Children's home run by The Together Trust in Stockport

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The last full inspection was completed in November 2015. The overall experiences and progress of the children and young people were judged to be outstanding, and the safeguarding and leadership elements were found to be good. This home had a sustained record of being outstanding since 2011, and was considered to be continuing to provide children and young people with exceptionally positive experiences. One requirement and two recommendations were made to improve practice further. These have all been satisfactorily addressed at the point of the interim inspection. This shows that the manager learns from inspection activity to promote the continual development of the service. Children and young people continue to be very effectively supported to develop their self-confidence, emotional resilience and self-esteem. They are helped to make sense of their past experiences, learn to manage their feelings and emotions,

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

and devise coping strategies to promote their resilience and psychological well- being. As one social worker confirmed to the home in writing: ‘My young person has made significantly positive steps while being at the home, so much so that he is now able to look forward to living in a settled foster placement. The consistent, predictable and child-centred care he received while he was with you has, I have no doubt, helped him in making these significant changes to the way he processes his thoughts and feelings, and has provided him with strategies to manage his associated behaviours. I know he will always treasure his memories of the home and especially his relationship with his key worker.’ These highly positive sentiments are echoed by many social workers with children and young people in the home. All the children and young people remain in full time education and are achieving well in line with their abilities. Excellent communication is maintained between

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

education professionals and the home. This allows for any concerns or achievements to be shared, thus further promoting children and young people's well-being and attainments. Shared aspirations and targets for children and young people ensure a holistic approach to developing their social and life skills, and educational ability. As one head teacher commented: ‘It was a great relief to me to know that this child was going to that home after the breakdown of his foster placement. Staff there are extremely supportive of him. The transition to the home was absolutely superb. Communication has always been very positive with staff. He is certainly more settled in his behaviours since going to live there – there was of course a short period of testing out but good communication took place between us and he has settled down. We are seeing progress that is definitely down to the stability of that home. They have a very good team there.’

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home continues to facilitate stable, secure placements for each child and young person so that they are able to develop strong relationships with staff. It is through these positive relationships that the children and young people learn to trust and experience safe and positive attachments. Since the last inspection, this has enabled staff to support three children and young people to make very successful transitions into foster placements in line with their care plans. The home makes very good provision for safeguarding children and young people’s welfare. Children and young people feel a strong sense of safety there. Everyone involved in supporting them plays a role in ensuring they stay protected from harm. Strong links with other agencies give staff access to up-to-date advice and guidance so that everyday practice puts children and young people’s welfare first. These are highly effective and well-embedded working relationships with a range

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

of local safeguarding agencies. Placing social workers and the manager of the local authority designated officer (LADO) service compliment the manager and staff on their pro-active approach to managing and reducing risk, and in identifying and promptly responding to emerging concerns. The manager is new to the role and is in process of applying to be the Registered Manager. She provides good leadership and has an inclusive, open style which staff value and reflect in their practice with children and young people. Staff are very supportive of each other and want to improve things all the time. Performance is taken seriously. All staff receive at least annual appraisals in line with a recommendation from the last inspection. They include feedback from children and young people about staff strengths and what they could do differently. For example, one young person said the manager ‘makes me laugh and always smiles’; another young person commented that a different member of staff

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

‘helps me by listening and talking when I’m missing my mum’. This is very useful feedback that demonstrates that children and young people’s views are valued, and that they contribute towards a more rounded evaluation of staff performance. The manager has a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. She learns from monitoring activities to improve practice accordingly. Independent visitor reports provide her with useful critical friend feedback that she acts upon. That said, those reports do not fully reflect the visitor’s opinion as to whether children and young people are effectively safeguarded in the home. This is required by regulation. The manager ensures that the home environment remains very warm and welcoming with a strong child-centred ethos. However, there are some bathroom areas that could do with re-decoration to make them cleaner and brighter. To conclude, children and young people continue to make very good progress and

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

enjoy their experiences in the home. Shortfalls from the last inspection have been met which means the home has improved its effectiveness. The two minor shortfalls identified in this inspection have no detrimental impact on children and young people’s safety and welfare.

p.4

Information about this children's home

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

p.4

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.4

Recent inspection history

05/03/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

44: Independent person: visits and reports:

p.5

Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit which sets out, in particular, the independent person's opinion as to whether children are effectively safeguarded. (Regulation 44 (4) (a)) 15/05/2016

p.5

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

p.5

Recommendations

 For children's homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments; with specific regard to refreshing children's bathroom areas. (The Guide, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

p.5

What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection 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.

p.6

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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

p.6

Information about this inspection

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 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 .

p.6

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,

p.7

Information about this inspection

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

p.7

Information about this inspection

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

p.7

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

p.7