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 a high staff ratio, with a consistent and stable staff team. Staff build up a rapport with the young person quickly, and this results in a strong relationship between the young person and staff.  The young person receives highly individualised care. Staff spend a significant amount of time getting to know the young person and his likes and dislikes. Staff have identified the young person’s unique strengths and interests and have utilised these to engage him in activities in and out of the home.  Staff understand the risks associated with the young person going missing and becoming involved in anti-social behaviour. When the young person goes missing, staff follow and search for him and report him missing to the police.  Staff undertake a high level of direct one-to-one work with the young person on relevant areas such as going missing and anti-social behaviour to support

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The children's home provision is good because:

his progress and keep him safe from harm.  The manager and staff work closely with other agencies such as the police and local authority. This means that the young person is supported to learn what safe and acceptable behaviour is.  Young people are rarely physically restrained, but when they are this is to prevent them from harm. There are some shortfalls in the evaluation of restraint after it has occurred which have meant that opportunities to amend practice in line with a young person’s needs have been missed.  Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and practice but do not always inform the local authority designated officer when an allegation has been made.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the relevant officer or teams within the local authority are informed promptly of any allegations that come to an employer’s attention. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.18)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered manager and staff review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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Information about this children's home

This home is owned and managed by a private organisation, which has a number of other homes. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children and young people who may be experiencing emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 22/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/10/2015 Full Good 04/03/2015 Full Good 27/08/2014 Interim Not judged

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Good

There is currently one young person living in the home. Since the last full inspection, there has been one young person admitted to the home and one young person has moved on to another placement. There is a high staff ratio. This means that the young person has developed a strong relationship with staff considering the short time he has lived in the home. Staff present as genuinely interested in the young person and want to promote his welfare. The young person commented that staff were ‘great’ and would ‘help you with anything’. The young person lives in a warm and homely environment, which is well maintained. Staff have supported the young person to personalise his bedroom, and he has chosen the colour of his favourite football team for the walls. There are photos on display in the home of the young person participating in activities such as ice-skating and baking, which will promote the young person’s self-confidence

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Good

and self-esteem. Staff spend time with the young person finding out about his interests and encourage a range of activities, such as attending a local football group, go-karting and home baking. Staff encourage the young person to bring friends home, which ensures that he feels supported by the home in developing positive social relationships. Staff consult the young person about his wishes and feelings regularly, on all aspects of the home and his care. Staff hold regular young people’s meetings where the young person’s views are listened to and recorded on the case file. The young person attends the end of staff meetings and is supported to prepare for any meetings regarding his care. This means that the young person is actively involved in all aspects of his care. The young person is receiving tutoring in the home five days per week. Staff are proactive in challenging the local authority in an effort to obtain a full-time school

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Good

place for the young person. They recognise the importance of education and the benefit that attending school will have, not only on the young person’s educational attainment but also in providing the opportunity for him to develop a friendship group in the local area. Staff are proactive in supporting the young person to have contact with family members in line with his care plan. As a result, he maintains family relationships, which will promote a sense of belonging and identity. Staff encourage the young person to develop life skills, including doing his own washing, cooking and keeping his room tidy. This will assist the young person to learn the skills he will require as an adult. Staff ensure that young people’s welfare remains of paramount importance when transitions in and out of the home are unplanned. For example, staff have maintained telephone and direct contact with one young person who has recently

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Good

left the home. This has provided consistency for the young person and has enabled her to maintain the strong relationships she had developed with staff while she was living in the home.

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Good

The young person lives in a safe environment. Staff have a good understanding of the risks associated with the young person, particularly in respect of going missing and anti-social behaviour. One young person’s placement ended due to a high level of missing episodes and child sexual exploitation although there was a robust multi-agency approach to keep the young person safe from harm. One police officer reported that staff were ‘really switched on’ regarding the risk factors for this young person. When the young person goes missing, staff are proactive. They actively look for him and attempt to make contact with him and his family members by telephone. On his return staff spend time with the young person, trying to understand the reasons for him going missing, and actively engage him in activities in the home and local area to try to minimise missing behaviour. The young person benefits from clear boundaries and routine, and this promotes

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Good

positive behaviour in the home. Staff support the young person to make the right choices about his behaviour and to keep him safe, and use strategies such as humour and distraction to keep the young person engaged in constructive activities within and outside the home. Staff reward the young person for positive behaviour and provide a high level of one-to-one work with the young person which is targeted at minimising risk-taking behaviours. When sanctions are used, they are age-appropriate and relate to the behaviour. This means that the young person is supported to develop and learn positive behaviours. Physical restraint is rarely used because staff use effective strategies to de-escalate situations. When restraint is used, it is carried out in accordance with the legislative framework. However, it is not sufficiently evaluated afterwards to consider whether practice needs to be amended or improved in the future. The one restraint that

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Good

was carried out led to the young person making an allegation, which, although it was retracted straight after the incident, was not reported to the local authority designated officer. The young person lives in a safe home environment. The young person is protected by safe and effective recruitment practices. Regular fire drills are carried out to ensure that staff and young people know what action to take in the event of a fire, and the young person hands in his cigarettes each night to reduce any fire risk. There are thorough and up-to-date assessments of potential risks in the home environment to minimise any risk to staff and the young person.

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Good

The home is managed effectively and efficiently by a permanent, suitably experienced and qualified manager who has been in post since 2007. He is also registered to manage two other homes within the company but ensures that he is present in this home each day. The registered manager has a good understanding of the plans for the young person in placement and ensures that care is delivered in line with the aims and objectives set out in the statement of purpose. The registered manager is well supported by an experienced and committed assistant team manager who is very child-focused and supports the management of the home. The home is staffed by a small, stable and permanent staff team. Staff are experienced in working with young people and are committed to supporting the young people to make progress. A new member of staff has been brought in from another home to ensure that there is a mix in gender in the staff team and to

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Good

provide a male role model for the young person in home. Staff feel well supported by the registered manager and receive regular and reflective supervision. Staff receive regular and relevant training which ensures their continuing professional development and understanding of the young person’s needs. The registered manager and staff work collaboratively with other agencies such as police and social workers to ensure that the young person’s needs are met in line with his care plan. The registered manager and staff advocate on behalf of the young person and challenge services when necessary to ensure that the young person’s needs are met. The registered manager and staff ensure that the young person’s case records are clear and up to date and that they reflect the young person’s everyday life. The young person’s views on all aspects of his care are clearly recorded throughout the file, for example his views on each key work session.

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Good

The registered manager attends regular partnership meetings at which up-to-date information about risks in the local area, such as child sexual exploitation, are disseminated. Staff would benefit from this information being regularly recorded in the locality risk assessments to ensure that it is accessible to all staff and to assist them in utilising this information in young people’s 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 that 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 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

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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, 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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