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

Unique reference number SC437645 Inspector Jamie Richardson 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 Mark Anthony Barton Date of last inspection 10/01/2014 2 of 8 Inspection date 30/09/2014

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Previous inspection good progress Enforcement action since last inspection none

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Overall effectiveness outstanding

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

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Overall effectiveness

This home is helping young people make significant positive changes to their lives. They are making considerable progress from their starting points, in all areas of their development. Young people have formed strong relationships with staff and are thriving due to individualised care and support. The staff excel at supporting young people to improve independence skills, such as budgeting and cooking, which will help them in later life.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people like living at the home. They report they can talk to staff and they feel safe in their care. Young people are proud of the progress they make whilst living here.

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Overall effectiveness

The home is managed very effectively. The staff are enthusiastic and well supported by their managers. Innovative auditing ensures young people are progressing. Robust monitoring systems are in place, especially in relation to internet safety. This is proactive and extremely successful in keeping young people safe from exploitation. A recommendation is set to assist new young people and professionals to understand the e-safety arrangements when they arrive at this home. 3 of 8

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Information about this children’s home

This children's home is owned and managed by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for no more than four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/01/2014 Interim good progress 24/04/2013 Full good 22/01/2013 Interim satisfactory progress 11/06/2012 Full adequate

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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 children’s home has a clear Statement of Purpose, which is available to and understood by staff and children and reflected in any policies, procedure and guidance. Specifically in relation to monitoring children’s internet usage. (NMS 13.1) 4 of 8

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people are making exceptional progress in all areas, such as emotional stability, confidence, and personal independence. As a result, all young people are accessing individualised education and attendance is high. This is a significant achievement from their starting points, as many have been out of education for some time. Young people advance into vocational training, providing a sense of direction and giving them skills which will be essential for employment in later life. This is acting to further motivate them in areas where other settings have failed. For example, young people are now undertaking courses such as hairdressing and public services. These are specific to the young people’s interests and highly motivating them to achieve.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people enjoy good health. They learn about healthy food choices and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle; for one young person this has resulted in significant weight loss and has boosted their self-confidence and physical ability. Young people benefit from emotional support from specialist agencies. This is assisting them to manage their feelings and is allowing them to start to form friendships and relationships with others. Young people are gaining knowledge from experts regarding other important health issues, including sexual health. This will equip them with information which will support them to stay safe and well during the transition into adulthood.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people enjoy positive contact with their families. They are sustaining relationships and are building new relationships; some are making relationships with their relatives for the first time. This is supporting young people’s sense of identity and understanding of their background.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people are developing independence skills according to their individual abilities. They are making considerable progress with all areas of independence, such as personal hygiene, shopping and cooking. These core skills are preparing them well for adult life.

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Quality of care outstanding

The staff work hard to develop meaningful relationships with young people, resulting in young people feeling secure and able to build positive attachments. The staff treat young people respectfully and mutual respect is encouraged between young people.

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Quality of care outstanding

The staff have a very positive attitude and actively seek and respond to young people's wishes and feelings. This makes them feel valued and respected as 5 of 8 individuals. One young person commented: `Staff listen to me. When I am upset I tell them.’ The staff respond to young people’s views about their home. For example, young people have individualised bedrooms and they have been involved in choosing all décor in the home. This promotes young people’s sense of belonging and a homely environment. The staff help young people to understand why it is not always possible to act upon their views, such as when this raises issues which may place young people at risk.

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Quality of care outstanding

The staff team is dynamic in supporting young people to attend individual education and vocational courses. Staff are innovative in their approach, engaging young people with learning; as a result, all young people in this setting are achieving in their education, some for the first time. The staff have high aspirations for young people. This has changed young people’s outlooks on life and has helped them to reflect on their past behaviours. As a result, offending behaviour has ceased. A young person said: `I used to get arrested, from being here and going to college I do not want to do this anymore. I want to get a job and do not want my convictions to affect me.’

