Children's home run by Bright Futures Care Limited in Bolton

Inspection report for children's home: SC456537 1 SC456537 Registered provider: Bright Futures 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

This home is owned and managed by a private company. It is registered to care for up to 4 children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

There were 4 children living here at the time of this inspection. The inspector spent some time with 2 of the children.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2025.

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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: 14 January 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: SC456537 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/01/2025 Full Good 23/08/2023 Full Good 28/02/2023 Full 01/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC456537 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers carefully plan transitions to ensure that children have a positive experience of moving into and out of the home. Managers advocate for children and challenge other professionals when decisions are not in children's best interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend school full time. The manager effectively challenged one child's school to ensure that the child could access their right to education, after the school attempted to restrict when the child could attend. This advocacy ensured that the child received the education they were entitled to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers ensure that children's health needs are met. When one child had a sudden and traumatic accident, managers ensured that the child's staff team worked around the clock with the child at the hospital. The child's mother said, 'They all rallied around to make sure there was always support. It was a really collaborative time.'

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff develop individual targets for each child to help them make progress and improve their independence skills at a level that is right for them. Each month, a key member of staff reviews each child's progress and develops new targets for them to work towards. This helps children to make consistent and continual progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain relationships with people who are important to them. They also respect and uphold the religious practices of each child's family. For example, they read a nightly prayer with one child and ensure that another child has access to a Halal diet. However, staff do not actively help children to learn more about their own cultural heritage or religious background. This is a missed opportunity to deepen children's understanding of their identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm and colourful home that is decorated to reflect their interests. Children's photographs are displayed around the home, and children are given the freedom to decorate their own bedrooms should they wish.

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

Staff have developed warm and trusting relationships with children, who are comfortable and relaxed in their home. Staff know the children well and understand children's individual communication styles. This helps children to share their feelings and make their own choices each day.

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

Staff have a clear understanding of each child's individual needs and vulnerabilities, and they respond with sensitivity to help children feel safe. When physical intervention is required to keep a child safe, it is used only as a last resort. Staff record these incidents thoroughly, outlining what happened and why the intervention was necessary. Inspection report for children's home: SC456537 4 However, one child has been given medication prescribed to help them settle when distressed. Records do not always clearly explain why the medication was considered necessary at the point it was administered. While the manager routinely evaluates the team's use of physical intervention, they do not consistently review whether the use of medication was appropriate. This limits the assurance that medication is only used to manage behaviour after all other strategies have been exhausted.

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

Managers and staff make good use of resources that are available within the company to help them further develop their understanding and support of children's needs. This ensures that when children struggle, they get the help they need.

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

Managers and staff keep professionals and parents well informed about each child's care and wellbeing. Staff call parents at the end of each day to share how their child has been, and parents also have access to the online recording system, allowing them to see their child's activities throughout the day. This open communication promotes transparency and supports safe, consistent practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has the skills and experience to lead and manage this home. Managers support staff and value their ideas and contributions. When managers identify areas for staff to improve, they challenge the team to improve the care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular opportunities to discuss their practice and wellbeing, individually and as a team. Managers support staff to think about their professional development and provide opportunities to further their knowledge with regular training and informal workshops.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When new staff join the home, safer recruitment practices are followed. This helps to ensure that all adults in the home are safe to work with vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager maintains oversight of practice to ensure that this aligns with the ethos of the home. Managers make good use of internal and external monitoring to ensure that children are provided with high-quality care. The manager follows through on recommended actions to ensure that practice is continually developing. Inspection report for children's home: SC456537 5

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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

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b) (2))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that chemical restraint is used only after all other options have been exhausted. If this is used, the registered person must ensure that they discuss this with staff and evaluate the appropriateness of this. 1 April 2026

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background. (Regulation 6 (1) (2)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children have the opportunity to learn more about their culture, religion and heritage. 1 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC456537 6

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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: SC456537 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Bright Futures Care Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: c/o Bright Futures Care Ltd, Asher House, Barsbank Lane, Lymm WA13 0ED

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Inspector

Aislinn Cooper, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC456537 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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