Children's Home run by The Together Trust in Stockport

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Positive feedback from a range of external professionals confirms that children and young people make definite progress with the help of this home even though they have only been in placement there for a relatively short period of time. That progress is further confirmed by effective quality assurance and tracking systems in the home which evidence those improvements.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Children and young people here have complex and challenging needs but this does not limit staffs ambitions for each of them. They are valued as individuals with talents, strengths and capabilities that can develop over time.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Children and young people benefit in particular from improved education opportunities which they enjoy and engage with enthusiastically. This has been achieved by effective advocacy and support from the home.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The Registered Manager ensures that the home is outward facing by working with the wider system of professionals for each child and young person, and with their families, to sustain links and understand past problems. He works hard to promote effective working together with partner agencies so that services to children and young people are holistic and take account of specialist advice.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The Registered Manager takes appropriate assertive action with placing authorities when their service to children and young people is not good enough.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff demonstrate sound knowledge of safeguarding procedures and work hard to keep the children and young people safe in the home. That said, risk assessments in relation to child sexual exploitation require greater multi-agency consensus so that risk management plans are as effective as they can be.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The service benefits from having an experienced and strong manager who has a clear commitment to trying to meet children and young people’s needs.  Staff feel well-supported even though the service is not always able to meet its stated intention of providing staff with at least monthly supervision.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard: ensure that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; with specific reference to achieving a multi-agency consensus about sexual exploitation risks (Regulation 12 (2) (a) (i)) 11 June 2015

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Requirement Due date

16: Statement of purpose: ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose; with specific regard to the provision of at least monthly supervision to staff (Regulation 16 (5)) 10 July 2015

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Requirement Due date

34: Policies for the protection of children: ensure that records are kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34 (2) (d)) 10 July 2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that the principle of listening to the child and taking their views, wishes and feelings into account when planning applies to all children; with specific regard to provision of child-friendly placement plan formats to reflect children’s age and cognitive ability (Guide, pg. 21, paragraph 4.5)  Ensure that all staff receive supervision of their practice; with specific regard to monthly supervision as outlined in the home’s Statement of Purpose (Guide, pg. 61, paragraph 13.2)  Ensure that all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. (Guide, pg. 61, paragraph 13.5)

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Information about this children's home

The children’s home is part of an established charitable organisation. It provides care and accommodation for up to five children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

26/02/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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good

Children and young people are beginning to establish positive relationships with staff which are based on trust and are encouraged through nurturing. Staff are attentive to children and young people’s needs. They support their emotional, mental and physical health needs in consultation with specialist services. This includes repairing earlier damage to self-esteem and encouraging friendships and familial relationships. For example, staff are involved in the delivery of life story work for some children and young people with the guidance of mental health services. This helps children and young people to begin to understand who they are, where they have come from and to address painful feelings about loss and endings. As one social worker confirmed: ‘He’s being really well supported by the home. He has very good relationships with staff. The whole team are very nurturing. Staff are very patient and encouraging about his education. I think he

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good

has definitely made progress since he has been there – especially in his relationship with his key worker. He is now trusting staff and is beginning to be able to speak about his past.’

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good

While staff recognise that children and young people come to the home with previous very low educational participation, they do not accept that these are grounds for low expectations. They work with each child and young person to raise both their own expectations of themselves, and the expectations of those who work with them. This gives them a strong message about the value of education and the crucial impact it has on their future life chances. Staff work effectively to secure appropriate education provision for them. This is achieved through liaison with virtual school heads and provision of staff support to children and young people in their school settings to enable placements to succeed. As one independent reviewing officer said about their child in the home: ‘His lack of education was a problem. The home put in the support and worked well with him about this. They have been very proactive in getting his education placement

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good

sorted out. I think they are doing a very good job with him.’ With the caveat that it is very early days, children and young people are fully engaged with their new education placements. They have good attendance and are progressing well in line with their abilities. Children and young people are beginning to show signs of making good progress in many aspects of their lives. They are encouraged to learn how to regulate their emotions and acquire reflective skills to make sense of what has happened to them. As a result, they learn better control of impulses and difficult emotions so they are more equipped for successful adult life. They have the full attention of the manager and staff. As one social worker confirmed: ‘My child’s best interests are clearly central. It is very obvious that all staff members are working consistently with him and he is being provided with a stable home.’ The manager is clear about

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good

the need to 'invest' in children and young people, to help them to develop positive attachments and better manage their challenging behaviours. These outcomes are integrated into their placement plans, along with clear objectives to improve health, education and other outcomes such as contact with family. However, the format of those plans is not very child-friendly and this inhibits children and young people’s engagement with them.

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good

Children and young people are encouraged to get involved in activities within the home and the local community. Some embrace this enthusiastically. The door is then opened for their participation in a range of leisure or extra-curricular activities that may lead to new friends and opportunities, including the learning of competencies and the development of emotional maturity, thus promoting their resilience. Activities and events held in the home demonstrate good promotion of difference and cultural awareness so that children and young people develop a greater understanding of the diverse society they live within. Children and young people are encouraged to express their wishes and feelings and views. They influence their day to day care through young people meetings, informal discussions with staff and managers, and regular direct work sessions. They understand how to complain and feel able to do so. Complaints are taken

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good

seriously and looked into robustly so that clear outcomes are achieved and communicated. Children and young people can easily access an advocate, their independent reviewing officers and the independent visitor who can provide the advice and support they need and pursue matters on their behalf if necessary. As a result, children and young people feel listened to and taken seriously.

