Children's Home run by Trafford Borough Council in Trafford

Inspection report children’s home: SC032496 1 SC032496 Registered provider: Trafford Borough Council

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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 maintained by a local authority and provides care for up to six young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. One of these places is usually reserved for children who need an emergency placement.

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Information about this children’s home

The home benefits from a well-qualified, trained and highly experienced registered manager.

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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 outstanding

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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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: SC032496 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/06/2017 Full Good 26/10/2016 Full Good 23/06/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/12/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC032496 3

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Recommendations

 The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 15.2, page 64) This relates specifically to the registered manager’s analysis of the impact of unplanned admissions, placement breakdowns or disruptions and any lessons learned from those events.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress in relation to their starting points. They benefit from highly individualised, well-planned care that promotes their needs effectively and contributes towards change and improvement in their lives. A social worker reported, ‘To be fair, he’s settled in so much better than I could have anticipated. He’s settled in so well. He’s attended his health appointments and has engaged with the staff. I’m amazed at how well he’s doing.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s needs are assessed carefully prior to their admission. This ensures that young people living at the home are appropriately matched. There has been a marked reduction in the numbers of unplanned emergency admissions since the last inspection. The home is far more stable and settled as a result.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy positive relationships with staff and they get along well with each other. Staff promote harmonious and safe relationships within the home. They provide young people with continuity of care in a supportive and nurturing environment. Consequently, young people have consistency and stability in their lives. Young people reported, ‘It’s good because you get help with your anger and anxieties. It’s helpful, there’s good communication and staff are mostly on point.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from the services they need to enjoy good health. They have access to the health services they need to secure their physical and emotional well- being. The home works closely with health professionals to ensure that young people benefit from the best possible help and wraparound support. Consequently, the health needs of young people are met effectively. The nurse for looked-after children reported, ‘Very nurturing environment. Good understanding of young person’s needs. Staff make sure that all of the health needs of the young person are met.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people attend school or other alternative educational provision with extensive support and encouragement from staff. Staff work productively and constructively with the providers of young people’s education to maximise each individual’s educational Inspection report children’s home: SC032496 4 achievement. Those young people that have left school are supported to further their education to achieve their career aspirations, training and educational goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from a diverse range of exciting and stimulating activities. The home provides young people with activities, many of which the young people have never experienced before. For example, young people recently went on a holiday in Scotland and relaxation weekends in the Lake District. These experiences enrich the young people’s lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

On arriving at the home, each young person receives a welcome pack that contains toiletries, chocolates, slippers and other useful items that the young person may need. When young people leave the home, they receive a personalised keepsake in the form of a memory box to remind them about their time spent living at the home. A lot of thought, time, effort and attention to detail have gone into these projects by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A social worker commented, ‘A great staff team that genuinely care about the young people; they are child-focused and organised.’ Another professional reported:

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work positively with the families of young people and ensure regular contact takes place. This ensures that young people see their friends and families and sustain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them.

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

Staff consistently place the safety of young people at the centre of their practice, irrespective of the challenges this presents. They have an exceptionally good understanding of young people’s specific needs and emerging vulnerabilities and take appropriate action to address them. Risks associated with young people are managed effectively by staff and young people are kept safe and feel safe.

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

There is a strong emphasis placed on the safety of young people. Young people are protected from abuse and all other forms of significant harm. Young people are cared for by well-trained, experienced and knowledgeable staff with a good understanding of safeguarding practices and procedures. The use of proactive safeguarding practice, combined with clear risk assessment and effective behaviour management strategies, promotes the safety and well-being of young people.

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

Young people know how to make a complaint and their rights are promoted effectively. Complaints raised by young people are appropriately investigated, addressed and resolved. The views of young people are regularly ascertained by staff. This ensures that young people can influence and contribute to the running of the home. They commented, ‘It’s a good home with good people. It’s chilled out. It’s sweet.’

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

The frequency with which young people go missing for long periods has decreased considerably. When young people are absent or go missing, staff follow the home’s procedures to locate them quickly and secure their safe return. They maintain effective partnerships with the police and other safeguarding agencies to reduce the risk of young people coming to harm. Inspection report children’s home: SC032496 5 Staff consistently have high expectations of behaviour. There are no issues with bullying within this home. Staff apply the home’s rules and boundaries effectively and young people respect these boundaries. The use of restraint is exceptionally rare, and if used at all, it is only ever used to protect young people from harm.

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

Consequences for unacceptable behaviour are fair and the use of sanctions is kept to an absolute minimum. Positive behaviour is encouraged, and this is consistently praised and reinforced by staff.

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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 comfortable, welcoming and homely environment. The home is consistently maintained to a high-quality standard for young people. Health and safety matters are managed effectively by staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home benefits from a well-qualified, trained and highly experienced registered manager who demonstrates strong and effective leadership of the operation of the home. The registered manager leads staff by example. She is an inspirational leader who stimulates staff’s efforts and channels their enthusiasm effectively. Staff are well supported, professionally managed and led.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has consistently high expectations of staff and develops a culture that has high aspirations for young people. Consequently, staff share and implement the home’s ethos, approach and philosophy in caring for young people. They strive to achieve the absolute best outcomes possible for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All staff working at the home are appropriately qualified. They have the skills, competence, knowledge and experience to meet the specific needs of the young people. Staff benefit from regular practice-related supervision and have access to high-quality training that supports their training needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff meet the aims and objectives as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. They deliver a high-quality service for young people that contributes to continuing change and improvement in young people’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are effective systems for the routine scrutiny of the conduct and performance of the home. An independent and professional person inspects the home each month to review the quality of young people’s care and the home’s arrangements to safeguard them and promote their well-being. The registered manager undertakes her own internal monitoring activities, and apart from a lack of reflection on placement disruptions, she has a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. On the whole, the manager makes good use of the home’s external and internal monitoring activities to secure the home’s continuing improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home has met and addressed the only recommendation from the last inspection. In Inspection report children’s home: SC032496 6 meeting this recommendation, the home has seen a decrease in the number of unplanned emergency admissions to the home. However, the need for, and impact of, unplanned emergency admissions, and any placement breakdowns or disruptions are not considered as part of the registered manager’s quality of care review. This is a missed opportunity for the home to learn from practice, but has neglible impact on outcomes 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: SC032496 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Trafford Council, Town Hall, Talbot Road, Manchester M32 0TH

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC032496 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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