Children's Home run by Care Today Parallel Parents in Leeds

Inspection report children‟s home: SC403890 1 SC403890 Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today Children‟s Services Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this Children’s home

This home is owned and run by a private organisation. It provides care and accommodation for up to four children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this Children’s home

Inspection dates: 12 to 13 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: 23 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None

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Key findings from this inspection

 The quality of individualised care and support from a committed staff team is enabling the young people to make progress from their starting points. The young people are in good health, progressing in their education and are increasing in self-esteem. Inspection report children‟s home: SC403890 2  Supportive relationships with families are formed by staff where appropriate. Staff are proactive in helping the young people maintain positive contact with their families to the extent that some of the young people are able to return to live at home.  The staff team has embraced a restorative approach to behaviour management. This is being successful in helping the young people develop insight into their own behaviour and is helping the young people to develop strategies to manage conflict and difficult feelings.  Plans for young people comprehensively identify their needs. Progress towards their goals is monitored and reviewed regularly by leaders and managers. This

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Key findings from this inspection

ensures that the young people‟s care evolves to meet changing need.

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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

 While the young people have all of the physical necessities required, the decor and cleanliness of the home could be improved. A high-quality environment communicates to the young people that they are valued and promotes a sense of self-respect.  The presentation of care planning and recording could be clearer in some cases and templates contain out-of-date legislation and guidance. However, this does not impact on the care the young people receive.  The manager uses a range of evidence to evaluate the quality of care. This good practice could be enhanced by more targeted goals being identified and progressed.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/11/2016 Full Outstanding 02/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/11/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children‟s home: SC403890 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The aim contained in the home‟s statement of purpose to, „provide a warm, friendly, safe and supportive environment based on nurturing principles‟ is met well. Sincere and nurturing relationships between the young people and the staff are a significant feature. These relationships form the bedrock of the success the staff are having in engaging the young people in all aspects of their lives. This success is leading to improved outcomes for all of them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the young people are making progress educationally from their starting points. Some of them had disengaged from education completely prior to coming to live at the home but are now steadily increasing their engagement in education. One young man has done exceptionally well, obtaining 12 GCSE examination passes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the young people to understand and implement good health practices. Direct work focuses on healthy lifestyles and the young people are encouraged to eat nutritious meals and visit the gym. A bike has been purchased to enable one young person to increase his activity levels. As a result of this, the young people are aware of the importance of keeping fit and healthy and ways to achieve this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand the individual personalities of the young people very well. They use this knowledge to tailor their response and the resulting warm and open relationships are evident within the home. Through these relationships, the young people are developing their capacity to improve and sustain other relationships in their lives. One young person is forming friendships with peers for the first time and another was able to identify her own negative behaviour towards others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Those young people placed a long way from home have access to the services that they need, such as education and therapeutic support. The staff ensure that they have regular contact with families in their home areas if appropriate and through this the young people are able to retain their connection to their own community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is frequent communication with families and the resulting relationships between them and staff gives parents and carers a greater understanding of the behaviour of the young people. A family member commented that staff „go the extra mile‟. Some of the young people are significantly increasing their contact with family while another is returning to live at home. A social worker commented that: „This was in no small part due to the involvement of the staff with the family.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Close links are established with placing authorities and other professionals. One social worker commented that she „couldn‟t say enough good things about the home‟. Communication is regular and the staff are proactive in informing others of any concerns. This ensures that the young people receive the help they need in a timely manner. Inspection report children‟s home: SC403890 4

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

The young people identify that they can trust the staff and feel very able to talk to them. They feel safe and that they have control over much of their day-to-day lives. The direct work undertaken with the young people is teaching them how to make positive choices and keep themselves safer. For example, substance misuse has ceased completely for one young person.

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

The staff work with placing authorities and families to allow the young people to have an appropriate degree of autonomy and independence, depending on their age and developmental stage. Arrangements that balance risk and the need for independence are in place. For example, one young person can spend time in his local area with friends but is collected from the station from a specific train each time.

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

The restorative approach to behaviour management used in the home reflects the information regarding behaviour management provided in the statement of purpose. The staff have embraced the approach wholeheartedly. The use of sanctions has reduced markedly, with rewards and incentives being successfully used to motivate the young people. The use of physical intervention is infrequent. Leaders and managers are clear that behaviour management is about the relationships that are formed and knowing what motivates each young person. A member of the leadership team summed it up thus: „We don‟t want staff to think, “What can we take away from young people?”, more “What can the young people give back?”.‟

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

The young people do not often go missing from home. For some, this is considerable progress from previous behaviour. When the young people do go missing, the staff follow individualised procedures and ensure that police and other significant people in the lives of the young people are informed. Return home interviews are arranged to enable the young people to discuss any concerns or issues with an independent person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is currently on maternity leave and leadership and management have been provided by the deputy manager, supported by a manager from a nearby home. They have provided continuity to the young people and staff team. There is a very stable staff team in place. The last new member of staff came into post two years ago and care during staff absence is provided by a consistent group of cover staff. This ensures that the attachments of the young people are not disrupted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders are very conscious of the impact that admissions and discharges can have on all the young people. Before the young people are admitted to the home, careful pre- placement assessment, including assessment of risk, ensures that the home can meet the needs of the young person without impacting adversely on those already living there.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Care plans comprehensively identify the individual needs of the young people in line with those identified in their statutory assessments. Leaders and managers are particularly Inspection report children‟s home: SC403890 5 good at tracking progress and recording achievement towards their goals. This ensures that the progress of the young people is maintained and extra support put in place if necessary. Some of the care planning and recording documentation would benefit from being more professionally produced, with templates being updated to reflect current legislation and guidance; however, this does not adversely affect the care offered to the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The practice of staff is supported by a wide range of training opportunities, such as awareness of radicalisation, child sexual exploitation and supporting children who have autistic spectrum disorder. Leaders and managers work to ensure that training opportunities are offered that reflect the particular needs of the young people they are caring for. Practice developments in the home are also supported by learning opportunities. For example, an outside organisation provided training around restorative practice to the whole staff team. Staff feel well supported by management, describing the leadership as „brilliant‟.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of care within the home is informed by regular consultation with young people, their families and other professionals and is overwhelmingly positive. This information, together with consistent auditing and monitoring and the collation of appropriate data, forms the basis of the six-monthly review of care to good effect. Identifying more targeted actions will build on this good evaluation to enhance the quality of care in the home further.

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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 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: SC403890 6

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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

Janet Black, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC403890 7 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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