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

Inspection report children’s home: SC005066 1 SC005066 Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today Children’s Services

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A large private provider operates this home. Ofsted has registered this service to take up to two children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A principle feature is the use of a campervan, hostels, and rental cottages. Ofsted does not inspect this part of the service.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 31 January to 1 February 2018

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

 The outreach (previously known as ‘mobile’) part of this service integrates effectively into the overall provision. Inspection report children’s home: SC005066 2  Leadership of the service is particularly strong.  Young people make substantial progress from their starting points.  Staff provide every young person with a highly personalised package of support, including varied recreational experiences.  Most young people make clear progress in their education.  Staff are energetic and proactive. They are sensitive to young people’s emotional needs and foster strong relationships with them. This is the basis of young people’s progress, their improved contact with their families and positive moves on to new placements.  Young people’s hazardous behaviours largely cease and the risks they pose to themselves and others reduce significantly. This allows them to take advantage of the wide-ranging opportunities on offer.

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 This service has no major shortfalls. Staff occasionally record incidents in which young people are absent without permission incorrectly. Similarly, minor deficiencies occurred in the independent monitoring of the service. The living area is somewhat institutional. These issues have had little or no impact on young people’s progress.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/12/2016 Full Good 10/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/07/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC005066 3

p.2

Recommendations

 Ensure that children’s homes are nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9). This is with regard to reviewing the presentation of the lounge.

p.3

Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person specifies the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how staff should support the child on return to the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28). Specifically, that all incidents of being away or absent from home without permission are recorded as such.

p.3

Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person actively seeks independent scrutiny of the home and makes best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24). Specifically, ensure that independent visitors review the progress the home has made to address any previous recommendations.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This service provides short-term care. Staff aim to complete assessments of young people over a twelve-week period, although placements are sometimes shorter. The emergency nature of most placements means that young people often know little about the service in advance. However, staff recognise this and explain the service in detail when they meet young people for the first time. This helps to reduce young people’s anxieties during a stressful period. Young people quickly learn to trust staff and accept that staff treat them respectfully.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a semi-detached property on an estate within a short walk of the town centre. It is indistinguishable from its neighbours and is clean and tidy. The living area is functional, but lacking in colour and homeliness. For example, metal fold-up chairs are practical but give a slightly institutional air.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy an excellent range of activities. Their new experiences start with the first phase of the service, which involves them travelling in a campervan. They stay in a range of rural settings and try many outdoor pursuits under the guidance of their care staff. Staff have qualifications in outdoor activities to facilitate these safely. The second phase, at the home, provides frequent visits to local and city amenities. One young man Inspection report children’s home: SC005066 4 started to attend matches at a local premiership football team. Another developed a passion for fishing that involved him in planning trips, researching new equipment and budgeting for new purchases. Photographs reflect his pride in his catches. These events provide each young person with valuable memories. One young person described the activities as ‘awesome’.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy excellent relationships with staff. They do not share the staff’s attention with any other young people while on trips or at the home. Staff show a high level of empathy, which young people recognise and value. Staff have meaningful conversations with young people. These help young people to reflect on their circumstances and think about their next steps.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work well with young people and promote positive contact between young people and their families. Some young people succeed in returning to live with their families and most improve their communication with them substantially. Staff facilitate these improvements. One father wrote recently, ‘We are pleased with [his] progress and the care he is receiving. His behaviour is steadily improving. The staff are informative and helpful.’ In addition, company therapists now support staff. This is an important improvement to the service. It helps staff adapt their practice to suit each young person’s needs.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive educational input via the organisation’s own school and the virtual schools that their placing authorities operate. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘The staff have arranged [suitable] alternatives to education… there are clear boundaries and structures. [The young person] was very difficult and challenging to place [but] has made good progress.’ Young people benefit from personalised packages of education. For example, one young man helped to carry out maintenance on a car, completed some decorating jobs and visited an animal sanctuary. Another young person undertook the same food hygiene training as staff. Staff helped a young man develop his interest in becoming a professional plasterer. The vast majority of young people increase their engagement in formal education. Currently, one young person is preparing to take examinations. As a result of the support they receive, young people gain qualifications

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

and improve their life chances and self-esteem.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The vast majority of young people make planned moves to community-based settings. This is an important indicator of the success of the service. Some young people have previously experienced multiple placement breakdowns and this service provides them with some stability. Sometimes there are delays in finding the best placement, which can frustrate young people. However, staff communicate well with them, as well as with placing authorities and young people’s families.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people undertake independence programmes that build up their knowledge and practical skills. This process gives young people greater confidence in their ability to move towards greater independence. Inspection report children’s home: SC005066 5

p.4

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

The service safeguards young people very effectively. There have been almost no serious incidents since the last inspection. The model of care, including high staffing levels and a complete change of surroundings, provides young people with an important opportunity to reflect on their lifestyles and break negative patterns of behaviour. In addition, staff understand and manage young people’s risky behaviours well. Consequently, young people seldom go missing and staff rarely resort to physical intervention to manage negative behaviour. One young man proudly reported, ‘I’ve not gone missing from here at all.’ Another young man repeatedly walked away from staff. The high frequency of these incidents resulted in some deficits in the records. Staff liaised well with other professionals and this recording shortfall did not directly affect young people’s welfare. Staff helped one young man to stop walking into traffic, which

p.5

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

kept him much safer than before. Another young person ceased using cannabis and one substantially decreased the frequency of his angry outbursts. Overall, young people’s risk levels fall significantly from their starting points.

