Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Today

Inspection report children’s home: SC025409 1 SC025409 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 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 young people who have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 6 July 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 18 to 19 December 2018

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 4 September 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

One compliance notice was issued on 11 September 2018 under section 22a of the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report children’s home: SC025409 2

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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 children’s home: 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 health and well-being standard is that the health and well- being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans; and that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)and(2)(a)(i)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, actively ensure that children receive a health assessment without delay. 28/01/2019

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Requirement Due date

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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that care is delivered in a manner which considers the risks identified in relevant plans, and that 28/01/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC025409 4 measures identified to reduce those risks are implemented and delivered by staff so that those receiving care are safe and protected.

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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

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 28/01/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(a)(b)) 28/01/2019

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff have taken some action to support the young people to start making positive progress. However, these actions have yet to be securely embedded in care practice to ensure that the young people’s improved outcomes are sustained.

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improvement to be good

Staff are now taking a more proactive approach and are actively encouraging young people to return to their education settings. Following discussions in the staff team meeting about the importance of education, and the introduction of an education plan, staff are clearer about their roles and responsibilities in supporting and promoting young people’s engagement in education. This has resulted in improved attendance for all young people.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, no young people have been missing from the home. A young person commented, ‘I don’t need to go missing from here, because I like being here.’

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improvement to be good

In general, young people have good relationships with the staff. There is evidence of Inspection report children’s home: SC025409 5 more structure and nurturing in the care that young people receive. This enables young people to develop their confidence in sharing their concerns and anxieties, and to find solutions to what is worrying them. Young people spoke positively about staff and how the staff have supported them.

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improvement to be good

Young people receive practical support from staff so that they can visit friends and family. Staff understand the strong links that young people have with their families and provide support when and if required. For example, staff have supported one young person in a recent contact visit with her siblings.

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improvement to be good

Help and protection is not yet good because staff do not assess risk robustly or follow the strategies put in place to reduce significant harm. Furthermore, risk assessments are not updated as new risks emerge. Consequently, staff are not provided with clear, current guidance on safeguarding matters. This also undermines continuity in the team’s practice.

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improvement to be good

Although young people’s basic health needs are addressed, such as attending routine checks, specific health issues, for example sleep apnoea, are not followed up by staff despite this being a recommendation of a health professional. As a result, young people’s health needs are not being suitably assessed.

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improvement to be good

Staff supervision of young people has improved. Since the last inspection, the staff’s roles and responsibilities with regards to safeguarding practices have been revisited in the 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. 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 and in staff’s individual supervision sessions.

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improvement to be good

Staff’s understanding and responses to safeguarding concerns have been enhanced by further online training. One staff member has also attended the two-day local authority ‘Working together to keep children safe’ course. This was presented by the local safeguarding children’s board. The knowledge gained from attending this training session has been cascaded to staff at a team meeting.

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improvement to be good

The home environment requires improvement. A broken sofa needs replacing, as does the stair carpet, where there are burn marks evident. Internal doors in the home should be unlocked to allow young people free access to all areas of their home. The registered manager acknowledged these areas of improvement and has made a commitment for urgent maintenance work to be carried out. Inspection report children’s home: SC025409 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and has the experience to undertake his role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has not ensured that the home operates in line with the statement of purpose. This relates to the frequency of staff supervision, which is not provided to staff as stated, which is ‘normally monthly’. A lack of adequate supervision does not provide staff with an opportunity to reflect on their practice to ensure that they are promoting better outcomes for all young people in their care, and to identify any further training that they may need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Although the provider has an organisational system in place for managers to monitor and review the care provided to young people, this is not utilised. Consequently, the manager’s monitoring of the quality of care provided to young people is ineffective because it lacks any evaluation or analysis. As a result, the manager does not have a clear overview of the home’s strengths or areas for development. Shortfalls are therefore being left unchecked.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff are motivated and driven and display a desire for improvement. One member of staff stated that their aim is to provide the best care they can for the young people. Since the last inspection, the staff have received a number of good training opportunities. The staff spoken with said that training and learning opportunities have been helpful. They said that they have learned to consider different approaches when responding to the young people’s presenting behaviours and needs. Gaps in staff training about responding to self-harm have been addressed. Consequently, all staff have the necessary knowledge and confidence to address the individual needs of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers advocate strongly for young people. Professionals are challenged to address issues of delay and to ensure that the relevant documentation for individual young people is received in the home. The views of professionals from partner agencies are largely positive in relation to the manager’s and staff communication and partnership working.

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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. Inspection report children’s home: SC025409 7 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

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Information about this inspection

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: SC025409 8

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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

Elaine Allison, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC025409 9 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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