Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Today

Inspection report children’s home: SC044745 1 SC044745 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

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for six young people who may have experienced childhood instability, resulting in trauma and associated complex behaviours. The registered manager holds a level 5 qualification.

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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: 19 September 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/09/2017 Full Good 14/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/06/2016 Full Good 10/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC044745 2

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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

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, young peoples’ internal placement plans should reflect their current progress. 23/11/2018

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Recommendations

 As part of reviewing and revising, where appropriate, the statement of purpose (regulation 16(3)(a)), the registered person should review and update the children’s guide as necessary, and make sure children are given an explanation of any changes. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.23) In particular, the children’s guide should include information on local environmental risks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the young people well and invest in them. This helps young people to feel secure and build a sense of belonging. Young people speak positively about the care that they receive. One young person told the inspector, ‘Staff are nice and caring. They treat me like I am one of their own children.’ All young people attend the on-site school. Attendance rates are excellent, and this supports the academic progress that each young person is making. This is a significant achievement in relation to their starting points. Staff are ambitious for young people and provide them with the routine and structure needed for educational progress. Staff support young people to participate in the day-to-day running of the home. Young people and staff regularly meet together to discuss important aspects of their care and make decisions about activities and menus. This gives each young person a sense of ownership and responsibility for their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from living in a therapeutic environment. Upon arrival, each young person’s needs are assessed by the in-house therapist. This forms the basis of their internal placement plans. Some young people engage in direct therapy, while others Inspection report children’s home: SC044745 3 respond well to the staff’s therapeutic approaches. Staff regularly meet with the therapist to ensure that support is in line with young people’s needs. Staff offer young people a calm and nurturing home environment. They support young people to manage difficult emotions and feelings, allowing them space and time to make sense of their behaviours. Young people learn new strategies to manage their emotions. As a result, incidents of challenging behaviour are reducing. A parent told the inspector, ‘He [young person] was very controlling and would strike out. They [staff] comfort him and give him everything a mum would. He listens now and is much calmer. It’s been a

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

complete turnaround. I can’t thank the staff enough.’ Staff work hard to promote safe contact between young people and their families. They advocate strongly on behalf of young people to initiate contact and, when possible, to reduce the level of staff supervision required. These improved family relationships enable young people to develop a positive sense of identity. In addition, families and carers feel welcome in the home and are regularly kept informed of young people’s progress. Young people enjoy a range of activities, such as trips to the cinema, leisure centre and a local theme park. In addition, staff support young people to take part in their hobbies. For example, one young person, a talented footballer, is now a member of a local team. This helps young people to build their confidence and integrate into their local community. Staff treat young people with dignity and respect. As a result, young people can

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

sensitively and openly explore their identities, including their gender and sexuality. This helps young people to build their self-esteem and become more confident.

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

Young people make good progress in managing their risk-taking behaviours. For example, incidents of challenging behaviour, and young people going missing, have reduced over time. Staff practice strikes a good balance between ensuring clear and consistent boundaries and offering therapeutic care. This helps young people to feel secure. Young people can present with challenging behaviours. For example, there have been recent incidents of starting fires and criminal behaviour. Staff responses are clear and measured and the registered manager takes effective action. This includes working closely with the police, fire service and youth offending teams. In addition, risk assessments are kept up to date and include agreed measures such as room searches and confiscating cigarettes and lighters. Staff support young people to understand how their behaviours may be harmful to themselves and others. For example, young people’s meetings focus on the risks

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

associated with smoking and anti-social behaviour. Recently, staff spoke to young people about the risks associated with county lines. Other specialist agencies have been invited to talk to young people about the risks associated with substance misuse. Individual, targeted key-work sessions also help young people to understand and learn from their risk-taking behaviour. The home is situated in a rural location close to neighbouring farmland. This presents young people with a number of risks, particularly when they go missing. However, staff Inspection report children’s home: SC044745 4 follow clear procedures to keep young people safe, including actively searching for them and, when necessary, reporting them missing to the police. Young people also benefit from independent visits upon their return from being missing from the home. The young person’s guide does not include information on local environmental risks; however, the

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

impact of this shortfall is lessened as staff educate young people on local risks. Young people can seek support from trusted members of staff if they need to discuss concerns or worries. This helps young people to feel secure. In addition, young people feel that their concerns will be taken seriously by staff. A young person told the inspector, ‘All the staff listen to me. I can to talk to any of them if I need to.’ Staff encourage and reward young people for behaving positively. Young people respond well to this practice and enjoy meeting their targets for good behaviour. This positive ethos helps young people to reduce their levels of challenging incidents. As a result, incidents of restraint rarely occur and have reduced over time. The registered manager ensures that recruitment processes are safe. This helps to protect young people from unsuitable adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and his staff team have been in place for several months. During this period, he has worked hard to establish and develop staffing to provide young people with better continuity of care. The registered manager has effective monitoring systems in place. As a result, he can identify both strengths and areas for development in the home. Monthly progress reports allow the registered manager to track young people’s experiences and progress. He has worked hard to improve the appearance of the home and has a number of plans in place for this to be further developed. The registered manager develops strong working relationships with families and professionals. Young people benefit from this joined-up approach. However, internal placement plans do not reflect the current progress of each young person. The impact of this shortfall is lessened as the registered manager and staff know young people and can

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

describe their recent experiences and progress. The staff work well together as a team to provide young people with good and consistent care. They are committed to young people and care about them. Young people also benefit from having access to staff with a range of expertise. For example, some staff have significant experience in outdoor activities and use this when planning activities for young people. Staff have completed their level 3 qualification or are working towards it. They have access to a wide range of training, including an online e-learning social care hub. This equips staff with the knowledge and skills to meet young people’s needs. Staff receive regular supervision and appraisal. The registered manager is keen to develop staff and ensures that they benefit from internal promotions. A member of staff told the inspector, ‘He (manager) is a top manager. He has taught me a lot and always

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

asks me what I need more help with. I’ve learned a lot since being here. I enjoy the role.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC044745 5 The registered manager has developed strong links with a number of key agencies. For example, staff work closely with the local police, youth offending teams and social workers. In addition, staff also seek support from voluntary organisations to support young people with issues such as sexuality and substance misuse. As a result, young people benefit from good, collaborative care.

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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: SC044745 6

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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

Gareth Leckey, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC044745 7 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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