Children's home run by The Together Trust in Stockport

Inspection report children‟s home: SC025740 1 SC025740 Registered provider: The Together Trust

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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 privately owned home is registered to care for up to six children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 31 December 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

The new manager who is in post has applied to Ofsted to be the registered manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children‟s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 27 November 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Inspection report children‟s home: SC025740 2 27/11/2017 Full Good 07/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 12/07/2016 Full Good 15/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC025740 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority‟s or a relevant person‟s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, 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)) In particular, the registered person should challenge the quality and accuracy of reports completed by the independent person, to ensure that they help improve the quality of care provided to young people. 30/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children‟s home‟s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children‟s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b) and (2)(c)(i)(ii)) In particular, the registered person should ensure that: damaged furniture, including sofas and dining chairs, is replaced; marked carpets and walls are repaired or decorated; graffiti on external walls is removed; and garden areas are cleared of any unwanted items, such as broken bikes and furniture. 30/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 30/09/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC025740 4 that staff help each child to— achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child‟s relevant plans. (Regulation 10(1)(a)(b)(c) and (2)(a)) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child‟s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‟s welfare. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(vi)) In particular, the registered person should ensure that risk assessment are reviewed regularly including after significant incidents such as young people going missing or self harming. Staff should ensure that they adhere to strategies identified to keep young people safe. 30/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(d)(h)) 30/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children‟s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that arrangements are in place to— manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child‟s placing authority. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(ii) and (iii)) 30/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home— the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that 30/09/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC025740 5 Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25(2)(b)) In particular, the registered person must ensure that young people who are new to the home undertake a practice fire evacuation within 24 hours of their arrival at the home. The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(a)(b)(c)) In particular, the registered person should ensure that all staff who undertake a supervisory role have undertaken the required training to complete this task. Furthermore, staff should receive

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out— how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children‟s home; and the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home. The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— the name of the child; details of the child‟s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)— has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 30/09/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC025740 6 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b)(2)(3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii) and (c)) The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which— include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. In particular, the registered person must ensure that copies of young people‟s education, health and care plans, personal education plans and looked after children health assessments are on file. Furthermore, records of visitors to the home should include the times of departure as well as arrival. 30/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children‟s home at least once each month. The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person‟s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person‟s opinion as to whether— children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children‟s well-being. The independent person‟s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44(1)(4)(a)(b) and (5)) In particular, the independent person‟s report should be specific and tailored to the individual home. Any summary or opinion about the safeguarding arrangements in place should be accurate and reflective of the observations at the time of the visit. 30/09/2018

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improvement to be good

Staff have mixed success in planning for new admissions. In one instance, staff did not obtain all the relevant information prior to the admission of a young person. As a result, the young person‟s placement ended after less than two weeks. This was not only a negative outcome for the young person involved, but was highly disruptive for those young people already resident.

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improvement to be good

The home environment is tired and in need of repair. Damaged furniture, marked walls and graffiti sprayed on an external wall are unsightly. Broken bikes and furniture outside Inspection report children‟s home: SC025740 7 the home present a potential hazard, but also further detract from the appearance of the home. Despite this, young people have stated that they like the home and have not raised any complaints.

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improvement to be good

In most cases, staff are successful in ensuring that young people‟s physical and emotional health needs are met. However, in one instance there has been a significant delay in a young person receiving therapeutic intervention from the provider‟s clinical team. This has meant that he has not received the tailored intervention he needs to meet his emotional health needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage young people to engage in activities to improve their skills for the future. For example, staff encourage young people to complete household chores and to be involved in cooking meals. However, review of the progress that young people make in being prepared for their futures is weak. As a result, there is a lack of coordination and direction in ensuring that young people develop the skills that they will need when they leave the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that all young people attend school. Engagement with education is a well- established routine and a core part of the culture of the home. Good communication between staff and schools ensures that any potential barriers to accessing education are quickly overcome.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always ensure that risk assessments are reviewed after significant incidents such as young people self-harming or going missing. This is a missed chance to review the effectiveness of strategies that are in place to keep young people safe.

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improvement to be good

When young people go missing, the staff‟s initial response is good. Staff make meaningful efforts to locate young people and coordinate their efforts with the placing authority. However, staff do not always report the young people as missing to the police within agreed timescales. Although this has not resulted in any specific harm, this has the potential to increase young people‟s vulnerability.

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improvement to be good

In some instances, the staff‟s attentive approach means that their de-escalation and distraction techniques are successful. This means that young people learn to manage their emotions better. A social worker told the inspector, „His anxieties are reducing, they have worked hard on his routines and strategies to support him.‟

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improvement to be good

Despite this, in other examples, staff struggle to support young people during periods of crisis and this has resulted in the need for regular physical restraint for some young people. The manager‟s oversight of physical intervention is of variable quality. For example, incidents are not always reviewed within the required timescales and the details of actions taken as part of the review are not always clear. Inspection report children‟s home: SC025740 8 Staff do not ensure that practice fire evacuation drills are completed within 24 hours of a young person‟s admission to the home, in line with the home‟s procedures. This has the potential to leave young people vulnerable to harm should there be a fire during the early stages of their placement. Despite this, regular fire evacuation drills are completed and audits of fire safety are completed both internally and externally.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been no registered manager since 31 December 2017. The impact of this has been lessened by the appointment of a new manager, who was formally appointed in March 2018. There has been a delay in the manager applying to Ofsted to be the registered manager. This application has now been received and is currently being processed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager is keen, motivated and child focused in her approach. This is mirrored by the deputy manager, who shows similar attributes. The two managers have a good understanding of the home‟s areas for development. Despite this, they have not been successful in implementing the improvements required to ensure that young people‟s needs are fully met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

External audits carried out by the independent person have not been sufficiently robust. This means that shortfalls in staff practice are not always identified during the monthly audits. The independent person‟s report includes a standardised paragraph to describe their opinion as to whether young people are safeguarded. This means that the report does not provide a reflective account of safeguarding arrangements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not challenged the quality of the independent person‟s reports, despite recognising that they do not always identify known shortfalls. This is a missed opportunity to effectively use monitoring systems to improve the quality of care provided for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite there being a core group of stable staff, staff vacancies and the need for increased staff ratios for some young people have meant that there has been a high use of non-permanent staff. Although this is an improving picture, the need for non- permanent staff is likely to continue in the short term.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Poor planning by the manager means that in some instances staff do not receive regular supervision sessions. This means that there is a wasted chance to challenge some staff‟s poor performance. Staff have not had their annual appraisals within expected timescales. Reassuringly, these are timetabled to be completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not ensured that all staff who undertake a supervisory role have completed the required supervision training. This has not had a negative impact on the care provided for the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not ensure that case records are up to date. For example, copies of young Inspection report children‟s home: SC025740 9 people‟s education, health and care plans, personal education plans and looked after children health assessments are not always on file. This impacts on the staff‟s ability to plan how best to meet the needs of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not ensure that an accurate record of visitors to the home is maintained. The impact of this is low.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are successful in developing and maintaining effective relationships with partner agencies. The inspector received consistent feedback about the home‟s good communication and coordinated approach to caring for young people.

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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: SC025740 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Together Trust Centre, Schools Hill, Cheadle, Cheshire SK8 1JE

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Inspector

Paul Robinson: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC025740 11 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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