Children's home run by The Together Trust in Stockport

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness .

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people benefit from living in a very homely and warm home where they say they feel safe and that they like the staff. One young person commented that living in the home is ’great, actually feels like a home instead of a place you stay until you move.’ Young people continue to have strong, positive relationships with staff who have a good understanding of young people’s needs. Staff work together in a consistent way to help young people make progress in areas such as health, education and behaviour.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

For some young people there has been a significant reduction in challenging behaviour due to staff spending time with young people getting to know them and identifying triggers to their behaviour. The company psychologist provides staff with guidance on consistent approaches to use when managing young people’s challenging behaviour which ensures that young people receive an individualised and consistent approach from the staff team. One young person commented that, ‘People are listening to me more. I am not getting angry at all now. If I do feel angry I tell people.’ Another young person felt that staff have, ‘helped me with my confidence, shyness and emotions,’ demonstrating the impact living in the home has had on him.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people make significant progress in their health due to staff working closely with health professionals and fully implementing advice given by health professionals in the young people’s day-to-day lives. This has resulted in one young person stopping smoking completely and losing weight, which will make a significant difference to his health and self-esteem. Staff encourage young people to participate in a healthy lifestyle by encouraging them to go to the gym and a boxing class in the local community which affords them social opportunities as well as helping them improve their physical health.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff give young people’s education a high priority. One young person is attending college full time doing an engineering course to prepare him for his working life in the future. For one young person whose emotional health is impacting on his attendance at school there is clear evidence of good multi-agency working with the school and virtual school to address this. This has resulted in a short-term plan for a reduced timetable and home tutoring with the aim of increasing his attendance to full-time. The manager has also effectively liaised with health professionals such as the looked after nurse and the child and adolescent mental health service to address emotional difficulties which are having an impact on his school attendance.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff continue to be proactive in promoting contact between young people and family members in line with their individual care plans where it is safe to do so. One young person was supported by staff to spend Christmas with a family member who lives some distance away. This supports young people to maintain family relationships, which promotes a strong sense of identity.

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been no new admissions to the home or young people discharged since the full inspection. One young person will turn 18 in the next 12 months and there is already planning taking place for this transition. The manager has learned

p.3

proactive in making sure that good and timely planning takes place to

guarantee a positive transition for the young person.

p.3

proactive in making sure that good and timely planning takes place to

Young people are safe living in the home. There have been no incidents of missing, restraint, notifications, complaints or allegations since the last full inspection. This is testament to the positive relationships staff develop with young people which enables positive and meaningful work to be undertaken with them on their behaviour and individual risk. There has been a significant reduction in missing behaviour for one young person since living in the home. This is significant progress and demonstrates that he is increasingly safe. Staff have a good understanding of missing-from-home protocols and safeguarding procedures which means that young people are protected from harm.

p.3

proactive in making sure that good and timely planning takes place to

There were no requirements made at the last inspection and the three recommendations made have been adequately addressed. The manager has been in contact with the police and updated the location risk assessment to include child sexual exploitation and radicalisation.

p.3

proactive in making sure that good and timely planning takes place to

There is now good evidence of consultation with young people through key work sessions and direct consultation by the manager who meets with the young people individually to obtain their views. The manager is very child focused in her approach to this, offering young people the choice of how often and where these consultations take place and following through young people’s views expressed during these when appropriate. One young person had requested consultation sessions happen more often and this has been implemented by the manager. As a result young people feel listened to and their views are central to the running of the home. This also contributes to the manager’s monitoring of the home.

p.3

proactive in making sure that good and timely planning takes place to

Following the last inspection the manager has ensured that there are clear behaviour management strategies in place and that there is a consistent approach by all staff in following these plans . This has been underpinned by attachment and trauma training completed by the manager. Two other staff members are also completing this training. The in-house clinical psychologist has had some direct input with staff in a team meeting to assist with strategies in managing one young person’s behaviour to ensure a consistent approach across this team.

p.3

proactive in making sure that good and timely planning takes place to

The manager effectively monitors the quality of care and practice of staff. She is proactive at obtaining feedback from young people and is passionate about developing the team so that they are all basing their practice on attachment theory with the aim to improve outcomes for young people.

p.4

proactive in making sure that good and timely planning takes place to

A small number of shortfalls were identified about the manager’s recording of an incident in the home. The incident was managed by staff member and did not result in any physical intervention of the young person. However, the staff member had reflected that they could have managed this situation a different way. There was no date of the evaluation recorded by the manager or any record of any supervision which followed to support the staff member in her practice for the future. There is limited impact on young people due to the high standard of care provided by staff overall and the good outcomes being achieved by young people.

p.4

Information about this children's home

The children's home is owned and operated by a voluntary organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for two young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

p.5

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 03/10/2016 Full Good 17/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/11/2015 Full Outstanding 11/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

p.5

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Staff should be familiar with home’s policies on record keeping and understanding the importance of careful objective and clear recording. This is with particular reference to the evaluation of significant incidents in the home and a dated record being kept of the evaluation and actions put in place following such an incident. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 62, paragraph 14.4)  A record of supervision must be kept for staff. This is in relation to the supervision matrix being kept up to date and the registered manager being able to access staff supervision records. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.3)

p.6

What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection’.

p.7

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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

p.7

Information about this inspection

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 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 .

p.7

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,

p.8

Information about this inspection

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

p.8

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.8

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.8