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

Unique reference number SC008487 Inspection date 21/06/2013 Inspector Monica Hargreaves Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 04/03/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home is one of a number of children's homes owned by a private company. The home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people, who may be experiencing emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, and learning difficulties.

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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

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people make good progress overall in relation to their starting points on admission to the home. They benefit from being cared for by a consistent and competent team of staff who have a good understanding of their needs.

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Overall effectiveness

Care plans are individualised and tailored to reflect the specific needs of young people and staff work consistently to make sure that young people's assessed needs are met. Young people themselves report that they are well looked after and relatives and professionals are very positive about the quality of care that is given to young people.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people enjoy good health. Their health needs are identified and services put in place to make sure they are met. Staff work hard to support all young people to achieve in education and young people make good progress overall in this regard. Young people are encouraged to take part in a range of activities in order to broaden their experiences and develop their social skills. They are fully supported to gain the knowledge and skills they will need for future independence.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are cared for safely and they report that they feel safe in the home. The arrangements for managing and responding to unauthorised absences are robust, ensuring that young people are protected as far as possible if they go missing from the home. Young people respond positively to the way staff work with them and behave well towards one another and staff.

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Overall effectiveness

The home is managed effectively. The manager provides good support to staff and monitors the quality of care that is given to young people and the progress they make. He demonstrates a clear commitment to the continuous improvement of the service for the benefit of young people.

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Overall effectiveness

One recommendation has been made as a result of this inspection. This relates to young people's pathway plans.

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 ensure 'eligible' young people have an up-to-date pathway plan (NMS 12.2)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are well cared for in the home and as a result, they make good progress in many areas of their lives. They have positive relationships with staff which help them to feel settled and, as a consequence, their confidence grows. Young people themselves make positive comments about the home. For example, one young person said 'I'm really settled here. Living here has helped me' and another young person said 'It's sound here'.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people's health needs are fully assessed when they arrive at the home and robust plans are put in place to make sure they are met. Young people themselves have a good understanding of health issues and they are fully supported to develop a healthy lifestyle. They are given a nutritious diet and they are encouraged to exercise.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are supported to attend routine health appointments. This ensures that their health is monitored. Staff have very good links with professionals, such as the substance misuse team and the looked after children's nurse, and they ensure that young people have the information and resources they need to promote their good health. Young people report that they are given advice about issues that could adversely affect their health, such as smoking or using substances. The home's arrangements for the storage and administration of medication are effective, ensuring that young people are protected and have medicines when they need them.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people attend school very regularly and are therefore able to make good progress in education from their starting point on admission to the home. Young people who have left school have achieved success in nationally recognised examinations and are making plans for their future employment. Staff actively encourage young people to identify activities that they would like to try in order to broaden their experiences and develop their social contacts. Activities have included boxing, swimming, horse riding, bowling and going to the cinema. Young people have access to a computer in the home that they can use for school work and leisure and they also enjoy playing electronic games and going out for meals with staff.

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Outcomes for children and young people

All young people keep in regular contact with family and friends outside the home who are important to them. This helps them to maintain a sense of their identity and benefits them emotionally.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are confident that they are learning skills for independence. One young person said, 'Staff have really helped me to be more independent. I'm much more mature now'.

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Outcomes for children and young people

All young people are encouraged to prepare for independence at a pace that is appropriate to their age and their individual needs. They learn how to do practical things such as helping to keep their own rooms clean and tidy and helping to plan and cook meals. As they grow older, they are encouraged to think about the emotional support they will require to live independently and they also learn to manage a weekly budget. However, not all young people of an appropriate age have an up-to-date pathway plan in place that identifies the resources and help that will be available to them when they leave care.

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Quality of care

Young people are well cared for by a team of competent staff who have a good understanding of their needs. Staff develop comprehensive placement plans for young people that are based on their local authority care plans. These plans enable staff to work consistently with young people and to support them to make good progress.

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Quality of care

Professionals and families report that they believe young people are well cared for and confirm that staff work closely with them. This promotes consistency for young people. Staff are very positive about the young people they look after and young people themselves say that they know that staff are concerned about their welfare. They report that staff care for them very well. One young person said 'I'm really well looked after here' and another young person commented 'Staff here are great'.

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Quality of care

Staff consult regularly with young people about their care in the home. Young people are fully involved in writing their placement plans. This ensures that they understand their plans and that their views are incorporated into them. Staff have frequent individual meetings with young people where they talk about their plans and their progress. Young people also attend regular house meetings where the routines of the home are discussed. These arrangements enable young people to be involved in all the decisions that are made about their lives. Young people say that they can talk to staff and they feel that their views are listened to.

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Quality of care

Staff demonstrate a very positive attitude towards the importance of education and they work hard to ensure that young people can succeed. They make sure that they have a copy of each young person's education plan and they attend education reviews and other school meetings. This enables them to have a good knowledge of young people's individual educational needs and progress and to understand how they can best support young people to achieve.