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requires improvement

Children and young people say they feel safe in the home. They know that staff care for them and feel secure in the knowledge that there is always someone they can speak to if they have a worry or concern. This is endorsed in feedback from external professionals and relatives. That sense of safety is promoted by staff working hard to provide stability and consistent boundaries for children and young people who have led unsettled and troubled lives. This includes proactive management of group dynamics and conflict resolution so that children and young people live together without fear . Children and young people arrive with established harmful patterns of behaviour and undesirable contacts. Staff are creative in gathering intelligence to inform their interventions. They seek specialist advice to understand the meaning behind those patterns and devise clear behaviour management plans that are bespoke to each

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requires improvement

child. These approaches are beginning to be effective in reducing challenging behaviours that have previously caused children and young people’s placements to break down.

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requires improvement

Staff are skilled at handling difficult situations with children and young people in a calm, empathetic and tactful way. This helps to de-escalate tensions and enables children and young people to begin to talk about their feelings and past experiences rather than just act them out. However, despite staff efforts and attempts to bring in specialist support, some young people still struggle to reduce difficult and risk taking behaviours such as drug use and association with peers involved in criminality.

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requires improvement

When children and young people go missing, staff are proactive in keeping in touch and trying to persuade them to come home. The length of time that children and young people are missing is beginning to reduce. One-to one work is helping them to understand how to avoid difficult situations where they might place themselves at risk in the community. Staff follow well-coordinated responses in line with children and young people’s individual missing from home plans. The home has been proactive in convening professionals meetings to explore strategies to reduce episodes of missings with some early success. Relationships with the local police are well-developed and appropriately focused on the needs of children and young people. As the linked police officer for the home commented in respect of one young person: ‘I think this home is trying to meet his needs. Whatever they have been doing with him has been working as I can see the difference it has

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requires improvement

made in just the two months he’s been there. He’s calmer. He is quite an angry young person who will kick off at any opportunity. Staff have stood up to him and said that they won’t just give in. I think they’ve done very well with this. In my opinion, compared with other units, this home is coming up trumps. Things have changed for the better.’

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requires improvement

Each young person has an individual risk assessment and a separate missing from home risk assessment that provides an overview of identified behaviours, triggers, warning signs and control measures. However, the quality of risk assessment is too variable. The manager took action to improve them during the inspection so that staff have clear and detailed guidance on how to respond to known risks such as young people returning to the home under the influence of drugs. Risk assessments for some young people considered to be vulnerable to sexual exploitation remain confused though. Various professionals have identified different levels of risk which means that plans are unclear about exactly what the risk is, and how to manage and reduce it. The manager has recognised this shortfall and has arranged a meeting with the relevant parties to resolve the matter in the near future. As much as possible is done to ensure the suitability of people working in the

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requires improvement

children’s home. Vetting and safer recruitment practice is thorough and robust so that unsuitable people are deterred from applying to work in the home. Allegations are dealt with swiftly and fairly in consultation with the relevant agencies. As one safeguarding manager confirmed: ‘Staff are very clear procedure-wise about dealing with incidents such as allegations. They are open and transparent in their communication.’ That said, written records held by the home do not always clarify action and decisions taken in relation to allegations. This undermines the integrity of such investigations and does not comply with regulation.

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good

Leadership is visible and effective. There is a new suitably qualified and experienced Registered Manager in post who can already demonstrate the positive impact he has had on children and young people’s lives in the home. He is supported by an experienced deputy manager. Together they provide strong, collaborative role modelling to both staff and the children and young people. The manager demonstrates good awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the service and has action plans in place to address areas for development. There is a wide range of training offered to staff to ensure they are well informed about the diverse needs of the children and young people in their care. This includes effective safeguarding training so that staff are confident in how to recognise and respond to child protection concerns. As one relatively new staff member commented: ‘The training provided is awesome, I’ve never had training

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good

like it before’. Staff development is encouraged, as is learning from mistakes. Staff report that they get a lot of informal support from the managers and more experienced staff. This helps them to feel confident in undertaking their role. However, shift pressures have sometimes meant that formal planned supervision on a monthly basis does not happen in line with the service expectations outlined in the Statement of Purpose. Similarly, annual appraisals of staff are due now but not yet scheduled to happen. This potentially inhibits sufficiently rigorous attention to staff performance and development.

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good

Leaders and managers work effectively with placing authorities to ensure improved outcomes for children and young people. They have high expectations of partner agencies to provide a good quality of service to them. When this is compromised, the manager is assertive in addressing poor practice and securing better working together arrangements. As one social worker commented: ‘The home has been key in driving the support around this child. They have identified his specific needs and worked to put things in place for him. The key has been their communication and professional relationships with the whole core group.’ Quality assurance mechanisms are effective in providing critical evaluation of the standard of care and contribute well to improving practice. For example, monitoring reports by the manager provide a quality narrative that evaluates the impact the home has on children and young people’s outcomes and contributes to

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good

the drive to secure further improvements. .

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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