Children's Home run by The Together Trust in Stockport

Inspection report children’s home: SC025745 1 SC025745 Registered provider: The Together Trust Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides short breaks for up to five children who may have physical disabilities and/or learning disabilities, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is run and managed by a charitable organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 29 to 30 November 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 outstanding

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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: 26 January 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

 Young people benefit from well-planned, highly individualised short-break care that promotes their needs effectively and contributes to change and improvement in their lives.  Young people make good progress taking into account their individual starting points across aspects of their physical, social, emotional and behavioural development. Inspection report children’s home: SC025745 2  Young people enjoy their short-break stays and benefit from warm and secure relationships with staff. Young people are engaged in constructive, entertaining and enjoyable activities at the home and in the wider community to promote their social skills, specific interests and hobbies.  Young people become less anxious and increasingly safer as a result of the actions that staff take to support and protect them. Young people are kept safe and have a sense of personal safety.  Young people are provided with their own signs, symbols and visual supports to

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Key findings from this inspection

enhance their levels of communication and ability to make informed choices and decisions. Care planning is exceptionally well planned and practice is highly individualised to meet the specific needs of individual young people.

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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

 There are no requirements or recommendations made as a result of this inspection.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/09/2016 Full Good 05/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC025745 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s transitions to the home are extremely well planned and managed. Staff work closely with young people, social workers and their families to ensure that young people’s introductory visits are controlled and managed effectively. This ensures that young people can adapt to a change in environment in a sensitive, gradual and appropriate way. A social worker reported, ‘The home is very proactive in engaging with the local authority, parents and the children that they support. The home have gone above and beyond with regards to supporting transition planning and enabling the young people in their care to have a smooth transition.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy their short-break stays. They benefit from warm and secure relationships with enthusiastic, caring, committed and extremely dedicated staff. They benefit from well-planned, highly personalised care that promotes their needs effectively and contributes to change and improvement in their lives. Young people make good progress taking into account their individual starting points across all aspects of their physical, social, emotional and behavioural development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A parents reported, ‘I never feel that I have to worry about my daughter’s safety... Staff are always looking for ways to engage my daughter. My daughter loves the staff at the home. She always talks about them when she is at home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are trained to administer young people’s medication safely and their competence to administer medication competently is carefully assessed. Staff follow the home’s medication policies and procedures to ensure that young people have their medication stored and administered safely. Regular checks on medication are undertaken to identify any medication errors or irregularities. This ensures that any medication errors are rectified quickly and appropriate action taken to promote the safety of young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people attend school regularly during their short break, with good support and encouragement from staff. This includes providing young people with a safe means of transport to ensure that they arrive in school safely. Staff maintain highly effective partnerships with the providers of young people’s education to support their progress, achievements and learning. Additionally, the home provides a stimulating and positive learning environment for young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from a diverse range of enjoyable and entertaining activities at the home and in the wider community. They enjoy doing arts and crafts with staff, eating out, visiting sea life parks, Jump Heaven, arcades, bowling and swimming. Young people are able to choose their preferred types of activities by using signs and visual supports with staff. A parent reported, ‘My child participates in a wide range of interesting activities that he wouldn’t be able to access with anyone else.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide young people with a safe, highly supportive, caring and extremely nurturing environment. They know young people exceptionally well and have a good Inspection report children’s home: SC025745 4 understanding of each child’s specific needs. Staff have received training in working with young people who have autistic spectrum disorder and communication difficulties. They have completed training on non-verbal communication techniques, for example picture exchange communication and Makaton.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are skilled in communicating with young people effectively using their preferred methods of communication. Staff use an extensive range of simple and more complex signs, symbols and visual supports to enhance young people’s levels of communication and ability to make informed choices and decisions. As a result, young people can express their needs and have their views, feelings and wishes acted upon.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff consult with young people effectively through one-to-one working. Staff listen to young people and respond appropriately to their requests. For example, one young person was observed to be supported in choosing her choice of evening meal and activity with the help and support of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A social worker reported, ‘I cannot speak highly enough about the manager and the service. I have a number of young people placed with them and have sought to place more, due to the positive experiences received. The home is always welcoming and the staff are extremely helpful and prompt with any communication.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people to take appropriate risks to promote their growth and natural development. They actively encourage young people to be as independent as possible. They help young people to continually improve on their life skills so they become skilled, and self-confident, resilient and self-reliant. This enables young people to live and lead the most independent way of life as possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides young people with a physically safe, appropriately secure, warm, comfortable and homely environment. The home has been adapted in accordance with the specific needs of young people. For example, the home is decorated in neutral colours to make the home more autism-friendly. Items in the kitchen have labels to assist young people in understanding and navigating their surroundings. Additionally, there is good use of signage throughout the home; for example, visual supports and objects of reference are kept in different rooms for young people’s ease of use. Bedrooms are personalised in accordance with young people’s specific and different needs. As a result, some bedrooms are more personalised than others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has a games room, sensory room and a computer room for young people’s use, relaxation and enjoyment. A new sensory wet room is also currently being installed and the work is nearing completion. To the rear of the home there is a well-equipped garden and safe play area with swings, a trampoline, fitted exercise equipment and a new summer house. This provides a safe area for young people to relax, explore, socialise and play freely.

