Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Today

Inspection report children’s home: SC044745 1 SC044745 Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today Children’s Services

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for six young people, irrespective of gender, who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned by a private company.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 19 to 20 September 2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 14 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC044745 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are positive about the care and support they receive, and feel safe and comfortable in the home.  Young people receive personalised care and support from staff.  The manager and staff make sure that all young people are supported to attend school.  Young people are encouraged to have their say in the running of the home through participation in regular house meetings and key-work sessions.  Staff promote family contact so that young people can sustain their close relationships with the people who are important to them.  Young people learn independence skills, taking into account their ages and understanding.  Partnership working with relevant agencies provides young people with a consistent, shared approach to their care.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager has not received an annual appraisal.  The manager’s supervision is not sufficiently detailed.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/06/2016 Full Good 10/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/10/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC044745 3

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(b)(c)) 31/10/2017

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy positive relationships with staff who are successful in engaging them in one-to-one discussions. Young people say that they feel valued and are listened to by staff. One young person told the inspector, ‘Staff are good and help you out, they tell you positive stuff and they treat you well.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Placement plans are clear and set out what staff must do to meet the needs of young people effectively. All staff are aware of the changes to the details contained in the plans. This means that young people are treated consistently, and know what their objectives are and how they will be met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All young people’s health needs are recorded in their plans. Young people have access to external professional health support and the organisation’s therapeutic services to support their emotional well-being. Appropriate arrangements are in place for the safe administration and recording of medication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people who have previously had poor school attendance or have not engaged in education are now doing well at school. Young people attend the organisation’s school that is on the same site as the children’s home. Daily handovers between education and care staff help to make sure that young people experience consistent support. This promotes continuity, and has enabled young people to make good progress in their learning. Inspection report children’s home: SC044745 4 Young people are fully involved in day-to-day decisions through regular house meetings, key-work meetings and daily interaction with the staff. Young people confirmed that their opinions and suggestions are put into practice whenever possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Contact arrangements support young people to maintain positive relationships with their families and carers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to develop life skills in readiness for adulthood. Young people are provided with lots of opportunities to develop new skills, such as cooking and budgeting, with good support and encouragement from staff. This helps young people to learn the necessary skills to enable them to move successfully into adulthood.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people say that they feel safe. One young person said, ‘I do feel safe because staff help you out whenever you need it.’ Staff safeguard young people by identifying their risks and vulnerabilities and setting out strategies for minimising risks. Staff receive frequent safeguarding training that helps them to maintain a good understanding of their duties in relation to promoting young people’s welfare. This reinforces the safety and protection of young people living in the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff encourage young people to behave appropriately. Individual behaviour management plans identify triggers for negative behaviour and the strategies for managing these behaviours. Positive behaviour is promoted through staff applying clear and consistent boundaries. Staff help young people to develop socially acceptable behaviour by completing individual key-work sessions and using incentives and rewards.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff know how to implement and follow the local authority’s joint protocol and procedures for reporting young people as being missing from care. This includes keeping in touch with the young person and liaising closely with the police and other agencies. There is always a return interview completed by an independent person and strategy meetings are held, so that all learning can be shared.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Regular health and safety checks, routine servicing of equipment and effective risk assessments make sure that the home is safe for young people, staff and visitors. Staff are trained in fire safety procedures; they make sure that young people take part in fire evacuation drills so that young people understand how to leave the home safely in an emergency. The system for the recruitment and selection of staff is thorough, and ensures that all staff are appropriately checked so that they can work in the home and look after young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has an appropriately qualified registered manager in place. The manager has been in post since November 2016, and holds a diploma in leadership, health and social Inspection report children’s home: SC044745 5 care at level 5.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel that they receive good support and guidance from the manager. Staff receive regular supervision and are appraised annually. However, the manager has not received an annual appraisal and her supervision needs more detail to support her performance. Weekly team meetings and daily handovers keep staff informed about young people’s daily activities and progress. This supports staff care practice in delivering a service for young people who present with diverse needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a range of appropriate training courses to develop their knowledge, skills and professional practice. New staff undergo an induction programme, followed by being enrolled on the level 3 diploma in residential childcare. As a result, staff are well trained and quickly gain the required qualification in residential childcare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes sure that the aims and objectives of the statement of purpose are met, and that young people, their families and social workers are clear about the service and support that the home provides. The children’s guide provides young people with information about processes and entitlements. Young people were involved in the creation of the document. This shows young people’s inclusion in the running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent visitor comes to the home each month to evaluate the quality of care and to monitor safeguarding. The independent visitor consults with young people, staff and social workers to ensure that their views are considered in service improvement. This makes sure that practice is focused on outcomes for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has formed positive relationships with a range of agencies, including the police, the Local Safeguarding Children Board, the missing-from-home coordinator and local authorities. The local police community support officer visits the home to meet young people on a regular basis. This collaborative approach ensures that the diverse needs of young people are fully met.

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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.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC044745 6 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: SC044745 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today Children’s Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lansdowne House, 85 Buxton Road, Stockport, Cheshire SK2 6LR

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Inspector

Dave Carrigan: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC044745 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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