Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Stockport

Outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed 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’s provision is outstanding because:

 Young people benefit from having positive relationships with staff and feel confident in discussing and sharing their individual wishes, feelings and aspirations with staff members. They say that staff are responsive to these and that this makes them feel respected and valued.  Young people have minimised their involvement in criminal behaviour and this is reflected within their overall outcomes.  Young people are fully included in their care planning and this enables them to make sure that their wishes are included. Where it is not possible to act on these, staff explain fully the reasons why. This enables them to understand the reasons behind decisions made.  Staff promote educational attendance and attainment for young people. Where educational placements are not identified, the home challenges the placing authority to work in partnership through the virtual schools to identify and secure a placement. While this is in progress, staff make sure

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

that young people take part in educational activities on a structured basis to minimise the risks of disengagement or reduced motivation to achieve educationally.  Healthcare is supported effectively. Staff promote healthy living and work in partnership with healthcare professionals to address healthcare concerns to promote the health of young people further.  All young people take part in learning skills for independence, based on their ages and abilities. These include basic budgeting, planning and preparing meals, and sourcing activities within the community that can be sustained when living independently.  The home promotes positive relationships within its own community and ensures that the relationships with neighbours are maintained. The young people are encouraged to treat everyone with courtesy and respect and this has been reflected in the exceptionally positive responses the home has received from neighbours who had experienced conflict with the home

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

previously.  Individual care planning includes detailed risk assessments and strategies to minimise these. Consultation with young people enables them to have a greater understanding of their behaviours and how to reduce risks by following safety advice. This includes online internet safety and issues relating to child sexual exploitation.  Since the last inspection, incidents of young people being absent from the home have reduced. Staff support young people to understand the associated risks that this brings. Where there have been ongoing concerns, the home has worked in partnership with other agencies involved in safeguarding, including police and placing authorities, to identify strategies to address this.  Young people are supported to manage their behaviours well. They have individually tailored plans, which are effective in supporting them to address their behaviours. Exceptionally positive comments from families on the

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

progress that their children have made identifies the positive impact on building and sustaining relationships within the family setting.  Staff are supported by a strong and dynamic manager who has been in post for less than a year. During this time, staff have been supported to develop their skills and feel highly motivated and empowered to fulfil their role in an effective and consistent manner.  Supervision is consistent and effective, with additional team supervision ensuring that the continuity of care and support is provided to young people. This is further underpinned by staff undertaking regular training and development to make sure that their skills and practice remain current.  The manager undertakes regular monitoring of the home and this is further supported by independent monthly monitoring visits. This means that shortfalls identified are addressed.  There is one requirement in relation to ensuring that information for staff

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

who work occasionally at the home is maintained within the staffing information file. This is in relation to one member of staff who has worked at the home, but is not doing so currently.

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

37: Other records The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. In particular, this is with reference to staff who work in the home on a flexible basis. (Regulation 37 (2)(a)) 30/11/2016

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private organisation. It provides care and accommodation for up to six 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 23/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 27/10/2015 Full Requires improvement 24/03/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness 20/11/2014 Full Good

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Outstanding

Young people receive highly personalised care based on comprehensive and effective care planning. The manager ensures that the needs of all individual young people are taken into account when considering admissions to the home. This supports stability of placements and minimises unnecessary disruptions to young people’s lives. However, where it is clear that the placement of a young person is not in their best interests, the manager and staff work proactively with other agencies to ensure that an appropriate placement is identified. This enables transitions to be planned to support positive outcomes.

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Outstanding

Young people at the home have excellent relationships with staff. One young person said, ‘Staff here really listen to me and know what I want. They support me to get my point of view across and encourage me to do well.’ Another young person said, ‘I like living here. I really fought hard to stay, as I know it has made a massive difference for me. I feel safe, happy and positive about my future.’

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Outstanding

Staff promote educational outcomes for young people well. They ensure that when a young person moves to the home, education is placed high on the agenda. Where there is a delay in educational placements, the manager is tenacious in raising this with the placing authority. She also ensures that school work is forwarded from the schools that young people are enrolled with. Staff ensure that young people undertake this work on a planned daily basis and arrange educational activities each afternoon. This supports young people to remain focused on education and minimises the risk of disengagement. Staff demonstrate a strong understanding of the educational levels and projected attainment for each young person. They attend parents’ evenings, liaise with teaching staff and work alongside parents in supporting young people to achieve and exceed their predicted grades.

