Children's Home run by Future Focused Ltd in Halton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2563164 1 Registered provider: Future Focused Ltd

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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 privately operated. It provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. Both children were spoken with.

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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 outstanding

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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: 26 February 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: 2563164 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/02/2025 Full Good 27/06/2023 Full Good 29/06/2022 Full Good 13/04/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2563164 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff know the children well. Children enjoy living at the home and say it is somewhere they can ‘relax’ and ‘heal’ with the support of the staff. Children grow in confidence and know they can rely on staff when they ask for help.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well met, and they access services for their physical or mental health. Staff encourage children to try different ways to maintain their wellbeing, such as yoga, meditation, and boxing. Furthermore, the in-house therapeutic team supports staff to develop their understanding of the children’s emotional needs. This helps staff build and maintain nurturing relationships with children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work with relevant professionals to support children to engage with education and employment. One child is excelling in their college course and making plans for their career. When children are unsure about their future, staff guide them to try different college courses, apply for jobs, and explore and consider their options.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to prepare for independence in ways that meet their individual needs. Children develop practical living skills and receive help to understand their emotions and develop strategies to manage feelings more safely, in readiness for moving on from the home. This individualised support helps children to be better prepared for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager completes detailed suitability assessments when a child is referred to the home. The therapeutic team contributes to the assessment prior to children moving in and helps staff develop an individualised approach for each child. The manager contacts children’s previous placements to gain additional insight into their needs to inform care planning. This ensures that staff get to know children early on and welcome them with open arms.

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outstanding

Children say that they feel safe. Safeguarding practice is child centred and highly effective. Staff’s in-depth understanding of children’s needs ensures that their help and support remain responsive to these. As a result, children’s risks reduce, and they develop skills to keep themselves safer.

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outstanding

Serious incidents are managed exceptionally well. The manager and staff ensure that children are emotionally safeguarded during challenging times, and children are kept informed of the progress of investigations. Children see staff they trust work in collaboration with other agencies, and children feel able to trust other professionals as a result. When needed, staff seek advice and guidance from specialist teams to Inspection report for children’s home: 2563164 4 keep children safe. Feedback from a police officer praised staff’s safeguarding practice, saying that it ‘exemplifies an unwavering commitment to the safety and wellbeing of children.’ Additionally, staff work with specialist police officers to help children be safer online.

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outstanding

Children do not go missing from home or need to be held to keep them safe. Staff do not use consequences to manage behaviour, and incidents are rare. Staff use their positive relationships with the children to help them reflect and learn. Staff respond to children with love and nurture when children are distressed, ensuring that children experience unwavering commitment through difficult times.

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outstanding

Staff benefit from training from the therapeutic team and request workshops on specific issues that arise. This helps staff to anticipate increases in risks for children and complete preventative work with them to help mitigate this. Staff revisit conversations with children regularly when there are ongoing concerns to ensure that learning is retained.

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outstanding

Staff respond appropriately and provide children with a safe space if they need to talk privately or share a concern. When concerns are raised about staff practice, the manager follows safeguarding procedures to ensure that children are safeguarded. Concerns are investigated appropriately and follow-up actions are taken to ensure that staff working with children remain safe to do so.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is an enthusiastic advocate for the children. She ensures that children have access to independent advocates so that their voices are heard when important decisions are made. The manager works with other professionals to challenge care planning decisions that they feel are not in a child’s best interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager values training and promotes continuous learning for the staff. Staff have individual development plans that align with the workforce development plan. This informs the training plan for the year and development workshops that are requested through the therapeutic team. The manager monitors training attendance and completion every month to ensure that staff keep up to date. However, monitoring has not identified that some staff have not completed the relevant qualification within the required timescale.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular practice-related supervision that is supportive of their personal development and wellbeing. Staff can reflect on the children’s progress and how they use the provider’s model of care to meet the children’s needs. Staff say that they love working in the home and value the child-centred approach, led by the manager. Staff also say the training they have received has developed their confidence in working therapeutically. Some staff recognise the improvements the manager has made since the last inspection, that the team is much more organised and that the children have more structure. Staff describe the manager as a ‘positive role model.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2563164 5 The manager is focused on making a difference to children’s lives. However, support from senior managers over the past year has been lacking. There are significant gaps in the manager’s induction into their role and practice-related supervision sessions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are some gaps in the manager’s knowledge because of this lack of support, particularly in relation to staff qualifications, safer recruitment training, and the role of the local authority designated officer in decision-making. The frequency of the manager’s supervision sessions has improved since the new operations manager came into post. Inspection report for children’s home: 2563164 6

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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

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)) 27 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider must ensure that the registered manager receives the training, development, and supervision that they need to perform effectively in their role. 27 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2563164 7

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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: 2563164 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Future Focused Ltd, Crows Nest Business Park, Ashton Road, Billinge, Wigan, Lancashire WN5 7XX

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Inspector

Kirstie Sutherland, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2563164 9 regulates 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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