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

Inspection report children’s home: SC008487 1 SC008487 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

The home provides care for up to six young people who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities. The home is privately run and managed.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since March 2016.

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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 outstanding

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC008487 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/10/2017 Full Good 02/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/10/2016 Full Outstanding 23/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC008487 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)  Children’s homes staff should encourage children to take a proactive role in looking after their day-to-day health and well-being. Where children have specific health needs or conditions, they should be supported to manage these subject to their age and understanding. When a child needs additional health or well-being support, staff should work with the child’s placing authority to enable proper and immediate access to any specialist medical, psychological or psychiatric support

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Recommendations

required, and challenge them through regulation 5 – engaging with the wider system to ensure that children’s needs are met, if this doesn’t happen. This relates specifically to ensuring that young people are pro-actively encouraged to attend their routine health appointments. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.10)  For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. This relates specifically to replacing the worn hall stairs carpet and completing the proposed improvements to the rear garden area in a timely manner. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress across most aspects of their physical, social, emotional and behavioural development. They benefit from continuity of care and have consistency and stability in their lives. They enjoy good relationships with staff and sustain their positive attachments. Young people benefit from well-planned, highly individualised care that promotes their needs effectively and contributes to change and improvement in their lives. A young person reported: ‘It’s a quiet neighbourhood and the neighbours are nice. Some of the staff I can bond with. It’s like having a new family but with different people every day.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are registered with a doctor, dentist and optician and have access to these services when they need them. However, some young people refuse to attend their Inspection report children’s home: SC008487 4 routine health appointments, despite support and encouragement from staff. Consequently, their health needs are not met consistently, however failed appointments are rescheduled and young people are always encouraged by staff to attend their health appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Medical consent is in place and staff are clear about the types of health decisions and responsibilities that are charged and delegated to them. Young people in need of additional support or specialist health provision receive the support they need to promote their emotional and psychological well-being. A young person reported: ‘I have a lot of people seeing me. Now I’m getting the help I need.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively promote young people’s education and encourage their regular attendance at school or alternative educational provision. Since the last inspection, one young person has completed his GCSEs. He is now being supported to make his transition to semi-independent living. One young person attends school on a full-time basis and another is on a reduced timetable currently. However, one young person isn’t engaging in his education, despite ongoing support from his mentor and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff proactively promote contact taking place. This ensures that young people can see their friends and families and sustain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them. Staff provide young people with a broad range of constructive and enjoyable activities. As a result, young people develop their own specific interests and hobbies, for example go-karting, dancing and fishing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s transitions to and from the home are well planned and managed by staff. A young person reported: ‘The staff were really welcoming when I first came. I met staff before I came here.’

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

The safety of young people is consistently at the centre of staff practice, irrespective of the challenges this presents. Staff have an exceptionally good understanding of the specific needs and emerging vulnerabilities of young people and take appropriate action to address them. The use of clear risk assessment and proactive safeguarding practice promotes the safety of young people.

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

Young people become increasingly safe because of the actions staff take to support and protect them. Young people are kept safe and feel safe. Young people rarely go missing and if they do, they benefit from a swift response from staff to secure their quick and safe return. The home maintains highly effective partnerships with the police and all other safeguarding agencies to promote the safety and well-being of young people.

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

Significant incidents are shared with the appropriate authorities quickly to ensure that the right action is taken by the right agencies to support and protect young people. Allegations of abuse are handled quickly and professionally by staff. A social worker reported: Inspection report children’s home: SC008487 5 I have been happy with [the home] and the staff’s attention to [young person]. They have given her much-needed stability. They have supported her with school and ensured that she has her own activities to attend. The result of this is her care and independence skills have improved as have her routines. [Young person] has over the years made allegations about family members caring for her and has made some allegations about staff which have been dealt with thoroughly and professionally.

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

Staff are suitably trained in child protection, radicalisation, gang affiliation and child sexual exploitation. Consequently, they know how to protect young people from abuse and all other forms of significant harm. The registered manager is arranging for staff to attend training on county lines. This will ensure that staff are aware of the emerging threat this form of exploitation poses to young people.

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

Staff promote positive behaviour and ensure that positive behaviour is consistently praised, recognised and reinforced. Restraint, if used at all, is only ever used to keep young people safe and protect them from actual harm. There has only been one restraint since the last inspection. Consequences that staff use to address negative behaviour are fair and proportionate.

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

A young person reported: ‘This house is more settled. Other care homes are more mad. Staff do their paperwork at night times, so they can spend time with us during the day. Staff are really nice. Staff talk to you when you are upset and they always find a solution.’

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

The home provides young people with a physically safe, appropriately secure, warm, comfortable and homely environment. However, the carpet on the hall stairs and the landing is looking worn, and plans to improve the rear garden have yet to be implemented. As a result, a recommendation is made in relation to these issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed efficiently and effectively by a registered manager and deputy who are trained, very experienced and well-qualified, and who exercise strong and effective leadership of the operations of the home. The home employs sufficient numbers of suitably qualified and experienced staff to meet the needs of young people. Leaders and managers have consistently high expectations of staff and high aspirations for young people. They stimulate the staff’s enthusiasm and channel their efforts effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are extremely well supported, and are professionally managed and led. They share and implement the home’s ethos, approach and philosophy in caring for young people. They champion young people’s needs effectively and maintain highly effective partnerships with other professionals to ensure that young people benefit from the best possible help and all-round support. Inspection report children’s home: SC008487 6 The training needs of the staff are identified and met effectively. Staff have access to good-quality training that is relevant to the work they perform. The home meets the aims and objectives as set out in its statement of purpose. It provides a good-quality service for young people and their families, and can evidence the positive impact that it has made on their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff provide young people with a highly supportive, caring and nurturing environment. Health and safety matters are addressed effectively. The home provides a safe environment for young people, visitors and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are effective systems for reviewing and improving the standard and quality of young people’s care. The home is visited monthly 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 effective use of the home’s internal and external monitoring activities to eradicate identified weaknesses and secure the home’s improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home has met and addressed the two recommendations from the last inspection. Young people have relevant plans in place to meet their specific needs and in-house meetings provide regular opportunities for staff to consult with young people and involve them in the running of the home.

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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: SC008487 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

Anthony Kyem: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC008487 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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