Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Today

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the last inspection in December 2015, this service was operating at a good standard. Children continue to benefit from a sustained level of effectiveness. Importantly, there have been very few changes of personnel and the manager provides clear leadership. Staff members are competent in their roles and feel well supported. Supervision and appraisal meetings occur regularly although staff, and the manager, do not routinely receive copies of their supervision meeting records. This is necessary in order for them to address the issues raised.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager oversees two small homes that have the same overall purpose. The organisation has addressed the added complexities that this brings by recently appointing a deputy manager. The manager pays good attention to succession planning. Staff accept opportunities to increase their skills and undertake new responsibilities, regarding, for example, life story work and advising children on sexual health issues. This promotes an inclusive environment for staff that benefits the children. A child who has recently arrived at the home is positive about it and was keen to help the inspector. He wrote his own report about the service saying that he likes most of the staff and they have helped him to ‘deal with his stresses’.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has addressed the previous requirements and recommendations. Behaviour management plans for each child are now in place for staff to address each child’s needs more accurately. An improved system to gather the views of other people about the service is also in place and ready to use. The manager has refined some of the recording systems so they are as easy as possible to use. This helps to maximise the time staff spend with children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The statement of purpose is an adequate representation of the service. The manager is considering additional ways of using it to highlight the good work undertaken with children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children continue to make progress. They are a good match for each other. However, the manager does not record his reasons for allowing admissions to proceed as clearly as necessary for either monitoring purposes or the benefit of children in later life. Children pursue busy lifestyles and make new friends in the locality, where appropriate, and join clubs. Consequently, they improve their social skills and become more confident. In his report for the inspector, one child said, ‘the best thing about this home is all the activities that they provide, such as cinema and sports.’ Some children progress as far as joining playing competitive sports. Children develop a thorough understanding of their families and other relationships. This contributes to better self-control and successful involvement in community facilities.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children feel safe in the home and there have been very few negative incidents since the last inspection. Although car parking is an issue from time to time, the staff maintain good relationships with their neighbours, as well as other professionals and children’s families. The property itself provides children with a comfortable standard of accommodation with hardly any institutional features. It is in a residential estate and has easy access to city amenities. Children usually use public transport although they share a car with the other home. Staff are now planting the gardens ready for the warmer weather.

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Information about this children's home

This home is operated by a large company. Care is provided to children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is located in an urban area.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

26/03/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Accept placements for children only where the registered person is satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child's assessed needs as recorded in the child's relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. This is with regard to showing such impact assessments in each child's records. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  Keep a note of the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions and ensure that both the person giving the supervision and staff member have a copy of the record. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 61, paragraph 13.4)

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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.

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

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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 .

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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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