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

Inspection report children’s home: SC390576 1 SC390576 Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today Children’s Services

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

Ofsted has registered this home to provide care and accommodation for up to four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A large private provider of children’s services operates the home.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 12 to 13 December 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC390576 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 The vast majority of children have positive experiences and make good progress.  The manager is thorough and engages with staff and other professionals. She is striving to improve the service.  Staff establish positive relationships with children. This forms the secure base from which children make progress.  Staff develop and sustain excellent relationships with other professionals and with children’s families. Children re-engage in formal education. Staff support children’s learning and children begin to understand the importance of attending school regularly.  The home is a friendly place to be, where children have fun and enjoy new experiences.  Diversity is celebrated.  Staff work hard to keep children safe. They take prompt action to find a resolution.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/09/2016 Full Outstanding 18/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/01/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC390576 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s experiences and progress in this home are largely good. Inevitably, children’s circumstances change and some children have lived here for short periods only. This means that the picture is mixed. Nevertheless, staff work well with parents and professionals, such as therapists, to achieve the most appropriate outcome for each child. One child’s relative said, ‘The decisions were made together – we all know what to do.’ Another commented on how ‘nurturing’ the staff are.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff match new children with existing residents well. This promotes children’s welfare. Most are from this local authority or a nearby one. No children are missing services because they are from another local authority. The majority of children make positive moves onwards, with most returning to live with their families. On occasion, placing authority workers have not provided the manager and staff with accurate information about children prior to their admission. The manager challenged them about this and made sure that these children moved to placements that were more able to meet their specific needs. Staff conducted these transfers in a child-friendly way and, in one case, went to see the child afterwards. This helps to protect children from the negative effects of moving placements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team creates a positive and supportive environment in which each child’s views matter. Children quickly establish meaningful relationships with the staff and staff advocate well for children. For example, staff recently helped one child to make a complaint to his local authority.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been some changes to the staff team. Core staff have had to work hard to mitigate the impact on children and maintain good standards of care. External professionals are positive about the impact of care on children’s progress. For example, a tutor said about one child, ‘There has been a positive turnaround in him, especially the way he deals with his anger. [The staff provide] fantastic care, communication and attention to detail. The home is having a massively positive influence on him.’ A parent said, ‘I can’t fault them. He’s come on loads. I can’t thank them enough.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Each child has a clear programme of formal education. Liaison between the staff and teachers is excellent. Children who had completely absented themselves from formal education now attend regularly. Staff arrange interim measures, such as tutors, to help children to overcome difficulties and facilitate their re-engagement in learning. Children begin to set themselves new targets and achieve progress. One child recently received an award for being ‘mathematician of the year’ at school. Children who have lived here longest show appropriate engagement in school and improved concentration, and prepare to take examinations, like their peers. One headteacher described the staff’s support of children as, ‘An example of best practice [worth] sharing with other care providers and schools.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Alongside their formal education, children learn a lot from social opportunities. In Inspection report children’s home: SC390576 4 particular, they benefit from the diversity of staff team members. This means that they receive informed support for their individual needs. They eat culturally appropriate meals, visit specialised shops and discuss wide-ranging topics. One child learned about the negative effects of his racism and amended his views accordingly. All the children have new experiences, such as picking pumpkins and going on holidays. One goes to a gymnasium regularly. This gives them happy memories and teaches them how to pursue inexpensive but enjoyable activities. Children keep photograph albums, which help them reflect on their experiences. This contributes to their emotional progress. The manager noted this about one child, ‘He can talk quietly now and is rarely oppositional.’ After a very difficult transition to the home, staff feel that one child has ‘grown up’ a lot. The

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

child’s social worker said, ‘The staff have been doing an amazing job and we are so pleased with his progress.’ The child wrote to staff, saying, ‘Thank you for everything you have done for me. You’ve helped me change my life and stay out of trouble. I’ve had a wicked time here and will never forget [you].’

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

Staff quickly gain an accurate understanding of the risks faced and posed by each child. They work well with partner agencies. Good collaborative working means that staff contribute meaningfully to inter-agency discussions about how to help and protect children. Relevant parties reach agreements quickly about how best to respond to concerns. Children benefit from this and make progress. For example, the risk assessments show that one child has reduced his level of vulnerability in all key areas. The child recognises the progress he has made and takes pride in this.

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

Staff have received training about the risks posed by radicalisation. Importantly, they apply such learning to protecting children. Recently, for example, they discussed items found on a child’s computer with police. Consequently, possible safeguarding concerns were shared and assessed.

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

Key workers for each child regularly discuss with children issues of concern and teach children how they can keep themselves safe. Key workers use material from specialist agencies, such as those involved in protecting children from child sexual exploitation. Children value their relationships with their key workers. One said, ‘[My key worker] is brilliant!’

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

The vast majority of children who have gone missing in the past have ceased doing so. A very small number of children have been unable to remain safe in the community. Staff have worked with young people and their placing authority social workers to review young people’s placements and arrange moves on from the home.

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

As part of their approach to improving children’s behaviour, staff help children repair fractured relationships. This is effective with their relationships in the home and between children and their families. Consequently, children gain confidence, feel less worried and apply new strategies to manage conflict and manage their feelings. One learned to confide in his therapist and another enjoys his new cuddly toys. Staff have issued items to all the children that help them to relax and feel calm. Staff instil good routines and Inspection report children’s home: SC390576 5 maintain clear boundaries for children to follow. A child’s aunt said, ‘He had no boundaries – now he has routines and sleeps at night.’ This is an essential part of his progress.

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

Staff celebrate and reward children’s successes and avoid confrontation, whenever possible. Consequently, there is only a low level of physical intervention and are very few restrictions of children’s liberty. One social worker reflected the views of other professionals by saying that staff were ‘fantastic’ in this area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Ofsted registered the manager in September 2017; she had already been the deputy manager of the home for several years. The manager has a suitable management qualification. The previous manager remains with the company but in a different department and supervises the registered manager. The change in manager was part of a long-term plan and therefore caused little disruption. Nevertheless, when added to changes in personnel and the movement of children, this inspection period has proved to be challenging at times. It is to the credit of the core team that it has maintained high standards of childcare. Slight slippage has occurred in some areas of administration. This has had no direct impact on children to date and the manager has started to take steps to improve this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is developing the team as quickly as possible to reflect the promotion of some staff and the arrival of others. Experienced staff are taking on additional responsibilities, but this naturally takes time to accomplish and consolidate. Staff are undertaking induction and other training courses in line with the training programme. Most staff have suitable qualifications with the remainder on target to qualify within timescales. The staff team feels well supported by the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is keen to develop the service but is aware that this takes time. She is gradually improving how she incorporates children’s views into staff appraisals. The manager’s ambition and drive serve to sustain good standards in the home. Monitoring activity, together with complaints and compliments, provide useful information about the service’s strengths and weaknesses. The manager acts on this information to improve the service provided to children. The manager and staff understand and implement the aims and objectives set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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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. Whenever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home Inspection report children’s home: SC390576 6 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: SC390576 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

David Morgan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC390576 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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