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Outstanding

Families are highly complimentary of the home, manager and staff. One parent said, ‘From the moment my child started to live at the home his behaviour has calmed down. Staff have provided me with an understanding of the techniques they use to manage behaviour and, through this consistent support, our relationship has improved massively. I feel that we have the support and ability to build on this.’ Another parent said, ‘The change in (name) has been exceptional. The support from staff at the home has had a huge impact on him and this shows in everything he now does.’

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Outstanding

Young people access a range of activities within the home, in the local community and further afield. They take part in football, watch rugby games, go to the cinema and go-karting, and have recently had a holiday in Wales. Staff encourage them to find activities and hobbies which they can continue when they move on to adult living. They discuss funding of various activities and help them to research where they can obtain cost-effective resources as well as fully paid activities. This helps young people to understand monetary value as well as sourcing activities that they can afford in the future.

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Outstanding

Young people’s individual care plans are detailed and demonstrate progress against these. Staff discuss plans with each young person and help them to focus on success and achievements. Where there are setbacks in progress, staff discuss these and provide suggestions and encouragement to enable young people to adapt their behaviours and move forward. Plans are highly individualised and reflect the young people’s needs as well as being consistently implemented. Regular key worker sessions provide an opportunity to discuss both positive outcomes as well as providing strategies to manage less acceptable behaviours. Encouragement and praise supports them to have belief in their abilities. One young person said, ‘The support I have been given has been amazing. Staff are sound and I now believe that I can achieve things if I work hard to get them.’

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Outstanding

Staff work in partnership with a number of agencies, including the police, the youth offending team, child and adolescent mental health services and placing social workers. This cohesive and supportive working enables young people to develop strategies to manage their own behaviours, to understand risks and to take action to minimise these.

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Outstanding

Healthcare and healthy living are promoted well. All young people are registered with healthcare professionals, have engaged in children looked after medicals and attend routine healthcare appointments. There has been a significant reduction in substance misuse and young people have been willing to take part in support from smoking cessation. Healthy eating is encouraged and this has resulted in young people eating nutritionally balanced diets, being willing to try a range of food and helping to shop and to prepare meals for those in the home.

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Outstanding

Regular and effective consultation is held through weekly house meetings, as well as individual confidential meetings. These consultations enable young people to have a real say in how the home operates and also their own individual support. One young person said, ‘Staff don’t fob you off, they listen and things get done. This home is the best.’

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Outstanding

Young people learn about managing finances and preparing for independence. Staff are further supporting them to understand the impact of living on their own on potentially limited budgets. Work ethics are encouraged, and where young people are no longer engaging in full-time education, staff encourage the pursuit of apprenticeships and employment. These measures contribute to preparing young people for adulthood and independence. Staff are exceptionally positive about the support they receive. They work closely together to ensure that young people receive consistent support and have clear boundaries in place. They all say that the support they receive from the manager has been excellent and has given them fresh inspiration to strive for outstanding outcomes for young people, irrespective of their starting points. One staff member said, ‘We have worked hard over the past year to form a strong, positive team. We

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Outstanding

are all ambitious for our young people and will continue to be.’

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Good

Young people’s individual needs are fully considered prior to their admission to the home. This consideration is by the manager, in consultation with staff, taking into account the needs of the other young people living at the home. This enables a true assessment to be made of how the home will support all young people. Prior to planned admissions, the manager requires placing authority social workers to provide documentation, including care plans, any risk assessments and delegated authority authorisation. When a young person is placed in an emergency, this information is required as soon as possible, and prior to the formal planning meeting. This means that the home has a good understanding of individual needs, including safeguarding concerns, from the onset of placement. This enables effective safeguarding and risk assessments to be incorporated within the overall care plan. Young people are fully consulted in the development of their plans.

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Good

There are clear procedures in place for staff to follow in the event of young people being absent or missing from care. They do all they can to locate them and encourage them to return home. They work in partnership with other agencies responsible for safeguarding, including the police and the Local Safeguarding Children Board. As a result of proactive strategies and positive engagement with young people, there has been a significant reduction in incidents of young people being absent from the home. Young people are positive about their placement. One young person said, ‘I feel safe and enjoy living here. I want to be successful in my future and I want to stay here until I am ready to live on my own.’ Another young person said, ‘I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first moved here, but I’m happy I did. It’s a great place to live.’

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Good

Young people have a good understanding of potential risks they may face within the community and by using the internet. Staff engage and educate them by involving them in completing individual work created specifically for young people. It supports them to value themselves and have the confidence to raise concerns with trusted adults. This also covers online safety awareness, and regular monitoring and safety measures on the in-house computer system support this.

