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

Unique reference number SC454838 Inspector Michelle Spruce Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Care Today (Children's Services) Ltd Registered person address Care Today Children's Services, Lansdowne House 85 Buxton Road STOCKPORT Cheshire SK2 6LR Responsible individual Vivien Anne Snape Registered manager Terence Poulson Date of last inspection 19/03/2014 2 of 9 Inspection date 11/06/2014

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Previous inspection good progress Enforcement action since last inspection There has been no enforcement action since the last inspection in March 2014.

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Overall effectiveness good

Outcomes for children and young people good Quality of care good Keeping children and young people safe good Leadership and management good

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Overall effectiveness

The home provides good quality of care in all areas of the service. The key strengths lie in the stable staff team and committed registered manager. The home has effective relationships with external professionals that support the strong partnership working that further enhances the good quality care young people receives.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are protected from harm and say they feel safe. Missing from home incidents are handled promptly to ensure a safe return and work is undertaken in partnership with the police.

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Overall effectiveness

Relationships are generally good and young people engage well and begin to trust staff and others despite the challenges they may face. Their views are considered and taken account of to ensure they contribute to shaping the home they live in.

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Overall effectiveness

The manager monitors the home effectively and understands the strengths and weaknesses. However, there are some shortfalls to the service that require action and improvement. As a result, one requirement and two recommendations have been made. 3 of 9

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a large private company and may provide care and accommodation for up to six young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties; it is located in a rural area. It also offers therapeutic input and education at an introductory level. The home is privately owned by an established organisation.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/03/2014 Interim good progress 10/10/2013 Full good

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure all parts of the home to which children have access are so far as reasonably practicable free from hazards to their health and safety. In relation to monitoring fridge and freezer temperatures (Reg 23(a)) 30/06/2014

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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 the home provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well 4 of 9 maintained and decorated. Avoidable hazards are removed as is consistent with a domestic setting. Risk reduction does not lead to an institutional feel. In relation to the vacant bedroom and damaged furniture in occupied bedrooms (NMS 10.3)  ensure the manager monitors all records kept by the home to ensure compliance with the homes policies. In relation to food safety monitoring of fridge and freezer temperatures (NMS 21.2) 5 of 9

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people make good use of the opportunities they have to improve their self- esteem and confidence. The rural setting provides access to a wide range of physical activities that create experiences for young people to reflect on their behaviour and build on social skills. A social worker said, ‘He is doing very well’.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Education for young people is provided on site as an introduction back to learning. This helps young people who have found accessing the education system difficult. A young person said, ‘I have completed a project’. This means young people continue to learn while not accessing a full time education placement.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people take responsibility for their own health where possible. Routine appointments are made and attended to ensure good health and well-being. All young people take part in regular physical exercise; this further promotes their physical fitness. For example, young people take part in basketball, football, swimming and hockey.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people benefit from a healthy diet and they take part in planning their weekly menus along with shopping and cooking some meals. The cultural needs of young people are met and young people experience food from their particular culture. A young person said, ‘I have Caribbean food’. This means the individual needs of young people are recognised, respected and met.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people remain in touch with those who are significant in their lives. There are clear plans in place to ensure contact is supported. This helps young people stay in touch with friends and family and strengthens bonds. Some young people benefit from overnight stays that significantly improve relationships.

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Quality of care good

Staff work hard to strengthen relationships with young people from the onset. They are skilled and knowledgeable about each individual young person because care plans and placement plans are clear and define the support required to meet their needs. This means that even if young people are living at the home for a short period of time, staff are equipped to provide the right support to young people. This enables young people to gain trust, respect and confidence in staff that work closely with them.

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Quality of care good

Professionals speak highly of the manager and the staff team. The working relationships are good and effective information sharing and good communication 6 of 9 means young people get access from the right services. A social worker said, ‘The staff are really good; they email and call me; I get regular updates’.

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Quality of care good

Staff do not give up and continually support and challenge barriers to education. Young people make good progress from their starting point to engage in the re- introduction to education. A social worker said, ’He is more motivated; he attends more than before’. This means despite the difficulties young people face, they continue to learn.

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Quality of care good

Staff are sensitive to the diverse needs of young people and ensures their religious and cultural needs are met. Staff said, ‘We make sure he has the right cream for his skin; he goes to the barbers that specialise in Afro-Caribbean hair’. This means young people continue to be cared for and their cultural needs are respected.

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Quality of care good

Young people’s health needs are met. Staff work in partnership with internal and external professionals to ensure routine health appointments are kept and additional support is gained. For example, some young people benefit from having access to a therapist; this has improved anger issues and enabled young people to reflect on emotions. A therapist said, ‘Young people can now work on a plan to move forward’.