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Quality of care outstanding

A high standard of care planning ensures young people’s diverse needs are met. Plans are well monitored and reviewed to evolve with the needs of young people. The staff recognise different backgrounds and interests. They promote individualised activates tailored to children’s desires; this includes providing exceptional opportunities such as loaning a horse. This has made an outstanding difference to young people’s lives. It helps them make constructive changes and, as a result, missing episodes have ceased. A professional commented: ‘Having a horse has really made a difference to their life; it has improved their confidence immensely. They have made positive friends at the stables and they now have a focus.’

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Staff are proactive in implementing comprehensive safeguarding practice which means that all young people have a strong sense of their own safety. Young people are safe and feel safe. One young person commented: ‘I feel safe here in the house and in the area, I know it well.’ The staff have an in-depth knowledge of young people’s needs and vulnerabilities. The staff work closely with other professionals to gain an accurate understanding of young people’s behaviour and learning difficulties. This knowledge equips staff to manage behaviour positively, which protects young people from harm. It minimises the need for staff to physically intervene. Over time young people’s behaviour has settled and fewer challenging incidents are occurring. A therapist commented: `Staff have been keen to work with me to support this young person emotionally. They want to adapt to the young person and learn how to manage the young person’s emotions. They have succeeded with this. The young

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

person is thriving there, she feels secure now, this is evident in how settled her behaviour is to before she came here.’ 6 of 8 Young people benefit tremendously from having clear boundaries and routines. The staff apply these while still conveying an understanding approach. This provides young people with a secure base which they are starting to learn and progress from. One social worker commented: `They have clear boundaries, which the young person does not like sometimes, but it works. The young person was missing a lot and put themselves at risk before; this does not happen here.’ The staff work closely with police and social care services to ensure they maintain this progress. They frequently share information to help anticipate any future risks before they occur, keeping young people away from harm.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Young people are protected by a range of other safeguarding measures. These include input from specialist services to enhance young people’s knowledge of the risks they may face. For example, young people have positive links with police through visits to the home. Young people also undertake other work around vital topics, such as e-safety. In addition to this, the home has a robust safeguarding system around the use of social media and the internet. This has had a significant impact on keeping young people safe in this home.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Comprehensive recruitment practices ensure that all staff are vetted before they start work in the home. Staff undertake regular first aid training. Routine health and safety checks are carried out and this makes sure the home is safe for young people.

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Leadership and management outstanding

The manager provides enthusiastic and effective leadership. He offers an open and supportive approach to staff, which is reflected in good practice with young people. He is suitably qualified, has 10 years’ experience in care work and has been in post at this setting since 2012.

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Leadership and management outstanding

The young people at this home are successfully looked after by staff who are excellently supported through supervision, relevant training and team meetings. One team member commented: ` I have regular supervision, but I can ask the manager anything anytime.’ The staff are kept up to date with practice developments and receive an excellent level of training, which meets the individual needs of young people in this setting. The whole staff team is highly committed and aspires to accomplish the very best outcomes for young people. Staffing levels ensure that the diverse individual needs of young people are met.

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Leadership and management outstanding

Highly effective relationships with relatives and other professionals are an excellent strength of the home. A school professional commented: `This is the best care home I ever worked with. I have been in my job 25 years. I can ring staff, they always respond. They have an open door policy; I can visit anytime I like to support the young person.’ A social worker commented: `They are very good at keeping me up to date. They send me a weekly update sheet. This is good practice and does not happen from any other home.’ 7 of 8 The home works within its Statement of Purpose. The Statement of Purpose and children’s guide do not contain the full range of safeguarding practices occurring in relation to computer monitoring and internet safety. This missing information does not have any direct impact on the quality of care young people are receiving.

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Leadership and management outstanding

The manager prioritises the quality of young people’s care. There is a continuous drive for improvement. There are comprehensive systems in place to ensure the opinions of others are regularly sought. This promotes management oversight of any issues allowing them to be resolved quickly. There are few complaints made in this setting; the ones that have occurred have been treated seriously and addressed thoroughly and promptly. The manager continuously strives for development and has ensured that recommendations from the previous inspection have been well addressed. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management outstanding

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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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