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

Inspection report children’s home: SC021683 1 SC021683 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

This is a privately run children’s home offering care and accommodation for up to four young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities. The home is run by an experienced registered manager who has been employed at the home since March 2007.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 30 April to 1 May 2018

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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: 17 October 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC021683 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/10/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 29/09/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/06/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC021683 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response is inadequate in relation to their role, the registered person must challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(c)) 01/06/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure that children are 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. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that case records, specifically keywork sessions, are kept up-to-date and recorded in a way that is helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy positive and warm relationships with staff. They are settled, happy, and on the whole make good progress. One young person commented, ‘I used to be a bad lad. Since I have come to live here I have turned my life around. I will always be grateful to the staff here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Residential care planning is significantly improved. Plans incorporate relevant and specific targets that are consistently reviewed against the home’s tracker system. This system has enabled young people to develop personal goals and aspirations that they are keen to achieve. A young person commented, ‘The staff understand me and have helped me so much. I never believed I could achieve as much as I have.’ Although key- work sessions are improved, there are gaps in recording. This means that the young people’s journey is not always fully captured. Inspection report children’s home: SC021683 4 The majority of young people attend school or college on a full-time basis. Attendance and attainment are considerably improved. One young person is studying 3D media arts while another is preparing to undertake final GCSE examinations. Both young people have a vision for their future, including joining the Navy and pet care. One young person

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

works part-time in a restaurant, which helps him to develop key skills. He has been offered an apprenticeship which he hopes to further develop in the Navy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are occasions when young people struggle to engage in education on a consistent basis. Staff work well with educational providers, ensuring that young people have options suitable to their needs. Records, including personal education plans, review meetings, incentives and key-work sessions, highlight the home’s commitment to ‘going the extra mile’ in order to break the cycle of non-attendance. However, when a young person continues to refuse to engage, the registered manager must challenge the delay in the local authority finding the most appropriate educational setting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home’s attention to young people’s health care needs is positive. External agencies provide additional counselling support for young people who have habitual drug or alcohol concerns. Young people engage. One young person said, ‘When I came to live here I wanted cannabis all the time. Staff helped me to get the right support. It was hard but now I don’t think about drugs or alcohol. I just think about my great future.’ This demonstrates that young people receive the right help, support and guidance to make significant positive changes in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the value of including families, where possible, in the planning for young people’s care. Staff work extremely hard to support the development of trusting relationships between young people and their relatives. Consequently, young people enjoy regular contact with important people in their lives. As such, families and friends are frequent visitors to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to promote community links for young people and to encourage participation in activities. This can be difficult for some, but in the main young people enjoy attending football matches, fishing and trampolining. Young people also enjoy part-time work, revising for exams and spending time in the community with friends. One young person is set for a trip to India with a friend and his family. They will spend time travelling and volunteering to help those less fortunate. He said, ‘It is going to be amazing. The home have paid for me to go and I will never forget it.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are well prepared for independence. The children’s home incorporates training flats for young people who have a plan of living independently. The fully equipped flats enable young people to get a sense of the responsibilities of living alone. Staff support young people to shop, cook and clean, while also ensuring that young people understand about utilities, benefits and housing support. Young people’s progress is regularly tracked, and targets are amended to reflect the progress and occasional dip in their independence skill development. Inspection report children’s home: SC021683 5

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

Young people’s safety is prioritised. Clear impact assessments ensure that all young people placed at the home are assessed against the needs, interests and aspirations of those already resident. Likewise, individual risk assessments are balanced and take into account significant life events. This means that risk is measured and appropriate individual strategies are in place to address any concerns.

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

Since the last full inspection in June 2017, there have been no incidents where physical intervention has been deemed necessary. All staff receive annual training on the use of physical intervention, including de-escalation and redirection techniques. One staff member said, ‘Physical intervention should only be used when all else fails and there is a high risk of harm. We pride ourselves on having excellent relationships and knowing the young people well. We all use redirection and de-escalation. It’s the way this home runs.’

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

Behaviour management plans are in place, are followed in practice and reflect the individual personalities of young people. This means that staff understand the triggers for negative behaviour and also the most effective methods of managing challenging behaviours. Sanctions are restorative and meaningful. Therefore, through reflection, regular key-work sessions and young people’s meetings, young people learn about the impact of their behaviours in order to make effective change. Young people are happy and settled in the home.

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

Since the last full inspection and the discharge of two young people, incidents of young people being reported as missing or absent from the home have notably decreased. Risk assessments have been further developed, and this ensures that staff have a clear individual protocol for managing concerns on the infrequent occasions when a young person is absent.

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

Young people know how to complain, and receive valuable information from the home and their placing authority to guide them in this area. Since the last inspection, there have been no complaints made in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post for over 11 years. He has extensive residential experience working with children and young people and is qualified at NVQ level 4. The registered manager is supported by a strong team of staff who have all completed NVQ at level 3.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people live in a home that is managed in their best interests. The home meets the aims and objectives of the statement of purpose, and young people, social workers and families are clear about the service and support the home provides.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Good internal monitoring systems provide the home with a consistent approach to the Inspection report children’s home: SC021683 6 overall monitoring of care. Records are well detailed and highlight areas for development, some of which have been identified at this inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home employs a committed and enthusiastic staff team whose members are qualified at NVQ level 3, which ensures that they are suitably qualified in the care and management of young people. Likewise, staff receive relevant training in the home. A staff member said, ‘Training is good. We have face-to-face and online training. We also have external agencies visit the home such as counsellors, advocates and health professionals. This provides us with additional knowledge and a better insight into how they work.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive positive support from the registered manager. His strong and committed team works tirelessly in order to create and develop positive outcomes for young people. The home’s development plan identifies the targets for the forthcoming year. Both the registered manager and staff are excited by and committed to the development of practice, building and grounds. The building has recently been purchased by the organisation. This means the organisation is able to make significant changes to the layout of the home. A full refurbishment plan has been agreed and includes both the internal and external building and the grounds. It is anticipated that the work will commence throughout the summer months in 2018.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff demonstrate commitment to developing and improving practice. The effectiveness of this approach is measurable in the progress young people make from their initial starting points. The manager is aware of the procedure for notifying Ofsted of incidents under Regulation 40. There have been no serious incidents since the last full 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 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: SC021683 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

Maria McGranaghan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC021683 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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