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Good

Behaviour management strategies are individually based and focus on treating all people with dignity and respect. Praise and rewards for behaviour are used far more than negative sanctions. However, where sanctions are used, they have previously been discussed and agreed with the young people, who feel the rules and sanctions are fair. One young person said, ‘I don’t have any problem with the rules here. Staff are open and honest and involve me in discussions about my behaviour.’ Staff training focuses on de-escalation techniques and this means that the use of physical intervention is rare and is only used to minimise the risk of harm to the young person or others. Records in relation to restraints are detailed and provide a clear audit trail of why they were used and the measures to minimise future usage. The manager reviews these and ensures that young people are supported to contribute their comments.

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Good

Behaviours within the local community have improved significantly. Previous issues that the home experienced with local neighbours have been addressed effectively. Staff offer neighbours the opportunity to complete questionnaires about the home. One neighbour commented, ‘Young people and staff are polite and courteous and the atmosphere is better than it has been in over 20 years. Staff work positively with the young people, teach them about citizenship and will challenge if behaviours are unacceptable.’

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Good

Young people are aware of how to raise a concern or complaint. This information is provided within the children’s guide and also by staff within the young people’s meetings. Their views are taken seriously and they all have independent advocates to speak with in addition to staff and management.

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Good

Staff understand the importance of reporting any allegations and the procedures to follow. These have been discussed within training and also within staff meetings to ensure that the information is clearly understood by all. The staff are also aware of the whistle-blowing policy and their role in ensuring that any concerns about practice are reported. These measures further promote the safety and welfare of young people.

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Good

Recruitment and selection is robust. There is a consistent staff team providing care and support, which minimises the need for the use of agency staff. To support this, the home also uses staff who work for the organisation on a flexible basis if required. These staff are also subject to recruitment and selection processes. The manager ensures that all information regarding staff is maintained within the home. However, information for one flexible worker was not held by the home as required. Although this person is not currently undertaking any work there, the manager is aware that this information is required prior to them doing so again, and a requirement has been raised in connection with this. Visitors to the home are vetted to help to make sure that the young people remain safe and protected within the home. Regular maintenance and repairs ensure that the home provides a safe environment for all living there. Refurbishment to the home provides young people

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Good

with a warm and welcoming environment. They are able to personalise their rooms in accordance with their personal preferences. They are also involved in discussions around the colour scheme and furnishings within the communal areas of the home. Recent discussions have identified the repainting of the hall, stairs and landing as required to provide a brighter area. The planned maintenance of the fence to the rear of the property has been discussed with neighbours and has been agreed.

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Good

Regular health and safety checks are completed and all young people are aware of the procedure to follow in the event of a fire. This means that the health and safety of young people is promoted effectively.

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Good

The registered manager has been in post since September 2015. She has previous experience of managing a home and has worked within residential care as a residential worker, a senior and a deputy manager. She holds relevant qualifications and is due to commence social work training alongside her post to underpin her knowledge further. She leads a consistent team, which also has a wealth of experience and knowledge. The vast majority of the team members hold level 3 qualifications in working with children and young people, with the remaining two staff due to complete these in October 2016. This ensures that young people are supported by experienced and qualified staff.

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Good

The aims and objectives of the home are outlined in the statement of purpose. The home adheres to this document, making sure that it is available to all placing social workers, family members and other interested parties. The document is regularly reviewed and kept updated.

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Good

The manager and staff are committed to providing young people with care and support to enable them to make secure attachments, and to progress from their starting points. This progress is clearly monitored and reflected within their progress reports and children looked after reviews. Placing social workers are positive about the progress that young people are making. The manager of the home is proactive in challenging any shortfalls that have an impact on young people and their progress.

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Good

The strong leadership has enabled staff to feel confident within their roles and to take greater responsibilities in promoting the care of the young people. One member of staff said, ‘We benefit from being managed effectively and enabled to develop our skills, which has a positive impact on our young people’s progress and outcomes.’ Another member of staff said, ‘My understanding and confidence has increased substantially over the past year. This is a good home to work in and team working is our strength.’

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Good

The staff team receives regular training and reflects on its practice. This means that young people are supported by a well-managed, effectively supervised and experienced staff team.

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Good

The manager maintains regular oversight and monitoring of the home. This is further complemented by external monitoring from a person independent of the organisation. This enables the manager to address any shortfalls identified in a timely manner. Where there are areas of concern, the manager ensures that the appropriate people are notified. This includes placing authority social workers, the police and Ofsted. Detailed records are maintained of these notifications.

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Good

Children’s records are stored securely and maintained confidentially. They reflect clearly individual placements, care plans and progress. Young people are encouraged to contribute to their care plans and provide their views on their achievements and areas for additional support. This means that they have a clear understanding of their plans.

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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 children looked after 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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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