Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Today

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC025409 1 SC025409 Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today Children’s Services

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Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home can provide accommodation for up to three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home may also provide care and accommodation for children who have learning disabilities. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 6 July 2018.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 4 and 5 September 2018. The inspection found that the arrangements for safeguarding young people were inadequate. The registered manager and staff were not fully aware of their roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting young people, and effective action was not always taken when there was serious concern about a young person’s welfare.

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This monitoring visit

On 25 October 2018, an unannounced monitoring visit took place. The purpose of this monitoring visit was to assess the progress made by the home regarding compliance notices issued under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000. This related to Regulation 12, the protection of children standard.

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This monitoring visit

At this visit, the inspector found that the provider had taken steps to improve the care planning and risk assessment arrangements to ensure that these important documents are now up to date and reflect the current levels of risk and the strategies that staff are to use to reduce the risk further.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has introduced pen pictures for each young person that contain key information should there be a circumstance whereby a new member of staff has started working at the home. This is so that they can quickly become familiar with essential information for each young person, so that they know what steps are needed to support young people effectively. Also, there are improved routines for young people as they attend college and school. One young person is Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC025409 2 now supported with a more nurturing approach at bedtime that allows him to settle more quickly with reassurance from staff.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, the staff’s roles and responsibilities with regards to safeguarding practices have been revisited at team meetings. The registered manager has also used these meetings as an opportunity to highlight areas that required improvement in relation to the recording of safeguarding concerns and risk assessments. Furthermore, all staff members were provided with a copy of the provider’s safeguarding policies and procedures. The registered manager has also tested the staff’s knowledge of safeguarding during the discussion in individual supervision sessions.

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This monitoring visit

Staff’s understanding and responses to safeguarding concerns have been enhanced by further online training, and one member of the staff team has attended the local authority two days ‘Working together to keep children safe’ course, which was delivered by the local safeguarding children’s board. This training has been cascaded to staff at a team meeting.

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This monitoring visit

Young people’s risk assessment documents have been reviewed and improved to ensure that young people’s needs are more clearly identified, and strategies are in place to manage these in line with the local authority care plan. This further supports the health and safety of young people, as staff are better equipped to recognise and respond to concerns to ensure that young people’s welfare is promoted more effectively.

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This monitoring visit

Improved monitoring of records is now taking place at the home by the registered manager as well as through the organisation’s internal response system when potential safeguarding issues are flagged. This includes review by the responsible individual and the operations manager and provides a second level of oversight and quality assurance of how incidents are managed.

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This monitoring visit

No further enforcement action is planned. However, a further inspection will take place to review how these improvements are being embedded to improve the quality of care provided.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 04/09/2018 Full Inadequate 16/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 19/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC025409 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the registered person and the staff ensure that young people receive coordinated care and support daily that ensures that their identified needs are met. 19/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their education potential and are helped to do so. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non- attendance and to return to school as soon as possible; and staff help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and 19/10/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC025409 4 to prepare for future care, education or employment.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(iv)(viii)(ix)) * The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all identified risks and the strategies to reduce those risks are recorded effectively in each child’s relevant plans. Ensure that this is done in a manner that enables staff to follow them in the delivery of care. That staff are familiar with and follow the home’s safeguarding policies and procedures, particularly regarding allegations against staff. That staff understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. That care is delivered in a manner which considers the risks identified in relevant plans, and that measures identified to reduce those risks are implemented and delivered by staff so that those receiving care are safe and protected. 19/10/2018

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes 19/10/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC025409 5 their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(2)(a)(c)(e)) The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; that arrangements are in place to manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and that each child’s relevant plans are followed.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that plans are in place for the day-to- day care of children and that placement plans reflect the needs identified in each child’s individual local authority plan. 19/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that all staff are trained so that they can respond to risks associated with the use of ligatures by young people and receive training in attachment theory. 19/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC025409 6

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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

Paul Gillespie, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC025409 7 to 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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