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

Inspection report children’s home: SC008607 1 SC008607 Registered provider: Care Today

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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 two young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities. The home is privately owned and managed.

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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: SC008607 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/10/2017 Full Good 09/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/09/2016 Full Good 15/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC008607 3

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Recommendations

 Ensure that relevant plans are in place for young people. (‘Guide to the children homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.1) This relates specifically to obtaining any outstanding plans from the placing authority.  Each child should have permission for staff to administer first aid and non- prescription medication from a person with parental responsibility for them recorded in their relevant plan. For looked after children, this permission should be sought and arranged by the child’s social worker. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.14)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.2) This relates specifically to ensuring that sharp cooking utensils are stored safely and securely.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36) This relates to increased scrutiny of restraint practice involving ground holds.  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4) This relates specifically to ensuring that compatibility impact assessments take account of the specific needs of other young people already living at the

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are settled and make considerable progress in relation to their individual starting points. They benefit from well-planned, highly personalised care that promotes their needs effectively and contributes to change and improvement in their lives. One young person reported, ‘I love it, me. It’s one of the best care homes. They’ve helped me with everything and put a roof over my head. They try to help us out the best way they can. It’s amazing. I’ve passed four GCSEs here. That’s good enough for me. I’m thankful.’ Another young person reported, ‘It’s alright. I wouldn’t say it’s bad, but I wouldn’t say it’s excellent. I think it’s a good care home. My mum’s is better, obviously, but this is still a good place to be. Staff here are nice though, to be fair.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC008607 4 Young people enjoy exceptionally good relationships with staff and have consistency and stability in their lives. They make good progress in their learning and attend school or

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

other educational provision regularly and receive good support and encouragement from staff. Eligible care leavers have access to relevant training and apprenticeships to support their career aspirations and training and educational goals. Relevant plans are in place to promote young people’s educational achievements. However, a young person requires a revised care plan to promote his specific needs and plans for his future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are positive arrangements in place to promote young people’s good health. Young people are registered with a doctor, dentist and optician and attend their routine health appointments with encouragement from staff. Medical consent is obtained; however, consent for the administration of suitable, non-prescribed medication is outstanding for some young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although young people’s needs are assessed carefully prior to their admission, compatibility impact assessments do not demonstrate how the needs of those already living at the home have been considered when ensuring that potential new young people are appropriately matched.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home builds highly effective partnerships with the families of young people and ensures that regular family contact takes place. They provide young people with the support they need to sustain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them. Staff have gone above and beyond to promote and facilitate contact, even when young people live a long way from home. A young person’s relative advised the inspector that they were really appreciative of the level of support provided to promote contact.

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

The home has seen a significant decrease in the frequency with which young people go missing. Young people rarely go missing, and should they do so, staff actively look for them and follow the home’s procedures to promote their 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: good

There is evidence to demonstrate that young people become increasingly safer because of the actions staff take to support and protect them. There are no issues with self- harm, drug or alcohol misuse, offending or other forms of dangerous, unsafe risk-taking behaviour.

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

There are no concerns in relation to child sexual exploitation or radicalisation. Staff are trained in such matters and have a good understanding of their safeguarding roles. Young people are protected from abuse and all other forms of significant harm. Young people are kept safe and feel safe.

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

The behaviours of young people are managed safely and effectively by staff. Inspection report children’s home: SC008607 5 Consequences to address unacceptable behaviour are fair and the use of sanctions is kept to a minimum. Staff promote positive behaviour and implement rules and safe boundaries to maintain good order and discipline within the home. They provide young people with a supportive and nurturing environment while maintaining high expectations of behaviour. Staff ensure that positive behaviour is consistently praised, recognised and reinforced.

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

The use of restraint is rare, and if used at all, is only ever used as a last resort to protect young people from harm. However, some restraints have resulted in ground holds, which could increase the risk of young people and staff suffering accidental harm. Consequently, increased scrutiny of restraints is needed to address this. A recommendation is made in respect of this issue.

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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. Suitable procedures are in place to ensure that any allegations of abuse would be managed effectively, and significant incidents are shared with the appropriate authorities to safeguard and protect young people.

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

The accommodation provided for young people is consistently maintained to a good standard. The home provides young people with a warm, comfortable and homely environment. Health and safety matters are addressed effectively. However, some potentially dangerous kitchen utensils were found stored in the office, which could compromise the safety of young people and staff. Sharp knives were not stored securely. Consequently, a recommendation is made in respect of their safe storage.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home benefits from an experienced, passionate and committed registered manager and senior who consistently demonstrate strong and effective leadership of the operation of the home. Young people benefit from a home that is managed efficiently and effectively and one that secures and delivers positive outcomes for them. The home can demonstrate the positive difference that it has made to the lives of young people and can evidence considerable change and improvement in their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A young person’s auntie reported, ’He’s doing absolutely brilliant. The help they have given him has been unbelievable. He wasn’t doing well in education before going to the home. Now he’s started education and he’s achieved amazing results in his exams. He needed support and stability. The staff at the home are amazing.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Stable, well-qualified, trained and experienced staff are employed to meet the specific needs of the young people. All staff working at the home are suitably trained and qualified and hold a diploma or equivalent at NVQ level 3 in caring for children and young people. Staff have sufficient knowledge, skills and relevant experience to meet young people’s needs effectively. Staff are recruited and vetted carefully to ensure that the adults employed to care for young people are safe and suitable people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are extremely well supported and led. They benefit from regular, practice-related Inspection report children’s home: SC008607 6 supervision which ensures that they are supported in their roles and their performance and practice are monitored. Staff morale is good, and staff enthusiastically meet the needs of young people and ensure that they benefit from the best possible help and all- round support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

[Young person’s name] is doing well there. He has made good attachments which are down to the staff’s commitment towards him. Staff seem to really care about him and support and encourage him. I think staff’s communication with other professionals could be improved and more could be done in terms of his social/leisure needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are effective arrangements for reviewing the standard of care and improving the quality of young people’s care. Independent professionals visit the home each month to scrutinise the home’s arrangements to safeguard young people and promote their well- being. The registered manager makes good use of the home’s internal and external monitoring activities to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home. This enables him to address any shortfalls and secure the home’s continuing improvement. The performance of the home is monitored effectively.

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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: SC008607 7

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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: SC008607 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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