Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today 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:

 The young person benefits from living in a stable environment. She develops positive relationships with staff who provide consistent care and enable her to feel secure.  Staff develop detailed knowledge about the young person which allows them to respond effectively to her behaviour and needs. They encourage positive behaviour through incentives and rewards. As a result, the young person improves her self-regulation.  Staff complete regular key-work sessions with the young person around many areas, including sexual exploitation, drug use and relationships, to support her progress.  The young person develops a sense of identity as staff promote relationships with friends and family which are safe and in her best interests.  Staff encourage the young person to attend school, and seek out the most appropriate provision to meet her needs. As a result, her attendance and engagement improve.  The registered manager and staff work collaboratively with the young

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The children's home provision is good because:

person’s therapist and school to ensure that she benefits from continuity of care and to support her progress.  The registered manager ensures that staff are suitably trained and experienced to meet the young person’s specific needs.  Staff are committed to the young person in their care. They work effectively as a team and provide her with good-quality care.  Staff understand the risks associated with the young person going missing and being sexually exploited. She is missing rarely. However, staff always look for her and contact the police with appropriate information to assist their search. This ensures that the young person is returned home.  There are shortfalls. The registered manager does not record when he has discussed the use of restraint with staff, and at times the discussion with the young person and his review are not recorded. The registered manager notifies Ofsted about significant events. However, there is delay in the

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The children's home provision is good because:

notifications being received by Ofsted and, at times, the content is unclear.

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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 ‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that, within 48 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so, has spoken to the user about the measure and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. The registered person must ensure that within five days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(b)(c)) 07/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must notify HMCI without delay if a child is involved in or suspected of being subject to sexual exploitation, or there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40(4)(a)(c)) 07/10/2016

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care for two children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities. The home forms part of a large social care company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 15/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/05/2015 Full Good 26/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/08/2014 Full Good

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Good

Currently, the home is operating as a solo placement. Staff and the young person enjoy positive relationships each other. The young person benefits from living in a stable environment with high levels of consistency in her care. The young person says: ‘the staff are amazing: 95% of them I get on really well with. They help me with everything. There have been ups and downs outside of the home, but staff are helping me with that.’

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Good

Staff spend time with the young person, and take time to know who her friends are and what is important to her. They actively promote positive friendships, welcoming her friends into the home, and they make good use of their delegated authority in allowing the young person to stay over with her friends, where that is safe and in her best interests. Staff similarly promote contact with the young person’s family. This ensures that she develops a sense of identity and her place in the world.

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Good

Staff are proactive in promoting the young person’s education. They advocate strongly on her behalf to secure the right education provision and then work collaboratively with the school to support her re-introduction to education and working towards a full-time timetable. A teacher said: ’We have good communication with her key worker and, between us, we have built up her attendance. She has come on in leaps and bounds and has got used to the other pupils.’ As a result, the young person makes significant progress from her starting point, both in attending and engaging with education.

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Good

The young person is supported to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Staff ensure that she engages with universal and specialist provision which supports her emotional and physical health needs. They encourage the young person to engage with recreational activities within the community such as cadets, going to the cinema and swimming. Staff support the young person to develop independence skills such as planning meals, shopping and cooking, all of which is preparing her for the transition to adult life.

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Good

Staff ensure that the young person is at the centre of their practice. They listen carefully to her views and support her to personalise her room and the home, and take part in activities outside the home. Staff provide a warm and welcoming environment which is well maintained. As a member of staff said, ’It feels like a home, as opposed to a care home.’ Their strong relationship with the young person means that she is able talk to them about what is difficult. Staff complete frequent key-work sessions to support her development and understanding. Staff are supported by the young person’s therapist, who reports that staff are skilled at taking on board her advice and that there is ‘very good communication, really thoughtful staff who take on board advice from me. I feel that staff do all they can – she is very vulnerable. She has maintained this placement for 10 months, which is a massive achievement.’

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Good

Staff support the young person to recognise the signs and risks associated with child sexual exploitation. The young person appears to make progress and there have been no incidents of her going missing for many months. Recently, there has been a setback. However, staff are alert to signs that the young person may be at risk and take appropriate steps to alert the police immediately, and strategy meetings are held to inform case planning.

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Good

Staff respond effectively to incidents of missing. They always look for the young person. They keep trying to contact her and her friends. They provide information to the police, which is instrumental in helping them to find the young person. This results in the young person being returned home. Staff ensure that she is welcomed home and is offered the opportunity to discuss her missing behaviour with an independent person.

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Good

Staff develop a detailed understanding of the young person’s behaviour. They recognise triggers and improve their responses through reflective practice, identifying effective rewards which promote positive behaviour. This leads to improved self-regulation by the young person and a reduction in the need for restraint and consequences to be used. Staff develop positive relationships with the police and the youth offending team. They make good use of restorative practice to ensure that the young person is not unnecessarily criminalised, rather supported to understand the effects of her behaviour.

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Good

Staff understand the risks associated with the use of the internet and social media. They encourage young person to engage with them in discussing these risks and are proactive in checking the young person’s use of social media to ensure that she is safe. The registered manager ensures that staff are carefully selected and vetted, which prevents unsuitable people from working in the home. Staff ensure that they maintain a safe environment within the home, with regular health and safety checks including fire evacuations.

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Good

Staff understand how to manage child protection concerns, allegations and complaints. They have an effective relationship with the designated officer and ensure that all allegations are thoroughly investigated. Restraint is not used frequently, as staff use de-escalation techniques effectively. The recording of these incidents is detailed. However, the registered manager has not ensured that he always records his reviews of the occasions, the young person’s views or his debriefing with staff. This represents lost opportunities to understand how young people and staff are affected by the use of restraint and how, as a registered manager, he can improve the quality of care provided.

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Good

The home is managed by a permanent registered manager who has been in post for 13 years. He has the necessary skills and qualifications to fulfil the role. He also manages two other children’s homes which are in close proximity to the home. However, he ensures that he is present at the home each day and is always available to the staff team at other times.

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Good

The registered manager ensures that the staff have the necessary skills to meet the needs of the young person living at the home. Staff provide nurturing care in line with the statement of purpose and they use research-based evidence to inform their practice, including understanding the impact of abuse. Staff receive regular training which ensures that they are continually developing. Staff report being well supported through formal and informal supervision and operate as a cohesive team, with strong shift leaders in place when the registered manager is not in the home. This ensures that the young person benefits from consistent care.

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Good

The registered manager develops positive relationships with all stakeholders to ensure that they are working in partnership to achieve agreed outcomes consistently for the young person. He understands the progress that the young person makes from her starting point. He and his staff team advocate strongly on her behalf and ensure that she benefits from their effective partnership working. The young person makes progress across most areas of her development, despite the challenges with which she is faced.

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Good

The registered manager understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home, because he regularly monitors and reviews the quality of care provided. He supports staff to introduce new ideas which contribute to the young person’s progress.

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Good

The registered manager ensures that notifications are sent to Ofsted when significant events occur within the home. However, there is a delay in these being received by Ofsted and, at times, the information recorded is unclear, for example the names, dates and details of actions taken by the staff. This prevents the regulator from reviewing and monitoring events in the home in a timely manner.

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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’. 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

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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 ‘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 0300 123 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, work- based 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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