Children's Home run by The Together Trust in Stockport

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Exceptional professional relationships are established and developed between the young people, the manager and the staff team. This is because of the commitment and stability of the staff team.  The manager and staff have high aspirations for young people and work strenuously to ensure they make substantial progress from their individual starting points.  Young people live in a homely and nurturing environment in which staff provide high quality support; ensuring specific support agencies are in place to meet their individual needs.  The safety and welfare of young people living at the home is paramount, staff consistently go above and beyond to support young people to make positive choices and reduce their risk taking behaviour. Consequently young people recognise the positive impact the home has had on their lives. They say they are safe and well cared for by the staff team.  The staff team are managed by a passionate, dedicated and inspirational

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

leader who is committed to securing continual improvement and provide a high quality service to all young people who live at the home.  The staff team say they are very well supported in their role by the manager, and have regular supervision and team meetings. They participate in regular training. This ensures they are well equipped to meet the individual needs of the young people placed in the home.  Excellent relationships are established between parents and professionals, as a result young people benefit from holistic support.  Two shortfalls relating to staff appraisals and the fabric of the building have been raised as a result of this inspection. However, these have not impacted on the safety and welfare of young people.

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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:

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered provider must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

The premises are furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to their health, this is in direct relation to the young people’s bathroom. (Quality standard 12 (2)(d)) 31/03/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  All staff must have their performance formally apprised at least annually. This appraisal should take into account the views of other professionals and children in the home's care. (the Guide page 61, 13.5)

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Information about this children's home

The home is owned and operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children and young people. The young people may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties or learning disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

23/03/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

26/03/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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outstanding

Young people live in a home that provides high quality care. The manager and staff team are committed to improving outcomes for all young people who live in the home. As a result of the exceptional level of care young people are happy, settled and thriving in the home. One young person commented: ‘I’d rate this home as outstanding, this is my third care home and is the best place I have lived. The staff make you feel at home, they are bothered about me. The rules help me to understand right from wrong.’

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outstanding

Relationships are valued by the staff team and young people; young people comment they get on with each other and enjoy each other’s company. One parent commented: ‘they got the match just right between the kids, [X] has settled really well into a good routine.’ Admissions to the home are scrutinised and carefully considered by the manager. To ensure a smooth transition one young person was admitted to the home with key staff members he had developed a relationship with in his previous placement. Subsequently relationships have continued to strengthen and provided consistency in the placement.

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outstanding

The staff team are dedicated and committed to providing exceptional care and support to ensure young people flourish and make significant progress from their individual starting points. As a result of highly individualised care young people make progress in all aspects of their lives, including education, health, emotional well-being and emotional resilience. One professional commented: ‘the staff did a lot of ground work to help X get to where they are now, their commitment was exceptional.’

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outstanding

Educationally, each young person has made excellent progress from their starting points. For one young person this means returning to and being part of classes with their peers on a regular basis. Staff value education and support attendance and attainment for each young person. Education professionals confirm the commitment demonstrated by everyone at the home to encourage and support young people to attend and make progress in education. One education professional commented: ‘handovers between us and [X’s] staff help him to see we are working together, which means he is more settled and ready to learn.’

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outstanding

Young people’s views are integral to planning in the home; their views are regularly sought through day to day discussions, planning their week and formal young people meetings, which provides a forum for them to share their ideas for improving the home. They are encouraged and supported to enjoy individual interests and activities. They are engaged in community activities which provide opportunities to enjoy appropriate peer relationships and develop their confidence and self-esteem.

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outstanding

The manager and staff value the relationships young people have with their families. They support and encourage family time; family members comment on feeling welcomed into the home by staff and young people on their visits. Young people enjoy individual levels of family contact, in line with their care plan, which is promoted and very well supported by the manager and staff team. For example, as part of one young person’s family contact the member of staff enjoys a meal in the family home on a regular basis. This routine and consistency supports positive relationships between young people and their family and enables young people to see staff and family members working together to support them.

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outstanding

Young people are supported to develop independence skills at a pace which they can manage, given their age and individual needs. They participate in family type jobs around the home with staff, such as hoovering and setting the table for meals, and they are responsible for keeping their bedrooms tidy and clean.

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outstanding

Staff and young people work hard to ensure the house feels like a home. Photographs of shared experiences are proudly displayed. Trusting relationships are established between young people allowing for bedroom doors to be left unlocked. Young people say: ‘the house is homely I like it.’ However, the bathroom looks tired and run down. The manager has requested this is addressed and is waiting for a response from the organisation. This shortfall is not currently impacting on the health and safety of young people but is impacting on the quality of the environment.

