Children's Home run by Social Care Services Limited in Manchester

Inspection report children’s home: SC021684 1 SC021684 Registered provider: Social Care Services Limited

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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 registered to provide care for up to six children who may have learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home forms part of a private social care company.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 2018.

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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: 18 January 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC021684 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/04/2017 Full Good 06/12/2016 Full Good 11/10/2016 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: SC021684 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

The registered person must ensure that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(3)(d)) 09/11/2018

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Recommendations

 The home’s policies and procedures around the protection of children should reflect any requirements of other relevant legislation. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.22) In particular, that there is a clear record of any safeguarding concerns.  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The location risk assessment needs to be updated to reflect current risks in the local area, specifically in relation to the main road. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress from their individual starting points due to the individual care and support that they receive from staff. Staff are empowering the children to learn new skills, build confidence and try new experiences. A professional commented, ‘[Name of child] is like a different child… the progress in a short period of time is amazing. She has settled in well and is making good progress in such a short time. Staff are really good.’ A parent said, ‘They [staff] are taking good care of [name of child]. I can see she is happy and that makes me happy.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff, which were observed during the inspection. Children were seen approaching staff for help and attention, including Inspection report children’s home: SC021684 4 seeking them out for reassurance. It is evident that they have built trust in those who care for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Communication is improving for individual children. For one child this has meant a reduction in some difficult behaviours. Children are encouraged to share their views using picture communication systems, social stories and objects of reference. For example, staff use social stories to help children understand their plans, such as visiting the dentist. This enables staff to prepare the child and reduce their anxieties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children are in full-time education and are making good progress in relation to their individual targets. Children are further supported to access a range of social and recreational opportunities. Examples include attending a youth club, dancing, cycling and swimming. One child was supported by a member of staff from the home to go on a four-day camp with their school. Children, irrespective of any disability they may have, benefit from the varied experiences provided by the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are healthy and attend all their health appointments. There are good links with health professionals, such as the nurse for children looked after and the child and adolescent mental health service, that promote children’s physical and emotional well- being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is moving back to their family home. Staff have worked extremely well with the child’s parents and social worker to assist with the transition plan. Staff have provided the parents with lots of support and reassurance in relation to managing their child’s behaviour. Staff welcome children’s families into the home for visits, as well as supporting contact away from the home. This ensures that children sustain important attachments with their families.

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

Children live in a safe and secure environment. Staff provide children with good levels of supervision that protect them from going missing. Staff are aware of what action they must take if an episode of missing occurs . Risk assessments highlight specific risks and describe to staff how to minimise presenting risks. This provides children with the opportunity to take reasonable risks as they grow and develop.

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

Concerns relating to the welfare and safety of children are referred to the appropriate authorities. There has been one safeguarding concern since the last inspection. However, the home does not have effective systems in place for recording and keeping track of safeguarding incidents.

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

Staff are trained in positive behaviour management. Children respond well to clear and consistent boundaries. Consequently, the need for physical intervention to manage children’s behaviour is kept to an absolute minimum. Staff monitor children’s behaviour and help them to develop strategies for managing their anxieties safely. A professional commented, ‘[Name of child] has matured really well… developed an understanding of Inspection report children’s home: SC021684 5 things now and developed self-regulation.’

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

At present, all recruitment checks are carried out at the organisation’s head office. Personnel files kept in the home contain a checklist that shows what checks have been completed to prevent unsuitable people from working in the home. However, it was unclear if some references had been verified or if verification had been sought when an applicant had previously worked in a care role. This means that current recruitment processes are not sufficiently robust.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager was registered with Ofsted in August 2018. She has extensive knowledge and experience of the home from her previous role as the deputy manager. She is supported by two seniors who share her commitment to delivering high-quality childcare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A number of new staff have joined the home since the last inspection. Six staff members out of 15 are currently working through their probationary periods, and will commence the level 3 training once they have completed their probation. An additional five staff members already hold the required level 3 childcare qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff confirm that they are well supported by the management team. Regular team meetings and handovers provide staff with the opportunity to discuss the care and progress of individual children. However, records show that those staff currently on probation are not receiving supervision in line with agreed procedures for new starters.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is adequately resourced and is meeting the aims and objectives of the statement of purpose. Staff work proactively with other agencies to secure improved outcomes for children. Parents and social workers verify that there is good communication between them and the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. She makes good use of internal and external monitoring to ensure that the good standards of care are maintained. Since the last inspection, the manager has addressed the previous recommendations, including improvements to the environment. There is a new sensory room that the children enjoy using. The garden has been equipped with new play equipment that enables the children to experience recreational play.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A shortfall in the home’s location risk assessment means that it does not identify the safety measures in relation to the busy main road. However, the impact of this for children is minimal, as the current group of children receive one-to-one staffing. Inspection report children’s home: SC021684 6

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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: SC021684 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Social Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 31 Shaw Road, Stockport, Cheshire SK4 4AG

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Inspector

Michelle Bacon: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC021684 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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