Children's home run by Stockport Supported Accommodation Service 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:

 Many young people, whose care plan is for long-term residential care, are able to return home to their families or move to foster placements from the home.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people and their families, as well as other professionals, are closely involved in planning for their futures.  Contact with families is well-planned and supported, which contributes to a successful rehabilitation home for young people. Support remains ongoing after a young person returns home, to ensure that the plan is sustainable.  The home works closely with other agencies to minimise risks such as going missing from care and sexual exploitation of young people. The staff team has a clear understanding of risks presented and staff actively seek young people when they are missing.  Often, the home has pre-existing relationships with young people and their families, which helps them to settle and make positive progress within the home with staff who are already familiar to them and have an understanding of their needs.  The home works to a restorative practice model which is in place across the

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The children's home provision is good because:

placing authority and, therefore, promotes continuity of practice.  The home is led by an aspirational registered manager who models good practice to staff. Staff feel well supported and have access to training to develop their professional skills.  Leaders and staff take a highly proactive role in care planning for young people, and will challenge where necessary to ensure that young people’s needs are met.  Feedback from professionals is very positive about the progress young people make and the level of communication they have with the home.

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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

The registered person must notify HMCI and each relevant person without delay if: (e) there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. In particular, this refers to a child going missing who is considered to be at risk due to age or vulnerability. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 06/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person's report to: (a) HMCI. (Regulation 44 (7) (a )) 28/02/2017

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is managed by a local authority.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/07/2015 Full Good 20/03/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness 17/09/2014 Full Adequate

p.5

Good

The vast majority of young people make very positive progress at the home. Some, whose care plans identified long-term residential care as the appropriate option, have successfully returned home or have moved to foster care placements. This is the result of effective planning and work undertaken by the staff team with young people, their families and other professionals. Professionals connected with the home refer to the good two-way communication and the proactive and knowledgeable approach taken by staff, which has positively impacted on care planning.

p.6

Good

Young people are involved in care planning and supported to understand the process of achieving their goals. The staff know each individual well, or are developing relationships with young people recently admitted to the home, to understand their needs and interests and take a genuine interest and pride in their achievements. There is a clear sense that the staff team wants to support young people to make successful transitions to new placements and follow a consistent approach to ensuring this is achieved. Young people are at the centre of their practice.

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Good

A member of the local authority’s participation team visits young people when they are first admitted to the home as well as on a monthly basis. This ensures that young people have access to an independent advocate if they have any complaints or concerns. Young people say that they feel they can talk to staff and, if they do not attend meetings, they feel able to ask what is happening.

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Good

While school attendance is encouraged and there is access to appropriate homework facilities, not all young people attend education at a level which is likely to maximise their potential. Staff at the home liaise with schools, including the virtual school, to try to overcome barriers to accessing education and to identify alternatives, including supporting young people to complete school work within the home. The staff communicate with education settings and young people to try to make improvements in attendance and educational achievement, with some success. Outside of school, young people are able to participate in activities according to their interests.

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Good

Young people are supported to develop self-care and life skills. One young person now successfully follows a morning routine, with staff encouragement, so that he is able to wash and dress himself. Staff have implemented an approach which takes into account his learning needs to provide him with stable and predictable routines and plans. The staff provide positive praise in acknowledgement of, and support him to understand, appropriate behaviours. Another young person is currently undertaking an independent living programme to take greater responsibility and more control in life, for example in managing a budget. Engagement with staff to progress this plan has been impacted upon by increased contact with family members and some of the choices the young person makes. However, the home has requested a meeting with professionals and family to ensure a shared responsibility in supporting a positive transition to adulthood.

p.6

Good

The home has good links with healthcare professionals and benefits from the advice provided by mental health professionals, both in responding to the day-to- day health needs of young people as well as insight into trauma and its impact. Staff at the home also work with the Mosaic Team to support any young people who may have substance or alcohol issues. One child, diagnosed with epilepsy, has a seizure plan. Understanding of his needs and appropriate strategies, such as low arousal activities, have reduced the number of seizures he experiences. Another young person is supported by her keyworker to manage her own medication with reminders through key working sessions and suggestions, such as setting an alarm on her phone to remind her. Health issues that might be potentially contagious are quickly responded to in order to reduce cross-contamination and all relevant family members and professionals are notified immediately.

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Good

Contact with family members is promoted well, in line with care plans. There are clear plans to identify when and where contact takes place, particularly as part of a plan to return to the family home. Staff communicate effectively with families to ensure that this is positive and to offer support as required, particularly when young people stay away from the home overnight. One parent acknowledged the support to the family as well as to her child. Staff from the home continue to provide ongoing and meaningful support to families after a young person has returned home in order to promote its successful continuation and prevent a return to residential care. This contributes to successful transitions to home for young people.

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Good

Risks to the safety of young people at the home are clearly identified and staff understand the plans in place to reduce such risks. Assessments are regularly reviewed to ensure that all agencies are working together to protect young people from harm.