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Quality of care good

The views of young people are continually gained across all aspects of the service. Feedback is given to staff from young people in meetings, one to one sessions and ad hoc when speaking daily to staff and the manager. This helps staff to gain the view of young people and as a result action is taken to meet requests. Where requests are not able to be met, staff provides details of the reason.

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Quality of care good

Young people are fully aware of the complaints procedure and are supported to make complaints or raise concerns. The children’s guide promotes how to gain access to independent services and provides addresses and phone numbers that signpost them to contacts including Ofsted. Complaints made by young people are fully investigated and the outcome sent to the young person. This promotes their rights and means they are listened to.

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Quality of care good

The home is appropriately located to meet the needs of young people. However, some bedroom furniture in occupied bedrooms is damaged and needs replacing. Furthermore, the bedroom used for emergency placements, does not have any suitable furniture and is not ready to take young people.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people in the home are protected so far as possible to keep them safe. Young people say they feel safe. Although the young people place themselves at risk of harm relentless efforts are taken by staff to protect them. Staff know the triggers to certain behaviours young people present and work hard with them to successfully reduce incidents that place them at risk. For example, when young people go missing 7 of 9 from home the manager and the staff team have robust plans in place to ensure young people are found and returned home safely. Joint working with the police means young people that are vulnerable are found quickly and protected from harm because information sharing is clear and precise.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Other behaviour young people present with such as drug abuse also places them at risk. However, staff and external professionals work closely with young people to reduce their risk taking behaviour. A social worker said, ‘His drug use has significantly reduced along with absconding episodes and missing from home overnight’. This means young people take responsibility for their actions and keep themselves safe.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The staff encourage young people to air their views openly about any conflict in the home. This helps to tackle any issues of bullying at the early stages and improves relationships. Young people are protected from bullying and have access to advocates to raise any issues about their safety. This keeps them safe.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people have behaviour support plans that outline the risks and reflect the plan of action in response to positive or negative behaviour. Rewards and sanctions help to promote and improve appropriate behaviour. A social worker said, ‘He has improved his behaviour; manages anger better and comes round sooner’. The use of physical intervention is only used as a last resort. Allegations of inappropriate use are reported to the manager and the Local Area Designated Officer and action is taken to investigate and respond to the complaint. This ensures young people are protected against abuse.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The staff check visitors to the home to make sure they are who they say they are. Staff are fully vetted before they start employment to keep unsuitable candidates having access to young people. This keeps vulnerable young people safe from exploitation.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Health and safety checks are completed regularly to ensure the home is compliant with regulation and standards. However, fridge and freezer temperatures have not been recorded clearly to identify which apparatus the record relates to. This makes it difficult to ascertain which appliances are effective or not and does not guarantee the appliance is fully functioning to the required temperatures. This has the potential to place young people at risk of consuming food that has not been stored correctly. Fire drills and equipment tests are undertaken in line with the home’s policy and procedures. This keeps everyone living, working and visiting the home safe in the event of a fire evacuation.

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Leadership and management good

8 of 9 The service benefits from a Registered Manager that has been in position since the home was registered in September 2012. The manager holds a NVQ Level 4 in Residential Child Care Management and has provided a stable and committed leadership to the service since registration. This coupled with a strong staff team have assisted the effective and efficient operation of the home.

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Leadership and management good

Staff receive good supervision and appraisal to assist their personal development. Training further enhances their skill and knowledge to ensure they provide good quality care to meet the needs of young people living at the home. As a result, staff feel valued and supported in their role.

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Leadership and management good

The manager addresses concerns and complaints about the home or young people living there. The manager has taken action to address the difficult relationships and behaviour young people present in the home that directly impact on neighbours residing in close proximity. For example, the manager holds residents meetings for the neighbouring community to come and share their frustrations, view and opinions. Discussions are held with the local police in attendance and minutes are distributed following the meeting to agree the action responses. This helps to address concerns and gives the manager the opportunity to listen to the views of others about how the service can improve.

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Leadership and management good

Monthly monitoring of the home is completed by an independent visitor who shares reports with the manager. The views of young people and stakeholders are sought during the monitoring process and assist in the review of the quality of care. Reports are sent to Ofsted in line with regulation. Further monitoring is undertaken by the manager, however, the monitoring has not picked up the shortfall in health and safety monitoring in regards to the fridge and freezer temperatures.

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Leadership and management good

The Statement of Purpose is up to date and reflects the current arrangements of the service. Changes to the Statement of Purpose are received in line with regulation. Staff and social workers know and understand the ethos of the home and the service it offers. This means young people are provided with a home that can meet their needs.

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Leadership and management good

All records held in the home are stored safely in locked cabinets in a locked office. This protects sensitive and confidential data from unauthorised personnel having access to it. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management good

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information 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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Information 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 framework of inspection for children's homes.

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