Children's home run by Proactive Care in Tameside

Inspection report children’s home: SC479776 1 SC479776 Registered provider: Family Child Care Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is privately owned and managed. The home’s registered manager is well qualified and suitably experienced, and manages this home and a second smaller home within the company.

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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: 24 October 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC479776 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/10/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 19/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/03/2017 Full Good 17/08/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC479776 3

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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. The home must aim to support full time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The needs of young people are carefully assessed prior to their admission to the home. This ensures that placed young people are appropriately matched. There have been no unplanned placement disruptions since the last inspection. Young people who have left the home since the last inspection have done so in a controlled and positive way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress, taking into account their individual starting points, across most aspects of their physical, social, emotional and behavioural development. They benefit from well-planned, highly personalised care that promotes their needs effectively and contributes to change and improvement in their lives. Staff promote a safe and harmonious environment for young people. Young people benefit from positive relationships with staff and with each other. They feel safe and have a strong sense of personal safety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people reported, ‘I prefer it here because the staff are good. Probably, the best staff I’ve worked with and it’s the best home I’ve tried so far. I’ve never been bullied in all of the time I’ve been here. It’s a good house with good staff.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, not all young people were engaged in full-time education. The attendance levels for those who attend school are considerably below the statutory level of 25 hours a week. As a result, young people make varying levels of progress in relation to their education and learning. The home is working closely with the relevant authorities to source appropriate educational provision. This includes plans to provide young people with additional support through private home tuition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Positive arrangements are made to promote young people’s good health. Young people are registered with a doctor and dentist and have access to these services when they need them. Medical consent is obtained and staff are clear about what types of health decisions and responsibilities are delegated to them. Specialist services are sourced for young people who need additional help and support. However, none of the young people at the home required any specific therapeutic interventions at the time of the inspection. Inspection report children’s home: SC479776 4 Staff promote appropriate forms of contact for young people. This ensures that young people can sustain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them. Staff promote young people’s independence and allow them to take appropriate risks to promote their growth and natural development. Young people benefit from positive activities to promote their social skills, specific interests and hobbies. Young

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

people reported, ‘We go bowling, Go Ape, cinema and play snooker. We pretty much get to do anything we want to do. It’s better here because you get a lot more independence and freedom.’

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

Young people benefit from effective support, help and protection. The safety of young people is consistently at the centre of staff practice, irrespective of the challenges this presents. Staff have a good understanding of young people’s specific needs and vulnerabilities and take appropriate action to address them. The use of clear risk assessment combined with effective safe working practices 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 are suitably trained in child protection so they know how to deal with any allegations and how to report suspected abuse. Young people are protected from abuse and all other forms of significant harm. Significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities that are charged with a duty to protect young people. The home maintains effective partnerships with the police and all other safeguarding agencies to promote the safety of young people.

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

The frequency with which young people go missing has reduced, taking into account their starting points. When young people have gone missing staff actively look for them and work closely with the police to locate them and encourage their safe return. Young people become increasingly safer as a result of the actions staff take to support and protect them. A project worker reported, ‘I have visited on a number of occasions and each time staff have been fantastic. They relay information that they feel may be important for my missing-from-home interviews. They are very cooperative when I ring to arrange to come and see a young person.’

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

Staff support the development of young people’s positive behaviour. They implement the home’s rules and boundaries consistently to promote a safe and positive environment for young people. Staff ensure that positive behaviours are acknowledged, praised and reinforced. The use of consequences to address negative behaviours is fair and proportionate when used by staff. Restraint, if used at all, is only ever used to protect young people from harm. When restraints have occurred they have been low-level and of short duration. There have been no complaints since the last inspection. No concerns were raised by young people during the inspection.

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

The home provides young people with a physically safe, appropriately secure, warm, welcoming, comfortable and homely environment. Health and safety matters are addressed effectively. This ensures that a safe environment is maintained for young Inspection report children’s home: SC479776 5 people, visitors and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home had improved in its effectiveness at the last inspection. No requirements or recommendations were made at that time. The home meets the aims and objectives as set out in its statement of purpose. The home provides a good quality service for young people and can demonstrate the positive impact and difference it has made to their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home employs an experienced and well-qualified registered manager who demonstrates strong and effective leadership of the operation of the home. He is registered with Ofsted to manage this home and a second smaller home within the company. The home employs sufficient numbers of experienced staff who have suitable skills, training and relevant experience to meet the specific needs of the young people. Most staff are appropriately qualified, and those who are not qualified are completing relevant training to obtain a professional qualification in caring for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are managed professionally, and are well supported and led. They benefit from regular, practice-related supervision and have access to good quality training that is relevant to their roles. The training needs of individual staff are identified and met. Staff work well together as a team. They share and implement the home’s ethos, approach and philosophy in caring for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people benefit from a safe, supportive, caring and nurturing environment. The home maintains effective partnerships with social workers, schools, and all other professional agencies to ensure that young people benefit from the best possible help and all-round support. Young people benefit from deeply committed and dedicated staff who provide them with effective support that contributes to change and improvement in their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are effective systems for reviewing and improving the quality of young people’s care. The home is visited on a monthly basis by an independent professional who scrutinises the performance of the home, including the arrangements made to safeguard young people and promote their well-being. This type of monitoring activity enables the registered manager to have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. The manager makes good use of the home’s internal and external monitoring activities to address identified weaknesses and to secure the home’s continuing improvement.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC479776 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: SC479776 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Family Child Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 26 Ardern Road, Manchester M8 4FB

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC479776 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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