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Good

The home now has a missing child policy in place which meets the requirement of the last inspection and adheres to the Greater Manchester Safeguarding Partnership protocol. The home suitably highlight cases where social workers’ completion of missing from home risk assessments lack detail and will request risk strategy meetings when young people have gone missing repeatedly. Staff will always speak with young people when they return to the home and encourage their involvement in planning to identify why they go missing and help them to understand the potential risks this may present. Independent return interviews are completed by a member of the local authority’s participation team. However, they are not always conducted in a timely manner, which means that the home does not have access to information that might support them to protect young people from harm in the future.

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Good

Staff identify the benefit of looking for young people when they go missing as they are able to develop a greater understanding of where young people go and with whom they associate. This contributes to good working relationships with the police and the Phoenix Team to share intelligence, which reduces the risk of sexual exploitation of young people. One young person’s risks reduced significantly and she has been successfully placed with a family member and continues to make positive progress. The home successfully worked to progress the move of another young person sooner in response to increasing risks to herself and other young people going missing. This highlighted a need to improve the matching of young people with those already living at the home. The manager ensured that there was a clear contingency plan in place for one young person placed at the home to ensure that, if he reverted to previous patterns of behaviour, swift action would be

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Good

taken to secure a more appropriate placement.

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Good

Staff have a clear understanding of the potential risks to young people arising from internet use. There is appropriate software to safeguard young people from accessing inappropriate internet sites and staff monitor young people when they are using computers.

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Good

Many of the young people who move to the home are already known by the staff team. This means that staff have a good understanding of their needs and vulnerabilities and are able to help them to settle. One child is now identified to be vulnerable of being led by young people who are new to the home. This can impact on his safety as a result of his behaviours, such as a greater likelihood to go missing. Staff need to identify strategies to mitigate this impact to ensure they are able to protect him.

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Good

The home works to a restorative practice model of ‘high challenge, high support’. This means that staff implement clear boundaries and work in a solution-focused manner to promote positive outcomes. They support young people to identify strategies which help them to manage their feelings and behaviours. Incentives are used to promote positive behaviour, such as attending school and health appointments. Recorded incidents of bullying are low and restorative practice is used to resolve conflict between young people. Where physical intervention is required to ensure the safety of a young person or others, there is appropriate oversight of recording to ensure that it is necessary and proportionate. Behaviour management plans clearly identify appropriate methods to be used, in line with training undertaken. Young people and staff are debriefed after physical interventions and key working sessions are undertaken to

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Good

develop the young person’s understanding of their behaviours.

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Good

Significant events have not always been notified to Ofsted, including when highly vulnerable young people go missing and a requirement is, therefore, made in this respect. However, the home has involved other relevant professional parties in such incidents.

p.9

Good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager who has been in the post since April 2015. She receives good support and supervision from the responsible individual, with whom she shares a clear commitment to continued improvement. The registered manager is supported by a deputy who has recently joined the home from the intensive support team.

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Good

There have been some new additions to the staff team, who have been suitably vetted as part of their recruitment. All members of staff are appropriately qualified, or are enrolled on a Level 3 childcare qualification. Staff confirm that they receive regular supervision, feel well supported in their role and are given developmental opportunities which reflect their experience. They are given opportunities to make suggestions to changes within the home, as well as identifying training which will enhance their knowledge and quality of care and work cohesively to provide consistency of care. One newer member of staff said he valued the modelling of practice and approach shown by the leadership. Another found the efficient way of working implemented by the manager ‘revolutionary’. Swift action is taken by the manager where staff members are not performing to expected levels of competency.

p.9

Good

The manager and staff take a proactive role in care planning, attending meetings and advocating appropriately to ensure that care plans promote positive outcomes for young people. Working closely with the intensive support team means that there are smooth transitions for young people returning to live at home and that these are within appropriate timescales. Leaders and staff have effective working relationships and will challenge other professionals, where necessary, to secure positive outcomes for young people living at the home. Improvements have been made to the recording of young people’s everyday experiences, providing a clear narrative which demonstrates their achievements. Plans are designed to set clear objectives that can be measured and reviewed to track the progress young people are making on a monthly basis. Joint working with the intensive support team, in particular, contributes to continuity and successful

p.9

Good

The home works within the ethos and objectives of its statement of purpose and is physically maintained to a high standard. Young people are encouraged to be involved in activities such as painting and gardening to contribute to a sense of homeliness.

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Good

Significant events are notified to the young person’s social worker promptly. Social workers say they welcome the input of staff at the home and their responsive approach to adapt plans where necessary. One social worker said she had been apprehensive about a young person with learning needs moving to the home, but feels he is now thriving and that it is ‘heart-warming to visit and see him chilled and chatty’. An independent reviewing officer said that he felt optimistic for the future of another young person who has done ‘extraordinarily well’.

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Good

The manager routinely monitors the progress young people make and seeks to improve the standard and quality of their care. There is a clear development plan in place for the home which is reviewed quarterly. The performance of the home is also monitored by an independent professional who visits monthly. However, monitoring reports have not always been received by Ofsted in a timely manner and consequently a requirement is made in respect of this issue.

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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, 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 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, workbased 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 at 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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