Children's Home run by First Blue Healthcare Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children's home: 2699924 1 Registered provider: First Blue Healthcare 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 operated by a private company. The home provides care for up to 2 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is currently without a registered manager. A temporary manager is overseeing the management of the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There were no children living in the home at the time of the inspection. This inspection focused on the experiences of children who have lived in the home since the last inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2699924 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/05/2025 Full Good 16/04/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2699924 3

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, 3 children have moved into the home and 5 children have left. Children’s experiences have been mixed. Some children have experience stability and make some progress. However, other children have not been provided with clear routines and consistency. This has resulted in several significant incidents in which staff being unable to ensure children’s safety and wellbeing.

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improvement to be good

Children are not provided with consistent care. Recent instability within the staff team has resulted in children experiencing several changes in the adults caring for them. This has hindered the development of trusting and consistent relationships and has affected staff's ability to establish clear routines and boundaries. Consequently, there has been an increase in significant incidents, which has impacted on children's safety and day-to-day experiences.

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improvement to be good

Children's moves from the home are not consistently well planned. For example, one child did not return to the home following a period of being missing from the home. Staff and managers have not maintained communication with the child or provided them with an opportunity to say goodbye. In addition, another child was not appropriately informed about another child's move out of the home, which left them feeling unsettled and confused. These shortfalls mean that children do not always receive the support they need to understand and manage significant changes in their lives. However, children's moves into the home are more carefully considered and children are provided with opportunities to visit before moving in.

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improvement to be good

Children's bedrooms are not consistently maintained to a good standard. For example, one child's bedroom contained significant damage, including broken furniture, stained carpets and markings on the walls. This detracts from the homely environment staff seek to provide and does not help children to feel valued or take pride in their living space.

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improvement to be good

Children are offered a range of activities that reflect their individual interests and preferences. For example, children have enjoyed spending time on holiday in a caravan, visits to a trampoline park, swimming and den building. These opportunities support children to have positive experiences, develop their interests and enjoy spending time with staff and their peers.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to spend time with people that are important to them. Staff are proactive in planning for children to visit family members. Children are able to maintain meaningful relationships with family that supports them in understating their identity and promotes a sense of belonging. Inspection report children's home: 2699924 4

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not assess children’s needs, risks, and vulnerabilities effectively. For example, children's risks are not always fully assessed to ensure that they can safely live together. In addition, leaders do not ensure that staff have the skills and experience required to meet children’s needs. These shortfalls led to one child feeling bullied and targeted by another child, causing them to be fearful in the home. Furthermore, 2 children had to leave the home because staff were unable to ensure their safety and wellbeing.

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improvement to be good

Managers and staff do not provide staff with guidance and support to enable them to take action to reduce children’s risks. When incidents occur, managers do not consistently review and update risk management strategies to reflect children's changing needs and vulnerabilities. As a result, opportunities to reduce risk and safeguard children are sometimes missed, which has the potential to compromise children's safety.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers are not consistently proactive in sharing safeguarding information with Ofsted. For example, leaders and managers have not notified Ofsted of several significant safeguarding incidents involving children. This limits external oversight and reduces opportunities to review the effectiveness of safeguarding practice and actions taken to protect children.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not use consequences with children that are proportionate or restorative. For example, the removal of screen time for children is frequently used as a consequence. In some instances, staff have imposed more than one consequence in response to a single incident. Managers do not consistently identify or challenge the use of inappropriate consequences. As a result, consequences are not always used as effective learning opportunities for children.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from the home, staff take appropriate action to search for them. They work closely with the relevant professionals to support their safe return. However, on one occasion, following discussions with the local authority, staff implemented a care plan that did not adequately safeguard a child when they went missing. This resulted in the child being exposed to an increased risk of harm. Furthermore, managers did not sufficiently challenge or escalate concerns regarding the effectiveness of the agreed arrangements to ensure that the child's safety and wellbeing was prioritised.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond sensitively when children experience emotional distress. They offer reassurance, obtain medical attention when required and ensure that children receive the support they need. This helps children to feel cared for and emotionally held during difficult times, promoting their safety and well-being. Inspection report children's home: 2699924 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the last inspection, changes in leadership and the departure of several established staff members have had a significant impact on the care that children receive. As a result, children have been cared for by inexperienced staff, agency staff and staff deployed from other homes. This has reduced the consistency and continuity of care that children receive and impacted on their overall stability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff morale is low, with some staff describing feeling unsupported and undervalued. This has contributed to difficulties in retaining staff and has resulted in ongoing instability within the workforce. While leaders are aware of these issues, actions taken to improve staff morale have not yet been effective. Consequently, staff do not always provide a stable and positive environment for children to thrive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Some feedback from a professional highlights strength in communication and partnership working with leaders and staff. However, concerns have also been raised about the lack of stability within the staff team and the impact this has had on children. In particular, frequent changes in staff have affected children’s ability to develop consistent and trusting relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff recording practices are inconsistent, which has undermined the effectiveness of monitoring and quality assurance systems. Managers have not consistently maintained robust oversight of practice, resulting in missed opportunities to identify weaknesses and take timely action. Consequently, leaders have not always had a clear understanding of the home's strengths and areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders are aware of the shortfalls in management oversight and workforce stability and have developed a clear action plan to address these issues. This includes a focus on recruitment, staff retention and promoting staff well-being. Inspection report children's home: 2699924 6

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Statutory requirements

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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff are provided with clear guidance on how to manage children’s risks and that they respond appropriately to children’s vulnerabilities. They must ensure that staff are able to manage the complex relationships between children to ensure they are safe and do not harm each other. 28 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 28 August 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2699924 7 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have the right skills and experience to meet the complex needs of children living in the home. Staff wellbeing is prioritised and there are enough staff to meet the needs of the children while maintaining consistency in the staff team. They must also ensure they have robust oversight of staff practice to ensure that shortfalls are addressed promptly.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that when children move into the home, they assess children’s risks and vulnerabilities effectively to ensure they are able to live alongside each other safely. The registered person must also ensure that children's moves out of the home are well planned to provide a smooth transition into their new home and that children are offered meaningful endings to their time in the home. 28 August 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2699924 8 The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home’s environment is clean, tidy and promotes children's wellbeing. Damage to the home must be addressed in a timely manner including replacing broken furniture. 28 August 2026

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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 any incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 28 August 2026

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Recommendation

 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, including the actions taken by staff. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 62, 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 Inspection report children's home: 2699924 9 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: 2699924 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: First Blue Healthcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Seighford Hall, Clanford Road, Seighford, Stafford ST18 9NL

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Inspector

Menaka De Silva, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2699924 11 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 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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Inspector

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