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

Unique reference number SC005050 Inspector David Morgan 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 Stuart Phillip Baker Date of last inspection 20/03/2014 2 of 9 Inspection date 12/11/2014

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

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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 inspection finds that further progress has been made and the service is operating at an outstanding level. The last inspection in March 2014 judged that good progress was underway; no recommendations or requirements were made. This inspection occurred at the same time as the inspection of the on-site school. No recommendations or requirements are made.

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Overall effectiveness

There is excellent practice in all areas of care. As a result of this, children make substantial progress. In particular, they cease undertaking dangerous activities and concentrate on improving themselves. This is due to excellent leadership and strong and consistent care by the team. The clear focus on striving to perform as a therapeutic community means there is informed and cohesive practice by all concerned, including children, and their parents, where appropriate.

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Overall effectiveness

Key features of the service include highly effective evaluation of patterns and trends; close networking with other agencies, and constant searching for improvement. Children know that the adults around them are in control so they feel safe. They make remarkable improvements in their insight and feel secure enough to make plans for the future. Effectiveness in individual cases is shown by the progress made by children who have left and how well current children can describe their own 3 of 9 progress. 4 of 9

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Information about this children’s home

This children's home is part of a large organisation. The home provides care for five boys who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. Education is available on site as the home is also a registered school. Therapy services are also provided.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/03/2014 Interim good progress 06/01/2014 Full good 14/02/2013 Interim satisfactory progress 23/10/2012 Full outstanding 5 of 9

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Children make exceptional progress. This is particularly evident in their advanced understanding of their own circumstances. They are able to reflect confidently and poignantly on what has happened to them, what challenges remain, and what the future is likely to hold. They benefit substantially from the integrated approach to their welfare in which care staff, teachers and therapists work collaboratively. Obstacles arising from their social or cultural circumstances are addressed effectively.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Children have realistic ideas about possible career paths, which is remarkable given the short periods of time they have been in the home and their ages. One spoke about his plan to study mechanics at college and another about the examinations he would be taking at school. Others take pride in demonstrating progress in less academic subjects, which also indicate substantial achievements. Children have no hesitation about saying their progress is due to the staff. One said, 'They take things in and listen to you,' another said, 'If it wasn't for the staff, I'd be in prison.' Academic progress is good overall, but participation is excellent. Most children have previously had records of poor or zero attendance, which have now completely changed. One professional said, 'The service has transformed their attitudes to education.' One boy said, 'I respect the staff for helping me become more mature and getting into a

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Children also receive excellent preparation for leaving. They learn a range of independence skills that reflect their ages and the type of placement they are likely to move to. They are familiar with the plans and therefore understand the reasons behind the guidance they receive. Contact is maintained with those that have left, wherever possible. This extra effort allows the team to provide a degree of continuing support and allows the manager to confirm the effectiveness of the care. One discharged young man said, 'They have guided me in the right direction.' Success is indicated by lack of criminal activity; engagement in college or work, and productive attitudes to their lives.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Children are pleased by their contact with their families. The staff maintain excellent relationships with parents, wherever possible, and send them weekly reports. This means that parents are participants in, rather than observers of, the integrated style of caring provided by the service. One described this as 'brilliant!'. As a result, children feel emotionally settled and understand the value of the service. One noted the difference by saying, 'I have home contact but I don’t mix with the same people anymore.'

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Quality of care outstanding

6 of 9 The quality of care is exceptional across the board. Staff are adept at establishing meaningful relationships with children and other professionals and are exemplary role models. The police officer responsible for the area said, 'It's one of the best run homes in my locality'. One member of staff summarised it by saying, 'We go the extra mile to assist children and give them a good understanding of values in life.' Children are provided with extensive support for their cultural backgrounds. They appreciate this support and respond accordingly. Concerns occur only at a low level and children know they are taken seriously. An external professional noted, ‘Relationships are strong, which is why children can accept ‘no’.’ A parent thought 'the staff had worked wonders' with her son. Children become remarkably tolerant of each other's differences. One said of another, 'We didn't get on at first but we don’t

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Quality of care outstanding

The needs of each child receive careful consideration by all the professionals who are involved. Children too are fully involved and influence the decision-making processes. They are helped to understand their targets and measure their progress through imaginative use of colours and pictorial evidence. One child wrote that this system motivated him to work harder. Their targets are addressed consistently from the point of admission with clear rewards for success. Key workers ensure that important issues, such as risk-taking activities, are discussed with children in detail. One external mental health professional commented that consequently children 'make exceptional progress'. This work cross-references well with the clinical work undertaken by the in-house therapists. The integrated (community) approach to the care of each child is coordinated by the company's therapists through the support of staff and/or direct work with children. This is an invaluable contribution to the

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Quality of care outstanding

emotional progress that is clearly made by children. Through this process, children gain confidence in themselves and their self-esteem rises. It is supplemented by thorough attention to any other unresolved health needs.

