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

Inspection report children’s home: SC454838 1 SC454838 Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today Children’s Services

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A large national provider of children’s services operates this service. Ofsted has registered the home for six children who have experienced trauma resulting in emotional or social difficulties. The home is in a rural location.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager was registered with Ofsted in 2016 and has completed her level 5 diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare.

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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: 14 November 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC454838 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/11/2017 Full Good 25/07/2017 Full Inadequate 28/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 18/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC454838 3

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) In particular, the registered manager should ensure that risk assessments give clear guidance on staff supervision of children, including staff/child ratios.  Ensure that the registered person has systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes

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Recommendations

regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm and nurturing home. Staff invest in children and listen to them. Staff offer children regular hugs and other signs of affection. Staff support children to settle into their home quickly. This gives children a sense of security and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend the on-site school and make good progress with their learning and social skills. For some children, this is significant progress from their starting point. Staff and teachers communicate daily to encourage a positive home/school relationship. This provides children with consistent care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s views are kept at the heart of their practice. Children attend regular meetings with their peers to discuss their day-to-day care. This includes activities, menus and incentives for good behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff work hard to promote contact between children and their families. Staff keep parents and carers updated on their child’s progress. Families and carers feel welcome in the home and speak positively about staff. A carer told the inspector, ‘The staff are friendly. They keep me in the loop. I feel really reassured about the care they offer.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend frequent activities such as the cinema, bowling and trips to local entertainment complexes. Staff support children to develop and maintain friendships outside of the home. This brings children a sense of enjoyment and increases their self- esteem. Inspection report children’s home: SC454838 4 Staff work closely with the in-house therapist. This ensures that staff consistently deliver the home’s therapeutic model of care. Some children have commenced therapy sessions. Other children respond well to the staff’s therapeutic approach. As a result, children can increasingly manage difficult thoughts and feelings. A child told the inspector, ‘I can manage my anger much better.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to children and respond to their queries. When appropriate, staff support children to access an independent advocate to provide advice and guidance. Children also know how to complain. This open and transparent culture helps children to feel safe.

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

Children work alongside staff to create their behaviour management plans. This gives children a sense of ownership and responsibility for their behaviours. As a result, incidents of challenging behaviour are reducing.

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

Staff and teachers reward children for positive behaviour and offer support to manage difficult emotions. Children thrive in this environment and enjoy meeting their targets for good behaviour.

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

Staff support children to understand risk and address behaviours that may be harmful to others. For example, children’s meetings focus on the impact of bullying to ensure that children treat each other with respect.

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

Children seek out staff when they need to discuss concerns. Children report that they can have sensitive conversations with several staff members. This open and supportive culture helps children to feel secure. A child told the inspector, ‘If I have an issue I can talk to anyone, not just my key worker.’

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

Staff understand and manage the risks to each child. In most cases, risk assessments give staff clear advice to keep children safe. However, some need more detail on the levels of staff required to supervise children.

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

The registered manager ensures that the physical environment for children is safe. Staff support children to understand the risks posed by the home’s rural location, including farm outbuildings and livestock. However, Ofsted recently received evidence of a child climbing onto the roof of a portakabin outside the home during a game of ‘hide and seek’. This placed the child at risk of harm. Staff were in attendance and encouraged the child to climb down. The registered manager is making plans to remove the portakabin as a matter of urgency.

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

Safe recruitment practices ensure that all new potential employees are properly vetted. This protects children from unsafe adults. Inspection report children’s home: SC454838 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager continues to embed her vision to develop the home. Staff and children benefit from her passionate and child-focused approach. Recently, the registered manager has introduced new monitoring systems that allow her to track the progress of each child and to identify successes and areas of development. As a result, children receive care that responds to their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive support to develop their skills and understanding through specialist training. Regular manager and staff reflective learning groups supplement this learning. As a result, children receive care from knowledgeable staff and continue to make progress in many aspects of their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that plans for each child identify and support their needs. When necessary, the registered manager will challenge local authorities to ensure that their care plans reflect the needs of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is proactive in the local community and develops strong relationships with partner agencies. For example, children support local foodbanks and take part in litter picking events. The local police community support officer is a regular visitor to the home. This helps children develop a sense of belonging in their community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a healthy learning environment and strikes a good balance between staff support and challenge. Regular staff meetings encourage staff discussion on each child’s progress and areas to develop. Staff receive regular supervision. However, supervision sessions do not consistently encourage staff to reflect on the demands of their role or on the progress of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager carefully considers all relevant information before admitting a new child to the home. As a result, children settle quickly and develop positive relationships with their peers. A family member told the inspector, ‘I wasn’t expecting them [child] to settle in so quickly. They just seem so happy.’

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC454838 6 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: SC454838 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

Gareth Leckey, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC454838 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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