p.5

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

The staff are aware of their legal responsibility to avoid placing inappropriate restrictions on the liberty of young people, and do so effectively. Following the last inspection, the manager has become familiar with official guidance and has arranged appropriate training for the staff. Young people see the level of supervision that staff apply reduce as they progress.

p.5

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

The service nearly always accommodates young men. None has been the subject of exploitation or radicalisation during this period. The manager arranged staff training around child sexual exploitation to help the staff identify risks and know how to respond to these.

p.5

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

Staff employ various strategies to help each young person understand the risks they face. Records clearly show young people how staff perceive their risks, for example whether risks are rising or falling. This contributes to improvements in young people’s ability to regulate their behaviour and their emotions effectively. As a result, one young person began attending his health appointments and another has stopped going missing. A young person wrote, ‘My behaviour is a lot better… I don’t walk off when I’m angry.’

p.5

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

The young people understand the house rules and consider them fair. Staff employ a reparative approach and young people understand that negative behaviour will lead to consequences. A young man said, ‘We pay compensation for damages.’ Importantly, however, the main consequence is constructive and often imaginative discussions between staff and young people about the causes of challenging behaviour. Staff focus on positive engagement and rewards. Young people benefit from additional support from external professionals and, where appropriate, use online resources to increase their understanding of risks. After living here for several months, one young man said about drug taking, ‘You’ve just got to make your mind up about not taking it. I’m not taking it and I’ve calmed down.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC005066 6

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a qualified social worker and he is undertaking a management qualification. Ofsted registered him for this service last year and he provides clear and thorough leadership. He is implementing improvements and ensuring that young people receive a high-quality service in line with the home’s statement of purpose. The manager knows his team well and plans accordingly. This influences, for example, the management of individual shifts so that there are sufficiently experienced personnel to care for young people.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recruitment is underway to fill vacancies and expand the team. All staff benefit from a comprehensive training programme. The training programme includes input from the manager, the therapist and online resources. Staff receive regular supervision. The area manager plus a qualified social worker supervise the manager. This improvement recognises the fact that the manager is an accredited social worker.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

It is the responsibility of placing authorities rather than Ofsted to satisfy themselves with the quality of the outreach part of this service. The manager is considering amending the statement of purpose to emphasise this point. He completes thorough and effective monitoring of his service on and off site. Staff plan every trip carefully and adapt the programme to suit individual young people. The independent visitors see the young people when they are on trips, too. Such steps mean that senior staff have a very thorough understanding of the operation of the service even when young people and staff are off site for extended periods.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff make sure that young people understand their targets. They work hard to translate each young person’s difficulties into meaningful objectives that they can work on. Young people are commendably clear about what staff expect of them. Staff address young people’s cultural and religious needs. This helps young people to feel settled and valued.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The company has increased the size of its pool of independent visitors. This has provided useful diversity to the range of people scrutinising the service. However, on some occasions the new system has resulted in visitors not reviewing the previous recommendations. This shortfall has minimal impact on young people but reduces the benefits of the monitoring process. Because of his monitoring, the manager has identified the need to have a greater understanding of how young people progress after leaving the service. He is in the early stages of gathering this information.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A key purpose of the service is to offer young people a phased re-integration into the community. When placing authorities cannot find new placements for young people in a timely way, the manager firmly challenges the authorities. Such delays are naturally a source of frustration for some young people who find themselves unable to progress as quickly as possible. The company is considering expanding the service to reduce this risk.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The additional features of the service affect the staffing arrangements. The emphasis on outdoor activities, which routinely take staff away from the home for several nights at a Inspection report children’s home: SC005066 7 time, is attractive to a small cohort of individuals. This means, for example, it is difficult to attract female applicants. The last inspection identified this shortfall. The company addresses the shortfall in positive female role models by having a female therapist, tutors, and independent visitor.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Few new applicants have experience of this sort of work. Therefore, the manager has to recruit unqualified staff. Nevertheless, approximately 50% of the team are qualified and the remainder are on target to become qualified within the required timescales.

p.7

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.

p.7

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: SC005066 8

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.8

Children’s home details

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

p.8

Inspector

David Morgan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC005066 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9