Children's home run by Trax Care Limited in Stockport

Inspection report children’s home: SC434999 1 SC434999 Registered provider: Trax Care Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is one of a number operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children and young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 21 February 2017

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Requires improvement

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC434999 2

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 There has been no registered manager for more than 26 weeks and, as a result, the impact and effectiveness of leaders and managers is inadequate. This leads to an overall ‘experiences and progress’ judgement that cannot exceed requires improvement.  Young people form good, trusting relationships with staff, which underpin good- quality care.  Young people’s needs are central to the running of the home and, as a result, they are making good progress.  Managers and staff work in partnership with placing authorities, other professionals and young people’s families, so that young people receive good- quality, integrated care.  Young people enjoy a range of activities, reflecting their interests and preferences.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Young people and staff maintain trusting relationships, and this enables young people to express their emotions and adapt their behaviours.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Educational needs are supported and met. Young people achieve good attendance and achievement levels.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2017 Full Requires improvement 12/12/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 09/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC434999 3

p.2

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

Ensure that children benefit from, and are supported to develop, relationships based on mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c)) 31/07/17

p.3

Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

p.3

Requirement Due date

Ensure that there is a registered person to lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 13(2)(a)) 31/07/2017

p.3

Requirement Due date

Ensure that notifications made to HMCI under this regulation include details of the matter. (Regulation 40(5)(a)(i)) Specifically, when a serious complaint is made against a member of staff, this must be reported. 31/07/2017

p.3

Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

p.3

improvement to be good

Young people make good progress in many aspects of their lives, because they benefit from well-planned and managed care that is closely monitored by the newly appointed manager of the children’s home. The service that they receive is flexible and adapts to their changing needs. All new staff work very well together. They prioritise making positive and trusting relationships with each young person in their care. One young person said, ‘I am happy here. No problems. Everything is great.’ Another said, ‘I am fine here, settling in. I am doing OK.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC434999 4 Since the last inspection, there have been a number of changes at the home, with young people leaving to go to new placements and other young people arriving. A social worker said of their young person, ‘The manager and staff really helped him with his transition to his new placement. It made things a lot easier for him.’ New young people receive a

p.3

improvement to be good

warm welcome from staff at the home, and staff help them to understand the home’s rules and the boundaries in place to safeguard all young people.

p.4

improvement to be good

Young people are involved in all aspects of their care in the home. They talk to staff about what they enjoy doing in their spare time and about managing their free time. Staff are interested in their leisure activities and take the time to join them on these. For example, staff members accompanied the young people on a day of fishing and were keen to listen to what the young people could tell them about their hobby. As a result, young people are confident in approaching staff, and know that adults are interested in their views and take notice of them.

p.4

improvement to be good

Some young people are new to the home, and a school placement was quickly identified within the company’s own school for one young person. The main focus of the school is on the motor mechanics of bikes and trikes. There is a strong culture in the home of promoting education. The manager and staff are extremely proactive in making sure that all possible avenues are explored, so that all young people have school or college placements to attend as soon as possible. This means that all young people have opportunities to learn and develop in line with their age and stage of development. When young people are not able to engage with their education, this is escalated without delay and the home seeks support from professionals outside the home for strategies to improve the young person’s engagement. Consequently, young people’s progress is constantly reviewed and monitored, and options are considered.

p.4

improvement to be good

Young people embrace opportunities to make progress in their lives. One young person has recently taken the opportunity to do some work experience. While the young person was a little disgruntled that he wouldn’t be paid for the work, staff at the home had reassured him that if he worked hard enough the workplace manager might offer him a part-time position. This gave the young person the drive to pursue the opportunity while also knowing that he had the full support of staff.

p.4

improvement to be good

Young people enjoy good health, and they keep fit and well. They receive good primary healthcare services that ensure that their needs are prioritised. When more specialised services are required, staff ensure that these are in place. Staff talk to young people about lifestyle choices, including smoking and drug misuse, which helps to educate them about risks to their health and well-being.

p.4

improvement to be good

Young people are encouraged to develop age-appropriate skills, and they help with chores around the home, including shopping for their own food, meal preparation and keeping their rooms clean. Young people personalise their own rooms, fostering a sense of ownership and belonging.