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

Staff consistently place the safety and well-being of young people at the centre of their Inspection report children’s home: SC025745 5 practice. They have an excellent understanding of their specific needs and vulnerabilities and take appropriate action to address them. Young people become less anxious and increasingly safer as a result of the actions that staff take to support and protect them. Young people are kept safe.

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

The use of clear risk assessment and effective behavioural support plans and strategies protect young people and keep them safe from harm. The home is consistently well staffed and resourced. There are sufficient numbers of staff to meet the specific needs and numbers of young people. Consequently, staff can prioritise the needs of each young person and ensure that they benefit from the right levels of adult supervision and individual support. Young people are always closely supervised by staff so they don’t go missing or come to any harm.

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

There have been no complaints from young people or their parents since the last inspection. Sanctions are not used in this home. Staff understand the triggers for behaviours and can identify when young people are distressed, becoming anxious or upset. Staff recognise that young people’s feelings and emotions can be communicated through their behaviour. They anticipate issues and take appropriate action to prevent young people’s behaviours from escalating by using redirection, providing a young person with increased levels of support and one-to-one reassurance.

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

The use of restraint, if used at all, is only ever used as a last resort to prevent young people from suffering harm. Where restraint is used, it is used safely, by trained and competent staff. The use of restraints is monitored closely by the registered manager so there is effective scrutiny and accountability of staff’s practice.

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

Staff are trained in child protection so they know how to protect young people from abuse and all other forms of significant harm. Staff are familiar with their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. The home maintains highly effective partnerships with social workers, parents, schools and safeguarding agencies to promote the safety and well- being of young people.

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

Staff employed to care for young people are selected and vetted carefully to ensure that young people are protected from unsuitable people. Since the last inspection, the use of agency staff has reduced considerably. Additionally, the home now ensures that if agency staff are used, it has obtained proof that they are vetted and are appropriately trained, skilled and experienced to care for vulnerable young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers demonstrate effective and strong leadership of the day-to-day operation of the home. They consistently ensure that the home is managed efficiently and effectively. They have high aspirations for all young people and ensure that their specific needs are prioritised and met effectively. The registered manager and deputy have consistently high expectations of staff and are inspirational in their approach in helping the staff team to develop their knowledge, skills and practice in working with young people with communication difficulties and autistic spectrum disorder. Leaders Inspection report children’s home: SC025745 6 and managers stimulate staff’s enthusiasm and channel their efforts very effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home has achieved accreditation with the National Autistic Society, which is a significant achievement. The home fully meets the aims and objectives, as set out in its statement of purpose. The home delivers an exceptionally good-quality service for young people and their families that has a positive impact and makes a significant difference to all of their lives. Young people benefit from the services and facilities that the home provides for them and this has contributed to considerable change and improvement in their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A social worker reported, ‘I have only ever heard reports of excellent care all round in [child’s] case. His parents have been unrelenting in their praise...The quality of care provided by the home is exceptional. The home recently contributed to a care package with a young person who was at risk of harm and agreed to additional support whilst a placement search was completed. The home then supported this young person’s transition to his new placement.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff, leaders and managers develop and maintain highly effective partnerships with social workers, schools, health professionals and parents to ensure that young people benefit from the best possible help and all-round support. Leaders and managers ensure that all staff are routinely well managed, supported and led through regular practice- related supervision and appraisal of their practice. They ensure that staff have access to relevant and high-quality training so they develop their skills and can meet the specific needs of individual young people. Most staff are appropriately qualified and training is being delivered for those without an appropriate qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A new member of staff reported, ‘I’m really enjoying it, everyone’s really helpful. My induction was very thorough and relevant. I was given a lot of introductory training and the training was amazing. I think the young people are very well looked after and have all of their needs met.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is effective scrutiny of the performance of the home. The home is visited each month by an independent person who observes staff practice, examines relevant records, consults with parents, young people and professionals to form an accurate opinion about the quality of young people’s short-break care and the arrangements to safeguard them and promote their well-being. Leaders and managers make positive use of the home’s internal and external monitoring activities to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home. They take appropriate action to sustain good practice and tackle any identified shortfalls to secure improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are no breaches in regulation. Consequently, there are no recommendations or requirements made as a result of this inspection.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC025745 7 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: SC025745 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Together Trust Centre, Schools Hill, Cheadle, Cheshire SK8 1JE

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC025745 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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Inspector

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