Children's home run by The Together Trust in Stockport

Inspection report children’s home: SC413985 1 SC413985 Registered provider: The Together Trust

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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 owned and managed by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children who may have a learning disability. There is a manager in post who has submitted her application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 27 to 28 November 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: 25 January 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not judged

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC413985 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/01/2018 Interim Not judged 19/10/2017 Interim Not judged 15/02/2017 Interim Not judged 21/07/2016 Interim Not judged Inspection report children’s home: SC413985 3

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Recommendations

 The ethos of the home should support each child to learn, emphasising the value of independent study and reading for enjoyment. The home must make available suitable facilities, equipment and resources for learning and ensure that the home’s routines do not form barriers to children wishing to use the home’s resources to study. Staff must support children with home study by encouraging them to learn independent study skills and helping them to practise those skills. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.18)  Children should have access to a computer and the internet to support their education and learning, unless there are specific safeguarding reasons why this would be inappropriate. In such cases, the home should consider whether and how it can support the child to access a computer and the internet safely. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 29,

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home had been closed since April 2015 and reopened in September 2018. Despite only living at the home for a relatively short period of time, the two children currently in placement are making very good progress. They receive high-quality care and individualised support and have built trusted and secure relationships with staff. A parent said, ‘She has settled well, other placements were inappropriate... she’s doing well; the main positive is that they treat her and me with respect.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions into the home are very good and both moves were well planned, with introductions and visits. Impact risk assessments take into account the needs of each child, to ensure that placements are only offered to children whose needs the home can meet. Consequently, children are thriving in a child-centred environment. A child said, ‘I’ve progressed a lot, I’m happy and bubbly. If you’d told me three months ago I’d be going out on my own and have my own phone I’d have not believed them.’ Children benefit from staff who know and understand them extremely well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s views are well received and respected. Personal communication needs are not a barrier to them participating fully in the home. Observations show that relationships between the children and staff are warm and friendly. The home has established effective relationships with parents and professionals, all of whom expressed their satisfaction about the quality of care. For example, a social worker said, ‘I cannot praise them enough... they tried to find out as much as they could and have a very good understanding of her [the child’s] needs. They are meeting her cultural needs; they Inspection report children’s home: SC413985 4 recognised that her hair needed attention, they took this on board immediately and sought advice.’ This ensures that children receive care that is tailored to their individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff value the importance of education and provide children with good opportunities for educational success. For example, one child has been supported to maintain their placement at the school they were attending prior to coming to live at the home. Another child is now re-engaging with their education on a part-time programme. However, this means that the rest of their school day remains unstructured. Staff attend education reviews, parents’ evenings and personal education planning so that children’s learning needs are fully supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place the health and well-being of each child at the centre of their practice. Specialist help and support are available according to the needs of each child, including speech and language therapy, behaviour advice, sleep advice and occupational therapy. Working in partnership with other professionals is a key strength of the home and contributes to the progress made by children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of activities and experiences, considering their age and abilities. This is central to them developing essential life skills and increasing their levels of independence. Children benefit from well-managed contact with their families. Parents are made welcome in the home to spend time with their child. Staff work positively with family members to ensure safe and meaningful contact.

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

The home’s safeguarding arrangements promote the welfare and safety of children. A child confirmed that they feel safe in the home and can approach staff with any worries or concerns. The child said, ‘When I’m stressed they [staff] talk to me. I feel the staff care about me and are genuine.’

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

There have been three complaints since the last inspection. Records show that these have been thoroughly investigated, and appropriate action taken where necessary.

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

Staff have a clear understanding of any risks associated with individual children and know how to keep them safe. There are no incidents of children going missing from the home and good levels of supervision ensure that children receive appropriate support and attention.

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

Staff are well trained in a nationally recognised programme that enables them to understand and support children’s behaviour. Clear routines and boundaries help children to develop socially acceptable behaviour and self-regulation skills. Incidents of physical restraint are kept to a minimum and only used as a last resort.

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

Safe recruitment and vetting procedures help protect children from unsuitable people having access to them. The manager notifies the relevant agencies when she has concerns about the welfare and safety of children; currently there are no concerns. Inspection report children’s home: SC413985 5 Children can access the internet and social media sites. However, it is unclear what work has been done in helping them to understand how to use these safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is effectively and efficiently managed. The manager is very experienced and suitably qualified. She has submitted an application to register with Ofsted. The manager and her deputy are strong role models to the staff team. They are ambitious and have high expectations of the staff to improve the lives of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from effective support, supervision and team meetings. Staff spoken to said that they are well managed and feel highly valued. Staff are extremely child-focused, nurturing and very proud of children’s achievements in a short space of time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are cared for by staff that receive good-quality training that helps to improve their skills, knowledge and practice. Prior to the home reopening, staff attended several team days which further enhanced their development. Staff are motivated and clearly enjoy their work. They say that this is largely down to the support of managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective communication between the home, parents and professionals is secured through regular information sharing. The home is well resourced and achieving its aims and objectives as set out in the statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The manager makes effective use of both internal and external monitoring processes to track and evaluate children’s progress. Improved outcomes for children are central to the manager’s evaluation. Comments from a placing social worker include, ‘I have been extremely impressed with the support and child focus provided by staff. Their specialist knowledge has allowed the young person placed with them to flourish and reach her full potential.’

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC413985 6 children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC413985 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Together Trust Centre, Schools Hill, Cheadle, Cheshire SK8 1JE

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Inspector

Michelle Bacon: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC413985 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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