Children's home in Stockport

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.2

Summary of findings

 The home provides good day-to-day care which is individually tailored to meet each child’s needs. Children make progress across all areas of their development.

p.3

Summary of findings

 Staff know the children well and provide clear boundaries and consistent care. Over time, children begin to build strong bonds with the staff team members and learn to trust them. Contact with families is well supported through good relationships with parents and others.

p.3

Summary of findings

 Children’s safety is central to practice. Individual risk assessments inform the home’s response to serious incidents and, where necessary, the home contributes to discussions and decision-making about children’s safety.

p.3

Summary of findings

 Children benefit from effective partnership working. Good links with professionals who provide a service to children ensure that children’s needs are identified and are increasingly well met.

p.3

Summary of findings

 The level of damage caused by children is reducing. Improvements to the fabric and decor of the home are well underway, so that the home provides a more comfortable and homely environment than in the recent past.

p.3

Summary of findings

 Transitions to the home are well managed, with careful attention to the needs of all children through effective compatibility assessments.

p.3

Summary of findings

 Children approaching independence do not always engage well with tasks aimed at helping them develop skills in looking after themselves.

p.3

Summary of findings

 Despite the good advice provided by staff and others, some children continue to behave in a way that risks their own safety and well-being. Consequently, they continue to be at risk of sexual exploitation and self- injurious behaviour, although there are signs that the frequency of dangerous risk-taking behaviour is reducing.

p.3

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that the statement of purpose accurately sets out how the home provides individualised care that meets the quality standards and that changes in the statement of purpose are clearly notified to Ofsted. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, para 3.5)  Ensure that case records, including children's individual risk assessments, are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, para 14.3)  Help each child to prepare for the future by supporting children to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home's support and, where the child is moving to live independently, do more to help the child develop practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care.

p.4

Recommendations

(‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, para 3.27)

p.4

Information about this children's home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is run by a charitable organisation in partnership with the local authority.

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 15/06/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/03/2016 Full Requires improvement 12/11/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/02/2015 Full Good

p.5

Good

Children benefit from consistent care and clear boundaries from a well-formed staff team. Consequently, they know what to expect and what is expected of them. Their challenging and anti-social behaviours reduce as they become involved in the daily life of the home. They benefit from good routines and responsive staff. One social worker said: ‘They are implementing the care plan really well. It’s a stable, safe placement and they are providing consistency, stability, access to education and social activities. All his needs are met.’ Another social worker said: ‘They enable him to access activities safely without the risk of criminalisation because they supervise him well. They are helping him to develop confidence so he can learn to keep himself safe.’

p.6

Good

Transitions are well managed through carefully completed compatibility assessments. The home considers how the home will meet the child’s needs, including their safety requirements, alongside the needs of children already in placement. A partner professional said: ‘They were insistent on holding matching meetings and having a well-planned move. It was carefully managed and has been a really good match.’

p.6

Good

Children seek approval from staff and share their successes and achievements with them. For example, children are pleased and excited to tell staff about achievements at school and enjoy the praise they receive for this. Over time, children develop secure relationships with the staff team members, learning to trust them and to listen to their advice and guidance. Partner professionals recognise this, and one said: ‘They know and understand him really well. They have a good relationship with him.’ Another partner professional said, in relation to a different child: ‘He is comfortable there. He has good relationships with the staff.’

p.6

Good

Children enjoy a range of activities in accordance with their own interests, and staff join in with them whenever possible, which assists in the development of positive relationships. Diversity is promoted, and children benefit from being accepted as themselves. This helps them to be open with staff, to develop confidence and self- esteem and to enjoy their lives more.

p.6

Good

The home supports children to access psychological assessments and appointments with health and other professionals. Staff seek advice from relevant professionals to support their work with individual children so as to better meet their complex emotional, psychological and health needs. There are signs of some children becoming calmer and more able to manage disappointments and make sensible decisions. Other children make slow progress and resort to self-harm or dangerous behaviour at times of stress. Staff know all the children well, and as one professional explained, in the case of a particular child: ‘[Staff] are doing everything asked of them; they have a great insight into him and a really good understanding of his needs. They really try to engage him, but he needs a therapeutic environment and we need to make some decisions about that.’