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outstanding

Young people say that they feel safe and are very settled in the home. This is because they feel well cared for by the consistent staff team who look after them. One young person said: ‘staff are doing everything they can to keep me safe.’ This is a view that is shared by parents as well as professionals. Young people benefit from a high ratio of staff support; this means they have an allocated member of staff who works with them on an individual basis, providing high levels of supervision.

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outstanding

As a result of the established consistent staff team individual risks and behaviour are clearly identified as part of the internal documentation. Detailed and thorough risk assessments support staff to understand and manage risks. Over time young people have made significant progress in reducing this behaviour. Young people themselves commented during the inspection on the significant progress they have made in reducing their risk taking behaviour since living there. This means young people are becoming increasingly safe and skilled at making positive choices; which will help them in their future lives, away from the home.

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outstanding

Behaviour is managed exceptionally well with clear and consistent boundaries; staff members know young people’s individual behaviour. As a result, staff are confident in managing and de-escalating any presenting behaviour. This further promotes young people feeling protected and well cared for. Since the last inspection, there has been some physical restraints, but these have been carried out as a last resort and for the shortest time possible. The manager ensures staff receive regular training. Young people engage in discussions with staff to explore these incidents in detail after the incident. Records of these incidents are detailed, clear and show a marked reduction in the number of incidents of restraint.

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outstanding

The manager and staff team have a detailed understanding of child sexual exploitation. Staff have undertaken specific training and have developed links with the relevant support agency in the authority. As a result, when concerns have been raised, the manager has acted quickly to ensure a support package is in place for young people to maintain their safety.

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outstanding

Although there have been occasional instances of young people going missing, the reduction in the number of episodes is a significant improvement given their individual histories prior to living at the home. When young people do go missing staff work tirelessly to locate them and return them to the home as quickly as possible. One young person commented: ‘when I do go missing staff do everything they can to help me stop going missing again. A member of staff followed me for ages so I just came back, I know she followed me because she cares about me.’ The manager has ensured there is no delay in young people having the opportunity to speak to an independent person on their return home.

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outstanding

The organisation has robust safeguarding policies and procedures for staff to follow in the event of allegations. The Local Authority Designated Officer confirmed concerns are reported and the organisation is very transparent, and takes proactive action to protect young people. Records evidence investigations are managed fairly, quickly and in consultation with appropriate external agencies. This provides effective protection for young people.

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outstanding

The manager takes action to ensure all significant events are notified in line with regulations. This ensures appropriate scrutiny of the incident and the subsequent practice of the different agencies to support the young person. Judgement grade

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good

Young people and the staff team benefit from being encouraged and supported by a Registered Manager who is extremely passionate about her role. She is committed to achieving positive outcomes for all young people who come to live in the home. She is suitability qualified and has a number of years’ experience as a Registered Manager. She is a positive role model for individual team members and for individual young people. She leads by example and as a result of working closely with young people she has an excellent understanding of them as individuals and is fully aware of the progress they are achieving. The manager ensures young people’s individual needs are placed at the centre of the home, as a result young people feel valued and very well supported.

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good

Young people have made exceptional progress, given their individual starting points. Young people recognise their individual progress and attribute this to the high level of support and commitment shown by the manager and staff team. One young person commented: ’staff make you feel at home, they are bothered about me. They make me feel like they care about me.’

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good

The team benefit from working in a supportive environment; they comment that the manager is approachable, available and is committed to promoting a safe working arena. Existing team members either hold suitable qualifications or are working towards qualification. The comprehensive training programme underpins working practice Staff members say they receive effective supervision. Annual appraisals are well established in the organisation. However, the current system does not provide for obtaining the views of young people and professionals about the practice of individual staff members. This is a missed opportunity to incorporate universal feedback and drive improvement in the home.

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good

The Statement of Purpose is continually reviewed by the manager which ensures the service delivered meets the aims and objectives set out in it. The manager undertakes regular monitoring of the home. Monitoring enables the manager to review the service and address shortfalls in a timely manner. External monitoring is also well established and effective. This ensures the quality of the service continues to be assessed and analysed by an independent person. The manager is committed to continual improvement and has a development plan in place.

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good

Professional relationships are developed and maintained by the manager and staff team with all professionals involved in supporting young people; this is because the manager is committed to open and transparent communication. As a result young people benefit from a holistic support package. One education professional commented: ’the staff work very closely with us, communication is effective with key information being passed over.’ No shortfalls were identified at the last inspection.

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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

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Information about this inspection

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