5

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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 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

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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that monitoring and review systems are robust and have good management oversight to drive continual improvements in the home. Identified actions must be evidenced appropriately to demonstrate lessons learned. 21 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The children's case records standard is that 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

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 21 January 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2726993 6 Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children's case records are updated to reflect their views and the discussions had with them. Children's case records should also include reflective management oversight.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all children have access to appropriate advocacy support and, where possible, this should be provided by a person who the child chooses. Children in care are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure that they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 23, paragraph 4.16)

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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 for children's home: 2726993 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: First Blue Healthcare Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Seighford Hall, Clanford Road, Seighford, Stafford ST18 9NL

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Inspectors

Menaka De Silva, Social Care Inspector Sophie Coogan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2726993 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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