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

Unique reference number SC008607 Inspector Jo Hornby Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Care Today (Children's Services) Ltd Registered person address Lansdowne House 85 Buxton Road STOCKPORT Cheshire SK2 6LR Responsible individual Vivien Anne Snape Registered manager Gary Wood Date of last inspection 08/08/2014 2 of 5 Inspection date 26/02/2015

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

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This inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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This inspection

Young people say they feel welcomed into the home and that they feel safe and well cared for. One young person said, ‘every single staff are good and care for us, the manager comes in everyday and when you move in there is an induction pack on your bed, which tells you about everything here and makes you feel like it’s not a strange place.’

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This inspection

Records are well maintained and are of a good standard, with well organised files that offer a good overall picture of young people’s experiences and progress. Young people report that they want to change their lifestyles and are proactive in working with staff in order to succeed.

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This inspection

One recommendation raised at the last inspection has been addressed. The home’s statement of purpose has been updated to reflect that the staff on shift are able to meet the needs of the young people in the home. Young people do not contribute to staff annual appraisals and as a consequence young people are unable to demonstrate formally how they feel individual members of staff are supporting them.

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This inspection

Staff are skilled in caring for young people with complex needs and provide a nurturing environment, in which young people flourish in all aspects of their development. Young people engage in education and their attendance is good. One Independent Reviewing Officer commented, ‘overall this is a successful placement. Staff maintain good links with other services around the area, which is of benefit to young people and their complex needs. Young people are in education and staff provide good care and lots of encouragement, which helps young people form good relationships.’ 3 of 5 The Registered Manager is an able advocate for the staff and young people. Young people’s meetings give the opportunity to discuss topics in a group. Key work sessions are of good quality and young people contribute to planning each session. One young person said ‘I can say anything I want here and we can discuss it and see how we can sort it out, there are things sometimes that I need to talk about and

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This inspection

Staff are aware of young people’s interests and use this to develop their skills and activities. They are proud of the progress young people make and provide rewards for positive behaviour. For example some young people enjoy exercising and attending the local gym and others like to visit the nail salon. This has proved effective, and one young person said, ‘I want to keep my room tidy and attend education because I get rewards but now I want to do these things anyway because it’s what you should do and I want to do well when I am older’.

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This inspection

Young people aspire to be successful and are supported and encouraged by staff to reach their goals. A young person commented, ‘I am predicted an A in health and social care and I will be taking my GCSE early. I want to be a midwife so I know I have to work hard. I got a B in my exam today and I know I can do better but B is good and I’m really pleased.’ Young people clearly strive to achieve their goals and gain self-confidence and skills for adulthood with support from the staff team.

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This inspection

Staff have well established relationships with key people who are identified as important to the young people and contact with them is promoted. Families report that they are in regular communication with staff and that they receive support and advice. This enables young people to continue to be integrated into life outside of the home and affords consistent care experiences. One family member said, ‘the staff are absolutely amazing, it’s the best place. Staff have been fantastic and there is a complete change in behaviour. I can’t fault them. All the staff are brilliant and I can’t thank them enough. They have been great with me and have kept in contact.’ 4 of 5

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Information about this children’s home

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.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/08/2014 Full good 15/01/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 24/05/2013 Full good 10/01/2013 Interim satisfactory progress

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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 that all staff have their performance individually and formally appraised at least annually and this appraisal takes into account any views of children the service is providing for (NMS 19.6) Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Recommendations

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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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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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