Children's home run by Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited in Stockport

Inspection report children’s home: SC357468 1 SC357468 Registered provider: Timeout Children’s Home 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

This is one of a number of children’s homes operated by a private company. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for one child or young person who has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

If required, the child or young person can access the organisation’s school and therapy department.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2007.

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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: 11 September 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: SC357468 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/09/2017 Full Good 31/01/2017 Full Good 31/08/2016 Interim Not judged 11/03/2016 Interim Not judged Inspection report children’s home: SC357468 3

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will be homely environments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Specifically, ensure that all outstanding repairs are completed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person is supported unconditionally by a small, dedicated team of staff who demonstrate a genuine commitment to meeting her needs. Staff recognise the journey the young person has travelled since being in this home, which in many ways is significant. She is without doubt happier, safer and healthier.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have made every effort to increase the young person’s confidence. They have provided her with lots of opportunities to develop friendships outside of the home and spend time away from staff. This is in recognition of her need to have experiences similar to peers her age, as well as reducing her over-dependency on staff. However, this continues to be a major challenge that staff face, having made very limited progress since the last inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person has formed strong attachments with staff generally, but in particular with her key worker, who has been a constant source of support in both her previous and current placements. All staff show a genuine interest in her and value and respond to her views, wishes and feelings. They support her to have a real say in what happens in her life, including choices about education and seeing her family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education and have made every effort to overcome the young person’s reluctance to engage in any type of education. For example, they have negotiated individual timetables and incentivised attendance, but with little or no effect. Positively, staff have not given up and after listening to the young person, and through their hard work, they have managed to secure a place at a mainstream school, due to start imminently. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘They do listen to her and take her views seriously. A real strength is that the staff don’t give up on her, no matter what she does.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff enjoy spending time with the young person and provide lots of opportunities for her to enjoy life and have fun. They recognise the importance of capturing these memories and do this to good effect through the use of colourful and child-friendly journey books. These provide a pictorial record of her care experiences and progress, and will serve as a positive reminder of her time spent in the home when she leaves. Inspection report children’s home: SC357468 4 Overall, the home is a pleasant and comfortable house. A number of areas have been refurbished and decorated to a good standard, with future improvements planned to modernise areas such as the bathroom. In the short term, there are some minor repairs that are required if the home is to reflect consistently the standards of care provided overall. These include treating the mould on the bathroom ceiling, repairing the hole in kitchen wall and securing the door-closer arm on the lounge door. Outside, there is a

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

need to refit the fence panel and secure the loose flags.

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

Living in this home, and the continued support provided by staff, means that the young person is safe and protected effectively from harm. Staff identify and understand the young person’s behaviours, risks and vulnerabilities, and are effective in the management of these.

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

Staff use planned and reflective key-work sessions and ad hoc conversations to help the young person to understand risk and know how to keep herself safe. Incidents of risk- taking behaviour are extremely rare. This is viewed as a significant improvement on the behaviour seen prior to her moving to this solo home in January 2017. However, it is difficult to genuinely assess whether this is down to her making better choices, or the fact that she rarely spends time away from the one-to-one support of staff. Staff recognise the need to test this and have made a number of unsuccessful attempts to provide the young person with opportunities to reduce this over-dependency on staff.

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

Staff are trained in and understand their safeguarding responsibilities. They know what action to take in response to emerging concerns, such as the young person going missing, and are consistently robust in their response to such incidents.

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

The staff team models consistent and caring behaviours. Staff work closely with the organisation’s therapist, who is highly influential in helping staff to deliver a parent-like programme of support that engenders a genuine sense of security and belonging. Incidents of challenging behaviour are exceptionally rare, primarily because of the respectful relationships that exist between the young person and staff.

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

There is a more robust and safer approach in respect of medication management. Improved auditing by senior staff has ensured that staff are maintaining accurate records of the young person’s medication regime. Also, unused medication is being returned or disposed of in a timely manner.

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

The safe area risk assessment now includes the views of a range of agencies from within the community. As a result, this document better represents the risks in the local area, which are fully considered in the young person’s individual risk assessment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is registered for this and another home run by the organisation, and splits her management time between the two. She is supported well by an enthusiastic and Inspection report children’s home: SC357468 5 competent senior therapeutic carer who is keen to develop her management skills. Together they demonstrate effective leadership qualities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is child-focused, prioritises the young person’s needs and is fully involved in the planning of her care. She is effective in modelling a nurturing approach that is embraced fully by the small team of staff working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff confirm that they are well supported in their day-to-day practice. They receive regular supervision that is beneficial to their professional development. The core team comprises three staff who are suitably qualified and have good access to mandatory and needs-led training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Each member of staff has their competency appraised every four months, measuring their performance against their individual targets and goals. This promotes continuous professional development and demonstrates the organisation’s commitment to developing a competent and effective workforce. A member of staff said, ‘This is a good organisation that is willing to invest in you as a person if you want to progress.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been an improved management response to addressing requirements and recommendations, with all of them from the previous inspection being suitably addressed. This is reflective of the better management oversight, which was one of those requirements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and are constantly seeking ways to improve the experiences and outcomes for the young person in their care. In this respect, they make good use of handovers, team meetings and reports from the independent visitor to promote a child-focused improvement agenda.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The team works collaboratively with all professionals and agencies. The manager will now more readily use the organisation’s escalation procedure to challenge agencies and professionals who do not fulfil their obligation to the young person. This has resulted in all statutory documentation being provided and has contributed to ensuring that independent return interviews have been offered to the young person following the two incidents of her going missing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose has been reviewed, updated and sent to Ofsted. The document now includes details of staff experience and qualifications, and fully meets regulation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have been trained in the use of the home’s electronic recording system and demonstrate an improved competency in this respect. The quality of the young person’s records is of a good standard. These records provide a detailed insight into the young person’s life. Inspection report children’s home: SC357468 6

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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: SC357468 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Timeout Children’s Home Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Mill Fold, Ripponden, Sowerby Bridge, Yorkshire HX6 4DH

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Inspector(s)

Paul Scott, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC357468 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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