Children's home run by Enabling Futures Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: SC426751 1 SC426751 Registered provider: Enabling Futures Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private organisation and provides care for up to 6 children who may have learning or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home’s manager is experienced and registered with Ofsted in 2017.

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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: 3 December 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC426751 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/12/2024 Full Outstanding 06/03/2024 Full Good 14/03/2023 Full Outstanding 02/03/2022 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC426751 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Good care and a wide range of activities enable children to have stimulating experiences both within and away from the home. In the home there are numerous tactile activities for children to enjoy and to help them with self-regulation. Children are involved in their community. They enjoy visiting local shops and restaurants. Staff provide children with daily activities to expand their potential. Children enjoy opportunities that they may otherwise not have, including a yearly trip to a residential outdoor activity centre.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children, regardless of how they communicate, get to make their views, wishes and feelings known in every aspect of their lives. All children have open access to their communication methods. This means that children can begin a conversation with staff. For some children this will mean writing down what they want, for others this can be showing staff how they feel on the feelings board. All children have opportunities to make choices. Staff are innovative in their approach to communication with children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children’s education, and the children go to school daily. Staff and education colleagues work collaboratively, and they agree on targets for the children. When children are not in education , alternative provisions are quickly sought to ensure limited gaps. Staff are very strong advocates for children’s right to education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote healthy lifestyles. Children learn about healthy eating and living. There are plans for one child, who excels at being practical, to have their own garden where they can grow vegetables and have a shed for their tools. Another child can now be more independent with their personal care. Staff support children to take part in a wide range of physical and sporting activities. These promote improved physical health, self- confidence and skills. When children are preparing for a visit for a health assessment, staff use a variety of ways to reduce anxieties, including role playing and providing accessible information.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships with parents and carers are central and integral to how well the children settle and respond to the care provided by the staff. Effective and regular communication reassures parents and carers. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the care their child is receiving.

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

Staff continually build on their knowledge of the children and the most appropriate way to support them and keep them safe. All the children have detailed risk assessments and behaviour support plans. These documents provide staff with the necessary guidance on how to meet the children’s needs on a day-to-day basis and ensure they remain safe.

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

When children are new to residential care, they, and their families, are provided with information about the home in an accessible format. Staff have a consistent approach in Inspection report for children’s home: SC426751 4 supporting children to understand and manage their emotions and behaviours. There is optimism that current challenges will significantly reduce.

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

Analysis of behaviours is of a high standard. This means that children’s anxieties reduce over time because of clear structure and planning. When anxieties reduce, access to other areas of the child’s life increases. Senior staff who oversee behaviour provide detailed data that feeds into the children’s behaviour support plans. The home dynamically adapts the environment to each child; for instance, some children enjoyed lots of Christmas decorations, and other children found this anxiety provoking and adaptations were made.

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

The manager ensures that relevant safeguarding agencies are notified when concerns become known. Notifications to other agencies reflect effective safeguarding practice, and the manager keeps robust and detailed records of action taken. However, on one occasion, the regulator was not informed of an allegation, which prevented their oversight.

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

The manager uses safer recruitment processes. This helps to ensure that only those adults who have been assessed as safe to work with children are employed in the home. However, on one occasion, not all checks about gaps in employment were undertaken.

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

Children, staff and visitors are protected, and their welfare is promoted through the rigorous health and safety arrangements throughout the children’s home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team is forward looking. They are dynamic and hardworking. They have the children and families at the very heart of what they do. Their primary focus is on ensuring that the children are provided with a loving home where they have every opportunity to thrive. The manager is extremely proactive in their role. They work alongside the deputy manager and senior staff, and together, they are a formidable leadership team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team provides staff with regular supervision. This process allows for staff’s competence and knowledge of children to be reviewed. In addition, staff are provided with guidance and support that contributes to their professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A comprehensive induction programme is in place for new staff. Staff appreciate the organisation’s approach, finding it valuable, and they feel well prepared with essential knowledge and skills before they work with children. The staff receive the training they need to meet children’s needs. This can be specifically for a child or a wider safeguarding or developmental topic.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak extremely highly of the management team and enjoy working in the home. There is a strong ethos of teamwork and supporting each other to meet the needs of the Inspection report for children’s home: SC426751 5 child. The manager holds regular team meetings, and there is a strong culture of group reflection. There are effective systems in place for communicating information. Staff read updates to care plans consistently and plan shifts well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is constantly developing and finding new ways to support the children. For example, for one child who struggles to be inside in the winter months, the home is planning to purchase a static bike. This means that they can maintain their need to remain active at this time of year.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A real strength of the managers is working with external agencies. Feedback from professionals is overwhelmingly positive and commends their commitment to the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC426751 6

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What does the children’s home need to do to improve?

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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the regulator not being informed of a significant event. 12 February 2026

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Recommendation

 As set out in Regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risk to them. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations including the Quality Standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: SC426751 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Enabling Futures Ltd

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Inspector

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC426751 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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