Children's Home run by First 4 Care Limited in Doncaster

Inspection report for children's home: 2575463 1 Registered provider: First 4 Care Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

The home is run by a private provider. It offers care for up to 2 children with learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home. Two children were spoken to and observed during the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children's home

The home was registered in December 2020. The registered manager post is currently vacant, with the interim manager applying for registration with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2575463 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/07/2025 Full Outstanding 05/02/2025 Full Outstanding 11/10/2023 Full Outstanding 24/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2575463 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Children have made progress from their original starting points. For one child, methods of communication have progressed, giving more opportunity for their voice to be heard. Children have good relationships with staff and receive nurture and structure.

p.3

Summary of findings

There have been improvements made to positive behaviour management for children. Risk assessments and support plans have been updated and the strategies recommended are being consistently used. Children are now receiving rewards and staff celebrate achievements. Consequences are no longer being used for children.

p.3

Summary of findings

The management team has changed since the last inspection and there is now a good level of management oversight. The manager has monitoring tools in place that allow him to oversee the quality of care. Staff have been supported with their development and clear expectations have been set. Managers have a good understanding of the day- to-day care for children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress and are supported by a staff team who show compassion and care. Staff are appropriately affectionate with children and children seek them out for help and support. Staff understand how children communicate and use their preferred methods of communication to interact with children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are consistently attending education and making progress. Staff have positive relationships with school staff and ensure that there are detailed handovers when children arrive and leave school. Staff and school staff communicate regularly to ensure that children are well supported and information is shared effectively.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have short- and long-term targets to support their independence and emotional wellbeing. Staff use these targets to plan direct support sessions with children. Children are offered reassurance and support to participate in activities they struggle with, and staff take small steps to ensure that the wellbeing of children is promoted.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported to maintain positive relationships with people who are important to them. Families visit the home regularly and spend natural time with children in their home. Staff ensure that children maintain positive relationships with their family. One family member said that they were very happy with the care their child received.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know children well and understand how they communicate. It is unclear as to how children are supported to communicate with others, or how staff evidence views of children. Children's views are stated in the weekly staff meetings. Across key documents, details of how these views were captured are missing, as is information about how Inspection report for children's home: 2575463 4 children's voices and views contribute toward development and improvement in the home.

p.3

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

Children have risk assessments in place that are individual to their presenting behaviours and needs. Risks are assessed using a chronology of information, which is regularly updated when risks change. Staff sign when they have read the updates and know and understand the risks for children well.

p.4

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

Staff complete detailed and thorough care and behaviour support plans for children. The plans identify and detail the triggers for behaviour and approaches that work well. When incidents take place, the de-escalation strategies detailed in children's plans are being used consistently by staff.

p.4

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

Children who exhibit self-injurious behaviours are well supported to manage their feelings by staff. Staff know and understand the early warning signs and what strategies work best to distract children. Staff are creative and nurturing with the strategies used to support children when they are injuring themselves. Staff use alternative strategies with children to avoid using physical intervention. Children are supported and encouraged with positive behaviour management.

p.4

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

Where a restriction of movement has been used for a child, it has been used as a last resort after known techniques were unsuccessful. On one occasion when a physical guide was used, the recording of this incident was unclear.

p.4

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

Staff embed positive reinforcement for children and consequences are not used. Children are given physical rewards for positive behaviour. Staff do not fully understand the system for rewards and how this should be embedded for children. Children are not being given consequences for behaviour that presents as challenging for staff .

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy manager have worked well together to create an open culture and reinforce expectations of the staff in the home. Managers are present and approachable and have efficiently worked through action plans to ensure high standards across the home. Managers know children and their needs well and have built positive relationships with children's families.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Robust monitoring tools are in place that allow for improved management oversight in the home. There is an additional layer of independent oversight for audits, and recommendations made from this independent scrutiny feeds into the home's development plan. These plans have been reviewed and updated to ensure continuous progress. Management oversight is visible across documents for children. Inspection report for children's home: 2575463 5 Staff have regular supervision sessions that are reflective and meaningful. Staff speak positively about the support offered to them by managers. Staff also have reflective supervision and support from the clinical lead, which they find beneficial.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are regular and well attended by the staff. There is clear information- sharing and expectation-setting completed as part of team meetings. Managers give positive feedback but also highlight areas for continuous development. Managers are transparent and share information openly in team meetings. Staff are well informed and included as part of decision-making.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have completed all mandatory training and are on target with completing their qualifications. Staff have access to a variety of training opportunities to ensure that they have the skills and training necessary to conduct their job roles. Inspection report for children's home: 2575463 6

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views about the home's care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child's cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The registered person should ensure that records of restraint are kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 49, paragraph 9.59)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the system for rewarding and celebrating positive behaviour and recognising where children have managed

p.6

Recommendations

situations well. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 47, paragraph 9.39)

p.6

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: 2575463 7

p.6

Children's home details

Registered provider: First 4 Care Limited

p.7

Children's home details

Registered provider address: 87 St. Wilfrids Road, Bessacarr, Doncaster DN4 6AD

p.7

Inspector

Mel Turner, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2575463 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

Inspector

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 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 .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8