p.6

Good

The home supports children’s education very well, with effective partnership working with the virtual school and children’s education providers. Children who have missed excessive amounts of education before moving to the home are re- engaging with education and have 100% attendance. A head teacher said: ‘He had a good integration plan, attends on time every day and the home provides all the information we need. They give us a good handover of any issues. He likes coming to school.’

p.7

Good

Staff listen to children and encourage them to make their views and wishes known. They take these into account in daily planning and, where necessary, explain to children why they cannot meet their requests. The home supports children to reflect on their behaviour and to make positive changes in their lives. Children have no concerns about the home or the way that they are being looked after. They recognise that staff care about them, and they enjoy the time they spend with staff.

p.7

Good

The home advocates for young people whose college placements do not meet their needs, and staff work hard to encourage children to engage in college courses. Although the home encourages young people to learn independence skills and to participate in voluntary work when not at college, some young people make little progress in these areas and spend long periods of the day in bed. The home needs to do more to help children and young people prepare for future independent living.

p.7

Good

The home supports children to maintain contact with their families and promotes a sense of identity. Parents report that they are satisfied with the quality of care, although one parent raised a concern about the standard of the environment. This has been addressed by the home. A social worker said: ‘They manage contact really well. There is an element of risk that they manage and they have built good relationships with the family.’ This helps to ensure that contact is a positive experience for children and their families and helps to repair damaged relationships.

p.7

Good

Staff have a good understanding of children’s safety needs and support them in accordance with individual protocols. This helps children to become increasingly safe. Those who have displayed high levels of unsafe behaviour in previous placements are well supported and supervised. This helps them to make safe choices and reduces their opportunity to engage in criminal, anti-social or unsafe behaviour.

p.8

Good

Person-centred, written risk assessments address the safety needs of each child. These cover a wide range of potential risks, including those that are specific to each child. Although they are reviewed following incidents, some sections are not updated and aspects of the documents are repetitive. The date of review is not always logged and is unreliable, although the content of the document shows that good and regular review of risks is taking place.

p.8

Good

The home enables children to take age-appropriate risks in accordance with agreed placement plans, taking into account the child’s emotional and behavioural needs. For example, some children have high levels of supervision in the community while learning social boundaries and developing self-control. Others are allowed to spend time out with friends. Staff maintain phone contact with them and do face-to-face checks to ensure that they are safe. They build friendly relationships with children’s friends and parents of friends, which help children to stay safe. For example, one child’s friends have contacted the staff when they have been concerned that the child is engaging in dangerous or self-injurious behaviour, and this has enabled staff to quickly step in and prevent serious harm.

p.8

Good

Staff protect children who go missing, in line with individual missing-from-care protocols, and work collaboratively with other agencies to promote children’s safety and reduce the risk of harm. For example, they search for missing children, contact friends and family and engage fully in missing-from-care strategy meetings where safeguarding plans are agreed. They make children welcome on their return and talk to them about the reasons for going missing. They encourage the local authority to conduct independent return interviews so that children have the opportunity to share any concerns they might have about the home with an independent person. Through review of each incident, the home strives to continuously improve practice and address the safety needs of individual children. A safeguarding professional said: ‘This is a brilliant home. The staff are really good. They are open with us and the young person. He can speak openly to staff because

p.8

Good

Since the last full inspection, one child has been reported missing 15 times and has moved to a more suitable placement. Another child has been reported missing 30 times, but this includes only five incidents within the last three months, and there is clear evidence that this behaviour is reducing. A social worker commented: ‘They are good at managing risks for this complex young person. Although he is still really vulnerable, there is a reduction in the missing incidents which is due to the work that staff are doing with him.’ The home provides good support to children who are at risk of child sexual exploitation, and staff attend core group meetings that focus on protecting individual children. Staff encourage and support children to attend meetings with specialist workers, and encourage them to stay safe online, when using social media and in the community. Although one child continues to engage in behaviour

p.8

Good

that risks his safety, there are signs that he is becoming more aware of dangers. For example, he has shared information with staff when he has recognised that he has been at risk of exploitation. This has enabled staff to work with other agencies to take action that has protected him.