p.4

improvement to be good

Relationships between young people, their families and friends are supported and valued Inspection report children’s home: SC434999 5 by staff. Young people continue to see their family, wherever possible, ensuring that they maintain important relationships with their loved ones, and have an understanding of their backgrounds and their identities.

p.4

improvement to be good

Managers and staff work well together to support young people’s behaviour. Staff are skilled in de-escalating situations and helping young people to develop the ability to self- regulate their behaviour. Physical interventions are rare, because of good communication between staff and young people helps most young people to manage their behaviour appropriately.

p.5

improvement to be good

Clear boundaries are not always applied consistently by the staff team and therefore do not help young people to understand the expectations for their behaviour. This is particularly the case in relation to cigarette lighters. While there is a very clear directive that lighters are to be handed in to staff, this does not always happen in practice and, as a result, lighters are being used inappropriately. This means that young people are not always supported to develop socially acceptable behaviour.

p.5

improvement to be good

There have been a few occasions when young people have been away from the home without permission. Staff work closely with the young people to highlight the risks and dangers of being away from the home when adults do not know where they are. Key- work sessions with young people are undertaken frequently, and are well recorded by staff, reflecting important discussions with them about topics such as drug mis-use, being missing from care, relationships, and their reflections on settling into the home. Young people are supported to tell adults if they are worried about any aspect of their life, improving their overall safety.

p.5

improvement to be good

Effective working relationships with local police mean that a strong network of support is available to young people. Police visit the home, helping to break down barriers as young people become familiar with their presence and have more understanding of their role in the community.

p.5

improvement to be good

Young people’s safety is further promoted by the appropriate vetting of staff. There are thorough recruitment processes in place which mean that young people are protected from adults who may wish to harm them.

p.5

improvement to be good

Young people benefit from living in a home which has a safe and secure environment. Regular safety checks ensure that equipment works well and presents no risks to young people. Fire drills are regularly undertaken in line with organisational policy, and all young people are conversant with the need to evacuate from time to time, maintaining vigilance and, thus, safety for all. Inspection report children’s home: SC434999 6

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has been without a registered manager for more than 26 weeks. The management arrangements in the home have been ineffective since the departure of the former manager on 1 May 2016. An application to register the manager of the home was received by Ofsted on 21 June 2017. The application is being processed and references sought prior to the applicant being interviewed.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Attempts to recruit and register a manager have resulted in interim management arrangements over a substantial period. During this period, the responsible individual has spent regular time in the home to monitor and oversee the running of the service.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

As monitoring improves, including a new training matrix, managers are clearer about the training needs of staff. Positively, the managers’ prioritisation of safeguarding, anti- bullying and first aid training demonstrates the management team’s ability to place the safety of young people in paramount position.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

New staff reported satisfaction with their induction to the home and the support that they receive from staff. The management team is clearly making improvements to the organisation, availability and monitoring of staff training.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

All staff receive regular supervision, enabling them to reflect on the welfare of young people and on their own professional development. When staff are in post for more than 12 months, they have an annual appraisal to identify progress and areas for development or improvement. Currently, no staff have been in post at the home for longer than 12 months. One young person commented that he had experienced a whole new staff team since his arrival into the home and that no one had remained there from when he first moved in. This does not provide continuity of care for young people and it can affect their emotional well-being.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager responds to complaints about the home within the home’s complaints procedure timeline, but serious complaints about staff members have not been notified to Ofsted. For example, a concern raised about the integrity of a staff member around finances within the home was not notified to the regulator and this does not demonstrate an open and transparent service. This requirement to notify Ofsted is repeated from the last inspection.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The new manager is continuously developing partnership working, and this is best seen in attempts to improve education outcomes for young people. One young person is now looking forward to a college placement due to the manager meeting with college tutors and challenging the placing authority in order to achieve more suitable education arrangements for the young person.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Independent monitoring is regular and drives improvement in the home as the management team works to address shortfalls. The majority of statutory requirements from the last inspection are met, with the exception of having a registered manager in place, and failing to notify Ofsted of a serious event. Inspection report children’s home: SC434999 7

p.6

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

p.7

Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC434999 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Affinity House, Station View, Hazel Grove, Stockport,Cheshire SK7 5ER

p.8

Inspector(s)

Elaine Clare, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC434999 9 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector(s)

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector(s)

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector(s)

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9