Children's home run by The Together Trust in Stockport

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

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

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Most young people make good progress. Staff have a detailed understanding of young people’s complex needs and develop positive relationships with them. As a result, most young people have a strong sense of belonging and their outcomes improve over time. Young people’s attendance and engagement with school are excellent. Staff offer young people opportunities to build on their academic progress at home by reading to them, playing games and developing their interests. Staff encourage them to develop independent living skills in line with their age and stage of development. For some young people, this represents significant progress when they are able to learn to use public transport to and from school independently. This improves young people’s self-confidence. Young people enjoy spending time with their families. Staff work in partnership with placing authority social workers to carefully assess this to ensure that this only takes place

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

when it is in young people’s best interests.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Staff experience a challenging period as they support young people who are recovering from trauma. Some young people’s behaviour changes and they place themselves and others at increased risk. The registered manager and staff understand these patterns and attempt to engage the placing authority in reviewing some young people’s care. However, this is without sufficient effect to prevent a young person’s placement breaking down.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The registered manager has admitted one young person to the home over this period and three young people have left the home. Some young people leave the home following careful transition periods. Their care planning is effective and they successfully move on to a foster placement. They remain in contact with staff who they have built significant relationships with over the years that they have lived in the home. This maintains their sense of identity. The placing authority social worker is pleased, ‘My young person has had a very positive experience. Staff have prepared her well for her transition to foster care.’ Staff welcome young people into the home when they are new and quickly understand their needs. Staff support them to personalise their rooms and become involved in decision-making within the home. Staff ensure that young people live in a safe environment and most young people become increasingly safe. They understand what to do when young people are

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

missing. Staff follow young people and look for them in familiar places. Staff work in partnership with the police and challenge them when the police’s response to young people is inappropriate. Young people do not always benefit from independent return interviews when they have been missing. Staff understand the importance of these opportunities for gaining information to inform strategic planning of future incidents of going missing. However, their efforts to engage the placing authority in completing them in a timely manner is not always successful.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Staff use their detailed knowledge of young people to manage young people’s behaviour. They monitor patterns of the use of restraint and work with the organisation’s behaviour management trainer to improve their effective use of restraint. Staff record the details of restraint carefully and both staff and young people are able to reflect on the incidents. Staff do not record other incidents in such detail, which is not helpful for young people, or staff, in understanding the outcomes of incidents.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Staff, leaders and managers understand how to manage allegations. They act quickly to protect young people and staff. These records are detailed and provide a clear audit trail of outcomes. The registered manager has an excellent relationship with the designated officer and they meet regularly when required to agree allegation management plans. Staff are skilled in recognising and managing bullying. The registered manager ensures that staff receive regular training so that they are well prepared to complete project work and key work sessions with young people to prevent bullying. As a result, young people reflect on their behaviour and the impact that it has on others and stop their bullying behaviour.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

The leadership and management of the home have improved. The registered manager has made good progress in addressing the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection and the home now looks and feels more welcoming, homely and clean. The registered manager ensures that permanent and temporary staff are safely recruited, preventing unsuitable people from working in the home. When the registered manager identifies areas for improvement in staff’s practice, or inadequate practice, she acts swiftly to improve their practice or remove them from the home. Staff receive appropriate induction and training when they are new to the home and all staff benefit from regular supervision. The registered manager increases the frequency of team meetings when there are challenging periods and she takes staff away from the home on a development day so that they can reflect on and improve their practice.

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

Leaders and managers monitor and evaluate young people’s behaviour and outcomes more stringently. However, there are shortfalls. They have not ensured that all the entries in the visitor’s book are completed or that rotas accurately reflect who has been working in the home. This does not safeguard young people or staff. Staff ensure that they notify Ofsted of serious incidents within the home. However, they do not always send them in a timely manner, which prevents the regulator in monitoring patterns and events as they occur. Leaders and managers make good use of their own reviews of quality of the care provided to young people. The independent visitor’s reports lack a rigorous assessment of significant events and are not always an accurate reflection of what has occurred during the month. This is not helpful in ensuring continual improvement. The registered manager has a good awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

has plans in place to address the latter.

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care for six children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home focuses on admitting younger aged children. The home forms part of a large charitable organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 12/07/2016 Full Good 15/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 23/10/2014 Full Outstanding

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered provider must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(b) the home's day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. 13/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must notify HMCI without delay of any incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 13/03/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Staff should be familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. In particular, staff should fully record outcomes of incidents. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  Where the placing authority does not provide the input and services to meet a child's needs during their time in the home or in preparation for leaving the home, the home must challenge them to meet the child's needs. Staff should act as champions for their children, expecting nothing less than a good parent would. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality

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Recommendations

standards', April 2015, page 12, paragraph 2.8)  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return interview. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', April 2015, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home's arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home's care. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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’.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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 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

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Information about this inspection

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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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