Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Stockport

Unique reference number SC008607 Inspection date 24/05/2013 Inspector Monica Hargreaves Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 10/01/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

p.2

Brief description of the service

This home is run by a private company and is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties or learning disabilities.

p.3

The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

p.3

Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

p.3

Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from being looked after by a consistent team of staff who have a good understanding of their needs. Staff are well trained and competent and they provide a very good standard of care that is tailored to the individual young person. Detailed placement plans and risk assessments promote consistency of care and enable staff to help young people to achieve positive outcomes. As a result of the good relationships that they have with staff, young people are able to develop their social skills and in turn their confidence and sense of self-esteem increases.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

Young people are supported to improve their attendance at school and as a result they make steady progress in education. Their health needs are met and they are supported to learn how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. They are also fully supported to develop the knowledge and skills they will need for independence.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

Young people are cared for safely. Staff are trained in safeguarding and safe care and they have a good understanding of young people's vulnerabilities. Potential risks are identified and plans put in place to ensure that they are eliminated or minimised. Professionals and relatives report that they feel young people are safe and happy in the home.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

The home is well managed to ensure that young people achieve positive outcomes. The manager provides effective leadership to staff and regularly monitors the welfare of young people and the progress they make. He demonstrates a strong commitment to improving and developing care in the home for the benefit of young people. One recommendation has been made as a result of this inspection. This relates to an aspect of the manager's reports on the conduct of the home.

p.3

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

p.4

Recommendations

 ensure clear and effective procedures are in place for monitoring and controlling the activities of the home. In particular, demonstrate how within Regulation 34 reports the views of children and partners is being evaluated and used to promote continuous improvement and development. (NMS 21.1)

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make good progress overall from their starting points on admission to the home. They are able to make and sustain positive relationships with staff, friends and professionals outside the home. With the support of staff, some young people have also re-established their relationships with relatives. This has helped to develop their confidence and sense of self-worth. Professionals and relatives make positive comments about the progress that young people have made. For example, a relative said, '(name) has really grown up and is doing really well now' and a professional reported '(name) is making good progress. (name) is maturing and doing well.'

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have a good understanding of their history and background. They benefit emotionally from maintaining regular positive contact with family. They are supported by staff to keep 'memory boxes' with photographs and mementoes. These contribute to their knowledge of their life before they came into care and their time in the home; this supports their sense of identity.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's health needs are thoroughly assessed and are well met. They are helped to develop a good daily routine to promote their general health. They are given a balanced and varied diet and are supported to attend health appointments. Robust medication procedures protect young people and support their good health. Staff give young people advice about health matters in order to enable them to understand how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. For example, they encourage young people to stop smoking and they promote regular exercise. Staff are given substance misuse training and they undertake direct work with young people about the risks attached to using drugs. They have good links with health agencies, such as the looked after children's nurse, young people's psychological services and substance misuse teams. This ensures that there is good oversight of young people's health needs and that they have access to additional resources they require.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Some young people have struggled with school attendance before coming to live in the home. With the support of staff they are able to engage more with education and they make steady progress overall from their starting point on admission. This enables them to develop skills and to gain qualifications at the end of their compulsory education, which in turn improves their chances in later life.

p.4

Outcomes for children and young people

Staff work hard to ensure that young people are well prepared for leaving care. They help young people to develop practical and life skills at a pace that is appropriate to their age and their individual needs. For example, they work through a specific independence programme with young people. This considers the skills young people have and those they need to acquire. Young people keep their own rooms clean and tidy; they help staff to plan and prepare meals, they learn how to make their own appointments and how to manage a weekly budget independently. Staff also encourage young people to visualise the realities of independent living and to consider difficulties that could arise. This helps young people to prepare emotionally for later life. Some young people have been able to start employment and have done very well, keeping to a very good daily routine and enjoying the sense of achievement that this brings. Young people of an appropriate age have a detailed

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

pathway plan in place that identifies the support and resources that will be available to them when they leave care. Social workers report that care staff contribute fully to the planning process.

p.5

Quality of care

Young people benefit from being cared for by a consistent team of staff who have a good understanding of their individual needs. Care staff are committed to ensuring that young people do as well as they can in all aspects of their lives. They have a very positive view of the young people they look after and they work hard to engage with them. This helps young people to feel confident about their relationships with staff and supports their progress. Professionals and relatives make positive comments about the way young people are looked after. For example, a relative said 'The staff do a very good job' and a social worker reported 'Staff care for young people very well.’

p.5

Quality of care

Young people are regularly consulted about their care in the home. They have frequent key work sessions with staff where they are able to talk about their individual plans and their progress. They are supported to attend and contribute to their reviews. They also have weekly meetings with staff to talk about the routines of the home. These arrangements enable young people to be fully involved in all the decisions that are made about their care and enable young people to appreciate that their views are listened to and matter.

p.5

Quality of care

Staff develop very detailed placement plans for young people in line with their local authority care plans. These are written with the full involvement of young people so that they understand their plans and their views can be incorporated into them. Plans are regularly monitored to ensure that they accurately capture young people's current and emerging needs. Social workers confirm that staff work closely with them and contribute fully to the care planning and reviewing process. This ensures that there is consistency for young people and that their welfare and progress is monitored.

p.5

Quality of care

Staff actively promote the value of education in the home and are keen for young people to do as well as they can. They work closely with education providers in order to ensure that young people have an appropriate school or college placement and they support young people to attend. They recognise and celebrate young people's achievements; this contributes to young people's sense of self-esteem. Staff have good links with careers and other services in order to help young people to make plans for training and employment when they leave school.