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Quality of care outstanding

Children enjoy being with staff. A social worker reported that 'there is an excellent range of activities'. There is a lot of fun and future activities are always being discussed. The moorland location of the home provides ready access to a full range of outdoor activities, which are comprehensively pursued. Children have bicycles on site for use in and around the extensive site or elsewhere. Additional interest is provided by the home's own ducks and geese. Individual hobbies and interests are facilitated, for example, membership of a local football team. Each child maintains a memory box with a record of their lives at the home. The cottage itself is presented to a good standard and children personalise their own bedrooms. They feel that their personal spaces and belongings are secure. Improvements are ongoing. A new kitchen has been installed recently as well as decking outside; a football pitch is

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

7 of 9 The measures taken to protect children and address their negative behaviours are outstanding. Effectiveness is primarily evidenced by the lack of significant incidents requiring notification to Ofsted. Children keep themselves safe by not going missing and rarely needing to be held; criminal behaviours are almost nil. Such improvements are often in marked contrast to previous patterns. Children and staff have access to a social network site specifically for the home. This creative step is used to aid communication if a child goes missing. The data also shows an improvement in the home's statistics year-on-year, which indicates improved effectiveness by the team. Children feel safe in the home and this is demonstrated by their willingness to discuss sensitive issues with staff.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Staff understand safeguarding procedures well and have very effective relationships with relevant agencies, including police and social workers. Extra effort is made so that children receive training and advice from community groups specialising in drug misuse and health issues. There is a high level of information-sharing, which is appreciated by staff and other professionals. Behaviour management strategies are monitored exceptionally carefully and are altered whenever necessary. Children respond well to the combination of high levels of praise and reward and consequences for overstepping boundaries. They learn to take responsibility and their parents say their behaviour has 'turned round'. Children know from reflective discussions what their targets are and seek to achieve them. On a lighter but more imaginative note, at regular meetings they contribute ideas to a target for each other, which is confirmed by the manager. This serves to give them responsibility

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

Bullying arises occasionally, especially when the group changes, but is kept to a low level. It is not tolerated and clear steps are taken to address any incidents. Children are able to say what they have learnt from such incidents and have contributed to the anti-bullying messages displayed around the house.

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Keeping children and young people safe outstanding

High standards of physical safety prevail. Routine checks of safety equipment occur as well as of vehicles. Fire safety precautions are good and improvements are being undertaken to make fire drills more meaningful.

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Leadership and management outstanding

The manager of the service is highly motivated and insightful. One member of staff reported, 'My manager is always challenging myself and himself on how we as a team can improve the overall service we provide.' He was registered for this service in 2009 and has appropriate managerial and care qualifications. The manager emphasises the importance of structure but also applies an enthusiasm for improvements that are meaningful to children. Careful and prompt consideration is given to the results of monitoring exercises, to changes in regulations, research, and to developments in the profession. The last inspection report made no recommendations or requirements. The regular monitoring reports show a 8 of 9 commendable and unusually high level of analysis and evaluation. The manager makes sure that the whole team is familiar with these reports. Changes are therefore implemented thoroughly and with the full involvement of each member of staff. This

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Leadership and management outstanding

inclusive and supportive approach fosters loyalty in team members. Consequently, there is a very low level of staff turnover, which is a significant benefit to children. Ideas and comments are formally sought from other parties on a frequent basis. All replies are entirely favourable, with several judging the service to be 'fantastic'.

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Leadership and management outstanding

Targets are set for the development of the service that are challenging, for example, in ensuring that parents fully understand the objectives for their children. This reflects the Statement of Purpose and the objective of being a therapeutic community in which there are common goals. Additional exercises are undertaken to ensure the service is as good as possible and are used as training exercises with the team. Recent lessons have led to improvements in the children's guide and extra training for staff in supervising family contact meetings. These serve to motivate the team and provide an improved service to children. Team members take on specific roles and have individual development targets. This improves the performance and working practices of staff.

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Leadership and management outstanding

Staff receive regular supervision in which personalised training occurs. They are encouraged to progress and seek promotion if they wish. In addition, they benefit from a rolling programme of formal training. Courses up to degree standard are available. The amount of training about the therapeutic approach received by staff is substantial and shows a clear investment in staff. These measures are a major contribution towards the exceptional standards of care received by children. 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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