Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Stockport

Inspection report children’s home: SC008607 1 SC008607

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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

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for two young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties or learning disabilities. The home is privately owned and managed.

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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: 9 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None. Inspection report children’s home: SC008607 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young person is making steady progress in relation to his starting point. He has not gone missing since his admission, nor has he engaged in unsafe, risk taking behaviour.  Staff have a good understanding of the young person’s specific needs and vulnerabilities, and take appropriate action to address them. The young person is becoming increasingly safe as a result of the actions that staff take to support and protect him. The young person is kept safe and feels safe living at the home.  The young person’s safety is consistently at the centre of staff practice, irrespective of the challenges he presents. His needs are prioritised effectively and he benefits from well-planned, highly individualised care that promotes his needs effectively and contributes to change and improvement in his life.  The young person is slowly developing trusting relationships with staff. Staff are good role models for the young person to look up to and learn from. A diverse

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Key findings from this inspection

and experienced staff team is employed to meet the young person’s specific needs. Staff from different gender groups and ethnicities are employed.

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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 young person needs a health care assessment to inform his future health care needs and arrangements.  The young person is not attending full-time education at the moment. He is currently educated on-site on a part-time basis. However, once a suitable educational placement has been identified, he will require a personal education plan to promote his educational progress.  The home does not have consent for the independent person to access the young person’s confidential records; this is needed from the young person and their social worker.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/09/2016 Full Good 15/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/05/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC008607 3

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Recommendations

 Ensure that all relevant plans are obtained from the placing authority. This relates specifically to obtaining a Personal Education Plan (PEP). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 3.1, page 14)  Ensure that each child’s day-to-day health and well-being needs are met. Staff should work to make the children’s home an environment that supports children’s physical, mental and emotional health, in line with the approach set out in the home’s Statement of Purpose. This relates specifically to ensuring a health needs assessment is requested. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 7.3, page 33)  Children should be in full-time education whilst they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full-time

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Recommendations

attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 5.14, page 28)  Actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and ensure consent is obtained from the young person and their social worker for the independent visitor to access young people’s confidential records. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 10.24, page 55)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person that lived at the home at the time of the last inspection has moved, having made a successful transition to semi-independent living. She made significant progress during her time at the home, and was sad to move on. She reported, ‘I was there like for two years. You know what, it was by far the best placement I have ever been in. I wouldn’t be where I am now, if it wasn’t for the staff. I cried the other day and if I could come back to live there I would. The staff there genuinely care. Honestly, they’re amazing… They helped me build my independence skills and helped me calm my behaviour down. They motivated me to complete my GCSEs and go to school. It’s the best home ever. It’s my family that home. It’s an amazing home and I would recommend it to anyone.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person who lives at the home currently is settling in slowly, and has been made to feel welcome by staff. He has only been in placement for a few weeks, following his previous placement breaking down. He is new to the care system and is struggling to adapt to life away from home. Currently, he chooses not to have any contact with his family. Staff recognise the importance of contact, and are keen to Inspection report children’s home: SC008607 4 resume some form of contact at the earliest opportunity to ensure that the young person can resume and sustain his close relationships with the people who are most important to him.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person has requested to have contact with his friends in his home area. However, there are serious concerns about the appropriateness of some of those friendships. Consequently, any contact would have to be risk assessed, planned and possibly supervised. Staff are exploring the possibility of the young person doing an activity with one of his closest friends, as this is something the young person has requested. However, staff are monitoring the young person’s known associates very closely to ensure that his relationships are safe and appropriate. The young person has been known to associate with older young people who have a history of anti-social behaviour, drug use and offending, which places him at risk of harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person reported, ‘It’s not that bad. I don’t know really. Some staff are nice, but I only want to stay here if they let me see my mates. I miss being with my mates. I don’t like too many rules in the house and would like to have the internet. I think about stuff that I’ve done, but I want to go back to it. I keep things to myself if it’s personal. I don’t tell anyone. I’m just used to going out with my boys and that. They want me to make new friends, but I don’t want that. Yeah, I feel safe, but sometimes I get paranoid when I’m out of area.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person is making slow but steady progress. He benefits from well-planned, highly personalised care that promotes his needs effectively and contributes to change and improvement in his life. He is slowly beginning to develop his relationships with and attachments to staff. However, he is also prepared to test those relationships. At times, his behaviour can be challenging and unpredictable. His social worker reported, ‘It’s very early days. It’s hard because he’s very resistant and needs some complex work doing with him. They’re very supportive of him and they’re doing what they can. They’re committed to him and I hope that commitment continues, but its early days.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person currently attends education on-site on a part-time basis. His engagement in education can be sporadic, but this is slowly improving. Staff consistently encourage and support his participation in education. They are working closely with the placing authority to identify a suitable school placement, at which point the young person will require a personal education plan. Staff maintain effective partnerships with the providers of young people’s education to support their positive behaviour, progress and learning. An email from the director of the previous young person’s school was seen by the inspector, and included the following comments, ‘I would just like to say that the transformation in (X) since coming into your care has been a wonder to behold. As a result of the loving support that your staff have provided (X) she has been able to concentrate on her studies and is now a joy to teach. She feels empowered to take

