Children's home run by Future In Mind Limited in Bolton

Inspection report children's home: SC431315 1 SC431315 Registered provider: Future In Mind 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 by a private company. It 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

There was one child living at the home at the time of this inspection, who spoke with the inspector.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2023.

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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: SC431315 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/03/2025 Full Good 05/12/2023 Full Good 24/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/01/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: SC431315 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has lived in the home for a significant period and is well settled. They are making consistently good progress from their starting point. The child has developed positive and trusting relationships with staff and feels able to seek support when distressed. As a result of this nurturing and responsive care, there has been a reduction in both the frequency and intensity of incidents, which has helped the child to experience a more stable and predictable daily routine.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is prioritised by staff. They ensure that the child regularly accesses learning and is supported to work towards their long-term goals. When the child has experienced challenges with attending school, staff have acted promptly and worked with school professionals and a tutor effectively to ensure that the child continues their education within the home. This coordinated approach enables the child to maintain routines, remain engaged in learning, and make steady educational progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported well to access therapeutic support. This support helps the child to understand their lived experiences and the impact of past trauma. Staff deliver one-to-one sessions that are consistently underpinned by the home’s therapeutic approach. These sessions enable the child to process difficult experiences and develop positive coping strategies. As a result, the child’s emotional stability and overall mental well-being have improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child engages with a wide variety of activities and experiences that reflect their interests and support their personal development. They regularly enjoy outings such as cinema trips and bowling, and staff actively encourage their individual passions by supporting them to attend singing lessons and ice-skating. Through these opportunities, the child is able to explore new experiences, build confidence, and develop new skills in areas they enjoy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are proactive in supporting the child to maintain positive relationships with family and friends, who are important to them. They ensure arrangements to spend time with these people are safe and positive for the child. As a result, the child is able to sustain meaningful and secure connections with significant people in their life, which contributes positively to their emotional well-being and sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s voice is valued, and they are given regular opportunities to share their views and feelings. Staff listen carefully and act on their requests wherever possible. As a result, the child feels heard, respected, and involved in decisions that affect them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child shared feeling very happy living at the home and described it as ‘the best.’ They described feeling safe, well supported and stated that there was nothing they would change about the home. Inspection report children's home: SC431315 4

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

Staff have a clear understanding of the child’s needs and risks and manage these effectively. The child’s risk assessments are reviewed and updated regularly, enabling all staff to respond consistently and in line with the child’s evolving needs. As a result, the number of incidents has reduced and the child benefits from a stable and predictable home environment where they can make positive progress.

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

Staff respond swiftly when the child goes missing from the home. They prioritise the child’s safety by searching for them, maintain communication with the child and share information with professionals. On their return, the child is warmly welcomed home and offered opportunities to share information and to discuss the incident. Consequently, the child feels that staff care and missing from home incidents have reduced over time.

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

When the child is anxious, staff respond promptly and with sensitivity. In response to incidents, they provide appropriate first aid and seek medical attention when needed. This support ensures that the child feels supported during periods of distress.

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

Allegations and complaints are managed appropriately. Managers take all concerns seriously and undertake thorough, robust investigations. Relevant information is shared promptly with the necessary professionals, and children are kept informed about the progress and outcomes of investigations. This reassures the child and provides confidence that concerns are taken seriously.

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

Physical interventions are used safely and as a last resort by staff to ensure the child's safety. Staff use de-escalation strategies well to avoid using physical restraint. However, on some occasions, staff responses have been slow. Consequently, some incidents have escalated to a level that have compromised the child’s safety.

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

Safeguarding incidents are usually reported to Ofsted in a timely manner, with clear oversight of the incident and the actions taken by staff. However, on one occasion, a serious incident was not reported. This shortfall limits Ofsted’s ability to maintain effective monitoring of safeguarding concerns and reduces accountability. As a result, opportunities to scrutinise and improve safeguarding practice may be missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a highly experienced and reflective manager, who is consistently striving to achieve the best possible outcomes for the child in her care. Her presence is evident within the home and her oversight of staff practice is good. She has established a strong and positive relationship with the child, who speaks particularly highly of her.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership team are strong advocates for the child and work closely with the professional network to ensure the child’s needs are met promptly. Professionals consistently highlight staff and leaders’ effective communication as a strength that promotes strong multi-agency working. This helps the child to receive consistent, well-coordinated care from all those involved in the child’s life. Inspection report children's home: SC431315 5 Staff feel well supported and speak positively about the management team. They receive regular, meaningful supervision, which they find helpful in developing their practice. Staff also benefit from a broad range of training that equips them to meet the individual needs of the child. As a result, staff feel confident in their roles and provide consistent, high-quality support to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses a reflective approach to staff development and draws on relevant research to help staff understand the child’s behaviours and how best to support them. This promotes a consistent and informed therapeutic approach, enhancing the child’s wellbeing and the quality of care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have several monitoring processes in place, providing generally strong oversight of the home. However, oversight of some incidents does not always identify areas where staff practice could be improved. In addition, staff recording of information is not consistently detailed, particularly in describing the actions taken. This limits the manager’s understanding of what occurred and how staff responded and reduces the effectiveness of managerial oversight of incidents. Inspection report children's home: SC431315 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and take action to protect them. While staff often de-escalate situations effectively, staff must be aware of the fact that in some circumstances where a child is at imminent risk of harm, staff may need to use a physical intervention with minimal de-escalation being used. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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)). ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 63, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC431315 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Future In Mind Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Future In Mind, 65 Market Street, Hednesford, Cannock, Staffordshire WS12 1AD

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Carina McLean-Armstrong

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Inspector

Menaka De Silva, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC431315 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection. 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

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Inspector

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 .

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Inspector

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Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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