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Quality of care

Staff have been successful in helping young people to behave appropriately. This is achieved through individual discussions with them and the use of incentives. The way staff work with young people helps them to learn to manage conflict in their lives in ways that are socially acceptable. As a result, young people behave well towards one another and staff. Young people say that they think that staff are fair and treat them with respect. This contributes to their sense of self-worth.

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Quality of care

Staff work closely with other professionals, such as social workers, schools, the police and health service providers. This ensures that young people have access to services they need to promote their well-being and safety.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from living in a safe and homely environment. The home provides young people with sufficient space to enable them to spend time alone or in groups. It is comfortably furnished and is maintained to a good standard. Young people personalise their own rooms and are encouraged to help to choose decoration in other parts of the home. This helps young people to develop a sense of ownership of their home and to take a pride in their environment. The home is suitably located in a residential area that gives young people good access to public transport and local facilities.

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Safeguarding children and young people

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

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home's arrangements for keeping young people safe are robust. Staff are trained in safeguarding children and young people, including specifically in issues of exploitation. Consequently, they know how to identify the signs and symptoms of abuse. There are detailed policies on safe care to guide staff practice. Staff have a good understanding of the home's safeguarding procedure and know how to report and manage child protection concerns in order to keep young people safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people report that they feel they are safe in the home and say that staff give them advice about safety in the community. They confirm that they understand how to complain and say that they would talk to staff if they had a concern. Young people say that bullying is not an issue in the home. This contributes to their sense of safety and security.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Risk assessments on young people are detailed and include the strategies that staff employ to minimise risks and protect young people. Plans are kept up to date to ensure that they reflect young people's emerging needs and continue to protect them. Staff work in partnership with other agencies to keep young people safe. For example, some young people have a history of going missing from home and care when they are admitted to this home. Staff undertake individual work with young people to lessen the likelihood that they will go missing and they contribute fully to the multi-agency safeguarding plans and meetings that are put in place to protect young people.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are trained to respond positively to any challenging behaviour that young people may display. This includes training in the use of physical restraint. Young people respond well to the positive way that staff work with them and consequently there have been no incidents of physical intervention in the home for over two years. This contributes to young people's feeling of safety and well-being in the home.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are protected by the home's robust staff recruitment practices. These ensure that all new staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before they start work. The routine checking of all visitors to the home also contributes to keeping young people safe from unsuitable individuals.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The environment is kept safe for young people, staff and visitors, through a system of health and safety risk assessments and checks on equipment and installations. Staff are trained in fire safety procedures and they ensure that young people take part in fire evacuation drills so that they know how to leave the home safely in an emergency.

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Leadership and management

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

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Leadership and management

Young people benefit from living in a home that is managed effectively. The home's manager is qualified and experienced and is registered with Ofsted. He provides good leadership to the team of staff and monitors the quality of care that is given to young people. This ensures that the home runs smoothly and that there is good oversight of young people's progress.

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Leadership and management

Young people are looked after by an appropriate number of staff. Care staff are well trained and qualified. They have a very good understanding of young people's individual needs and they work hard to ensure that those needs are met. This means that young people have the care and support they require to make good progress. Young people report that they know all the staff who work with them. This continuity of care enables them to develop positive and trusting relationships with staff.

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Leadership and management

Care staff report that they feel they are well supported by their manager. They have regular supervision which enables them to discuss their own training and development needs. They also have regular team meetings where they discuss the care of young people. This promotes consistency in their work with young people, which in turn supports young people's progress in the home. There are effective monitoring arrangements in place that ensure that there is good oversight of the care that is given to young people and the progress they make. These systems include the manager's own checks and the monthly visits that are made by an individual who is independent of the home. As part of this process, the views of young people, staff, families and professionals involved with the home are regularly sought. The feedback that is gained as a result of this consultation is used to inform developments in the home.

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Leadership and management

The recommendation that was made at the last inspection is met. If sanctions are given to young people, staff ensure that their views are sought and recorded. This enables young people to make comments about the sanctions and ensures that their views are known.

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Leadership and management

Staff maintain clear records about young people's history and time in this home. Young people are encouraged to read and contribute to all the information that is kept about them. This helps them to maintain a clear understanding of their life in the home and ensures that their views are incorporated into their records. All information is stored safely to protect young people's right to privacy and confidentiality.

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Leadership and management

The home's Statement of Purpose is clear and detailed. It accurately describes the current work of the home. Copies of the document are made available to young people, relatives and professionals involved with the home so that they can understand how young people are looked after.

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Leadership and management

The young person's guide to the service is a colourful document that gives young people good information about the home and their rights in care. Young people all confirmed that they had received a copy of this document.

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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.

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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.

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