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

control of her own life and seems to be doing a good job. Whenever I asked for support with (X) in her early days at school one of your staff responded instantly in a positive, proactive manner. I cannot praise you and your staff highly enough.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are effective arrangements for promoting the young person’s good health. He is Inspection report children’s home: SC008607 5 registered with a doctor, dentist and optician, and has access to all of the health services he needs, when he needs them. This includes access to therapy at the home on a weekly basis, to promote his emotional and psychological well-being. Medical consent is in place and staff are familiar with the health decisions and responsibilities that are delegated to them. Staff have arranged for the young person to have his health immunisations brought up to date. However, the young person has not had a health needs assessment in order to inform his future healthcare arrangements. A recommendation is made in respect of this issue.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person benefits from enjoyable activities at the home and in the wider community. He enjoys playing music and gaming on his games console. He has been to visit the local gym and enjoyed quad biking and going go-karting with staff. Staff have offered the young person swimming lessons, and are exploring his preferred interests and hobbies. The young person has requested to visit a music studio, which the staff are now in the process of arranging for him. On occasions, the young person will refuse to attend his planned activities, despite encouragement from staff.

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

Risks associated with the young person are well known and understood by staff. Staff are developing a good understanding of the young person’s specific needs and emerging vulnerabilities, and take appropriate action to address them. They consistently put the young person’s safety at the centre of their practice, irrespective of the challenges he presents. The young person came to the home with a history of risk taking behaviour, such as going missing from home on a regular basis and being involved in anti-social behaviour and offending. None of these are currently an issue.

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

The young person has not gone missing from the home since his admission. Staff supervise his movements closely and, should he go missing, staff are familiar with the home’s procedures and arrangements for securing his safe return. These include actively looking for him and working with the local police to locate him quickly. The home maintains highly effective partnerships with the police, social workers and other safeguarding agencies to promote the safety and well-being of young people. Young people become increasingly safe as a result of the actions that staff take to protect, help and support them.

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

Staff are trained in child protection, including e-safety, female genital mutilation, child trafficking, radicalisation and child sexual exploitation. They have a good understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities, and know how to deal with any allegations, and recognise and report suspected abuse. Young people are protected from abuse and all other forms of significant harm.

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

Allegations of abuse are handled quickly and professionally by staff. Significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities who are charged with a duty to protect young people. This ensures that appropriate action is taken by the right professionals in order to make sure that young people are protected and kept safe from harm. There is Inspection report children’s home: SC008607 6 evidence that the home’s complaints procedure has been explained and made accessible to the young person. As a result, he knows and understands how to make a complaint. He has access to an advocate who can support him and raise any complaints or concerns that he might have. There have been no complaints since the last inspection.

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

Staff promote the young person’s positive behaviour and ensure that the use of sanctions is kept to an absolute minimum. Consequences used by staff to address negative behaviour are fair and proportionate. There is far greater emphasis placed on rewarding the young person’s positive behaviour to develop his self-esteem and self- confidence.

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

The young person’s behaviour can become challenging. He can find it difficult to self- regulate his strong feelings and emotions, which has led to an increase in incidents and the number of restraints. When restraint is used, it is a last resort to protect the young person from harm. Most restraints are very low-level interventions, and are of a short duration with the minimum amount of force used. The young person made an allegation following the last restraint, which is currently being investigated. The manager will update Ofsted with the outcome of this investigation.

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

The home provides the young person with a physically safe, appropriately secure, warm, comfortable and homely environment. Health and safety arrangements are addressed effectively to ensure the safety of young people, staff and any visitors to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home meets the aims and objectives, as set out in its statement of purpose. Staff provide a good-quality service for the young person, and can evidence the positive difference and impact they have made to young people’s lives, taking into account their starting points. The home has met and addressed the recommendation from the last inspection. Staff benefit from regular professional supervision. Supervision records are kept up to date to confirm that regular supervision takes place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home employs a well-qualified, suitably trained and experienced registered manager who demonstrates effective leadership of the operations of the home. The registered manager is consistently ambitious and energetic with regard to sustaining the home’s improvement. He stimulates staff’s enthusiasm and channels their efforts effectively. He ensures that staff are consistently well supported, and professionally managed and led.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to and benefit from good-quality training to promote their skills in and knowledge of caring for the most vulnerable young people. Staff are deployed in sufficient numbers and have appropriate qualifications, skills and experience to meet the young person’s specific needs. The training needs of staff are identified and met effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are effective systems for scrutinising the standard and quality of young people’s care. An independent person visits the home on a monthly basis. They scrutinise the Inspection report children’s home: SC008607 7 young person’s records and consult with the relevant people. This enables them to form an impartial and professional opinion of the effectiveness of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding young people and promoting their well-being. Additionally, the registered manager undertakes a thorough and comprehensive quality of care review. He makes good use of the home’s internal and external monitoring activities so that he has a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Combined, these monitoring systems are used effectively by the registered manager to secure the home’s improvement. Consequently, there are robust arrangements for reviewing and improving the standard and quality of young people’s care. However, the home does not

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

have signed consent from the young person or their social worker for the independent person to access their records. Consequently, a recommendation is made in respect of this issue.

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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: SC008607 8

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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

Anthony Kyem: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC008607 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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