p.6

Quality of care

Staff help young people to learn how to manage difficulties and conflict in their lives appropriately and to behave in ways that are socially acceptable. They recognise and reward positive behaviour and they maintain clear and reasonable boundaries for young people. Young people respond very well to the way staff work with them and over time their behaviour improves. This helps to develop their confidence and also improves their relationships with staff and others. Relatives and professionals are very happy with the progress that young people make in this regard. A relative said '(name) attitude has changed now - it's much better. I'm pleased with how things are turning out.’

p.6

Quality of care

Young people benefit from living in a safe, well maintained, homely environment. The home is suitably located so that young people have good access to local facilities. They also have easy access to public transport which they use independently. This promotes their independence skills and contributes to their preparation for adult life.

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

The home's arrangements for keeping young people safe are effective. There are robust policies and procedures to guide staff and to ensure that they work safely. Staff training in safeguarding and safe care is refreshed very regularly in order to keep their knowledge up to date. This ensures that staff understand how to identify and manage child protection concerns so that young people are protected.

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

Detailed individual risk assessment plans and support strategies ensure that staff have a good knowledge of the vulnerabilities of young people and how to work to keep them safe. These plans are regularly reviewed to ensure that they remain up to date and relevant and continue to protect young people.

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are trained in behaviour management techniques. They manage challenging behaviour well, de-escalating situations if they arise in order to ensure that young people do not need to be restrained. Consequently, restraint is rarely used. This contributes to young people's sense of safety and well-being in the home. The home has robust systems in place to reduce the likelihood that young people will go missing and to protect them if they do. Staff talk to young people about risks in the community and they encourage young people to let them know where they will be when they leave the home. They keep in touch with young people by phone to monitor their well-being. They work closely with partner agencies, such as the police and social workers, and are proactive in convening multi-agency meetings if there are specific concerns about young people. If a young person does go missing, staff follow their individual risk management plan and the locally agreed protocol to

p.6

Safeguarding children and young people

ensure that appropriate action is taken to secure their prompt return to the home. There has been a significant reduction in the number of incidents of young people going missing from the home. This has lessened the likelihood of young people being at risk in the community.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are protected by the organisation's robust recruitment practices. These ensure that staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before they start work in the home. Visitors to the home are also checked before being allowed in. This too contributes to protecting young people from unsuitable individuals gaining access to the home.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

Regular health and safety checks, routine servicing of equipment and robust risk assessments ensure that the home is kept safe for young people, staff and visitors. Staff are trained in fire safety procedures and they ensure that young people take part in fire evacuation drills so they understand how to leave the home safely in an emergency.

p.7

Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good .

p.7

Leadership and management

Young people benefit from living in a home that is well managed. The manager is suitably qualified and very experienced. He provides good leadership to the team of staff who care for young people. Staff report that they feel well supported. They have regular supervision that enables them to discuss their own training and development needs and the care of young people. They confirm that they are able to seek guidance and support from their manager outside these times when they need it. There are fortnightly staff team meetings that the manager attends. These meetings contribute to the monitoring of young people's progress in the home and promote consistency in the way staff work with young people. This in turn supports young people's progress.

p.7

Leadership and management

Care staff are sufficient in number to ensure that young people have the support they need. Staff are qualified and well trained which ensures that they are competent and have the knowledge and skills they need. They are enthusiastic about their work with young people and demonstrate a strong commitment to ensuring that young people are well cared for and make good progress.

p.7

Leadership and management

The home has a detailed Statement of Purpose that accurately describes how it works and how young people are cared for. This is made available to young people, their families and professionals involved with the home. Young people also have their own guide to the service. This is produced in a format that is appropriate to their needs. It contains information about the home and also about young people's rights in care.

p.7

Leadership and management

The manager regularly monitors the quality of care in the home and the progress that young people make to ensure that good standards are maintained. This is achieved through regular checks of records and discussions with young people, their families, staff and professionals involved with the home. Reports of these checks are sent to Ofsted as required. Although these reports are clear and give a good overview of the progress young people have made, they do not reflect the consultation that has taken place with young people, parents and professionals and the impact this has had on the development of the home. A senior manager in the organisation visits the home on a monthly basis to monitor the care that is given to young people. Copies of the reports made after these visits are also sent in to Ofsted as required by the regulations.

p.8

Leadership and management

The manager demonstrates a clear commitment to the continuous improvement of the service for the benefit of young people. The home's development plan has clear and achievable goals for the future of the service. The manager takes action on any issues that are identified at inspections or through the management monitoring process. The requirement and recommendation that were made at the last inspection are both met. The home's Statement of Purpose has been updated to include the ages of young people that the home accommodates, so that this is clear to placing authorities. Reports of visits made under Regulation 33 of the Children's Homes Regulations now contain information of the checks that the visitor makes on all the records kept in the home. These confirm that staff are working to promote the welfare of young people and ensure their safety.

p.8

Leadership and management

The home keeps clear and detailed information about young people. Young people are encouraged to read their files and to contribute to them. This ensures that they understand what is written about them and that their views are incorporated into their records. The information supports young people's understanding of their history and time in this home. All records are stored securely and managed appropriately to protect young people's right to confidentiality.

p.8

About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

p.9

About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection and the evaluation schedule for the inspection of children's homes.

p.9