p.9

Good

The home provides clear boundaries that help children to feel safe. Staff supervise children closely, recognising triggers for challenging behaviour and intervening in situations early and effectively. This reduces the likelihood of bullying and, over time, helps children to regain their composure so that they resort to high levels of destructive and challenging behaviour less frequently, and this reduces the need for restraint. One child has not needed restraint for over five months, which demonstrates that he is managing his anxieties much better.

p.9

Good

The home is well led by an experienced and qualified registered manager who has been in post since 2014. She is responsible for this and another home run by the organisation and divides her time equally between the two homes. She is assisted by two assistant managers who, under her guidance, take responsibility for much of the day-to-day leadership of the home, staff supervision and for reviewing incidents, sanctions and restraints. Monitoring and review of children’s progress is good. Through providing regular reports to social workers and, where appropriate, parents, the home ensures that placing authorities are well informed about children’s progress.

p.9

Good

Staff report that they are well supervised and supported and express confidence in the leadership team. The managers and staff know the children well and have a good understanding of their needs. They are up to date with children’s placement plans. Managers provide good opportunities for staff to reflect on their practice through child-focused team meetings and case discussions in regular one-to-one meetings.

p.9

Good

New staff are introduced to the home carefully, and the quality of their induction is such that they soon become familiar with the processes and routines of the home. This enables them to respond effectively and consistently to children. Children make progress in all aspects of their development, and the children currently in placement are clearly benefitting from the stable, secure placements and good quality of care. However, the pace of progress for some is slow. The manager wants to address this by enabling staff to further develop their parenting skills and their understanding of attachment disorders, so that they can better respond to children, in a more nurturing and effective way. She has set up appropriate training, which is due to take place over the next six months.

p.9

Good

The manager recognises that the commitment, resilience and enthusiasm of the staff team is a key strength of the home. Staff go the extra mile to help children have enjoyable experiences and to engage with them in a positive, nurturing and safe way.

p.10

Good

The manager formally reviews the operation of the home and children’s progress every six months and takes action to drive improvement. For example, she has made efforts to get feedback from children, parents and social workers and recognises that she needs to do more to ensure that social workers’ views are obtained to inform the development of the home. Improvements to the decor of the home are well underway. An improved focus on supervision of children, early intervention and engagement in positive activities, has led to a reduction in the level of damage to the fabric of the home.

p.10

Good

The home’s capacity to improve is good. The requirement and recommendations made following the interim inspection have been fully addressed. The home receives monthly visits from an independent person who scrutinises and reports on the quality of care and children’s safety and welfare. These reports are informative and evaluative and accurately reflect the care provided and children’s experiences. Actions raised by the visitor are addressed and ensure that standards of care are maintained.

p.10

Good

The statement of purpose is reviewed each month and a copy forwarded to Ofsted. However, the home does not notify Ofsted of what changes have been made to the document. Some information within the statement of purpose is not accurate. For example, it refers to the use of communication aids that are not used in this home.

p.10

Good

Partnership working is good. Other agencies are very positive about the level of communication that they have with the home and recognise that the home advocates well for children, challenging them, where appropriate, to ensure that children get the best possible service. One professional said: ‘They will challenge me, if necessary, in an appropriate way. For example, I suggested a way forward but they did not agree. They were spot on. They know him really well and it was a great outcome for him.’ A child’s social worker said: ‘They keep me well informed. They tell me immediately by email of any incidents and then send a detailed report through. They keep his mum informed as well.’

p.10

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’.

p.11

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

p.11

What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or that result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

p.11

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 that 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

p.12

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 .

p.12

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.13

Information about this inspection

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

p.13

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.13

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.13