Children's home run by Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited in Stockport

Inspection report children’s home: SC416267 1 SC416267 Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s Homes Ltd

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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 offers care and accommodation for up to two young people who may experience emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is managed by a registered manager who has a number of years’ experience.

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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 requires improvement to be 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 December 2017

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Good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC416267 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/12/2017 Full Good 14/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/07/2016 Full Good 22/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC416267 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 the employment of any person on a temporary basis at the children’s home does not prevent the children from receiving such continuity of care as is reasonable to meet their needs. (Regulation 31(1)) 10/03/2019

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Recommendations

 Children should be actively encouraged to read their records and to add further information to them. Specifically, with regard to care plans, risk assessments, sanctions and keywork sessions. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)  Local authorities have a duty under section 22(3A) of the Children Act 1989 to promote the educational achievement of their looked after children, which includes, seeking a school or other education setting that is best suited to the child’s needs. The local authorities’ responsibilities as a corporate parent apply wherever the child is placed. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 27, paragraph 5.5)  In accordance with, managing medicines in care homes (March 2014), care home providers offering non-prescription medicines or other over-the-counter-products (homely remedies) for treating minor ailments should consider having a homely

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Recommendations

remedies process, which includes the following: what it is for. (‘Managing medicines in care homes’, paragraph 1.161) (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.17)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. With specific regard to the corded blinds in younger children’s bedrooms. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) Inspection report children’s home: SC416267 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last full inspection in December 2017, two young people have been discharged from the home. Both young people had a successful transition back to their family homes. Two young people have been admitted and were resident at the time of the inspection. Young people are happy and settled in the home. Good routines and structure, coupled with realistic boundaries, enable young people to feel safe and at ease. A young person said, ‘I really like it here. We have lots of toys and we play football.’ Staff build positive and caring relationships with young people and show a genuine interest in their lives. Overall, placement planning is good. Plans are developed in partnership with the organisation’s psychologist and play therapist. Therefore, each individual plan encapsulates the details of young people’s lives, including an assessed emotional starting point and the short-term aims of the placement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Consistent one-to-one and group-work sessions provide evidence of the regular engagement between staff and young people. A staff member said, ‘It starts with building trusting relationships and then building confidence and self-esteem. Young people have experienced traumatic life experiences and need time to adjust and feel safe.’ The home has a good history of ensuring that young people are provided with an educational service that best meets their individual needs. Some young people attend the organisation’s education facility and make good progress, leading to a reintroduction into mainstream school. However, due to delays in one placing authority, a primary age young person, recently excluded from school, has yet to secure an alternative placement. The registered manager said, ‘We recognise that consistent routine is the priority for the children we care for. We are trying to minimise any negative impact

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

because of the delay by implementing daily educational activities.’ However, firm plans for an alternative education facility have yet to be agreed. As a result, a recommendation is made to address this matter. Where appropriate, young people enjoy structured contact with family. Contact plans are regularly reviewed between the placing authorities to ensure that contact is valuable and positive for the young person. Young people’s meetings take place regularly. Staff listen to young people and enable them to understand that their contribution is important. However, there is little evidence to suggest that staff spend time with either the previous or current young people to review the work undertaken with them. This would enable young people to review the progress they make and allow for suggestions about their care to inform future planning. A recommendation is made to address this matter. Young people enjoy good health. They are registered with local practitioners and attend

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

routine appointments with the support of staff. Records for the administration and review of prescribed and non-prescribed medication are suitably recorded. However, Inspection report children’s home: SC416267 5 records do not include the reason why young people are in receipt of medication. This information will provide details of any patterns or trends in young people’s overall general health. A recommendation is made to address this matter. Young people enjoy a range of recreational activities. Both young people are members of community football teams and also take part in visiting the park, visiting places of interest, soft play centres and swimming. Likewise, young people have access to a large range of indoor activities and age-appropriate toys. Photographs of key-work sessions provide good evidence of joint indoor activities such as baking, arts and crafts and celebrating exciting days like bonfire night, Halloween and Christmas.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people live in a semi-detached home with ample indoor and outdoor space. It is decorated and maintained to a good standard. Each young person chose how their bedroom was decorated and this reflects their individual personalities and interests. However, bedrooms are fitted with pull cord blinds. Due to the age and inquisitive and active nature of the current residents, there is a risk that a young person could become entangled within the cord of the blinds. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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

Young people’s safety is effectively managed in the home. Impact assessments ensure that all young people placed at the home are assessed against the needs, interests and aspirations of those already resident. Likewise, individual risk assessments are balanced against a full chronology of life events. This means that risk is measured, and appropriate individual strategies are in place to address any concerns. Positive behaviour management strategies are in place to address unwanted behaviours. Consequently, young people begin to identify areas for development and receive a suitable reward for the progress they make. Individual crisis management plans ensure that staff remain consistent in their approach, and this helps young people understand appropriate behaviour in a safe and secure environment. Young people know how to complain and receive suitable information from the home and their placing authority to guide them in this area. Evidence from young people’s

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

meetings and key-work sessions highlights regular opportunities for young people to raise any matters that they feel need to change or be improved. Ideas around activities, décor and menus are regularly reviewed with the young people. There have been no complaints made since the last full inspection. Staff receive annual training in the use of physical intervention. Due to the age and complex nature of the young people residing in this home, brief physical intervention is regularly used. This is because young people have significant attachment disorders and have difficulty in managing and regulating their emotions. Crisis management plans provide staff with de-escalation strategies, which are regularly reviewed with the company psychotherapists. Where a physical intervention is required, detailed records including a debrief and key-work sessions highlight the steps taken to address behaviours and reduce interventions.

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

Young people are cared for on a one-to-one basis and therefore rarely go missing. On Inspection report children’s home: SC416267 6 occasions where they have left the home without permission, staff take immediate action to secure their safe return.

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

The registered manager has been in post since October 2017 and was registered with Ofsted in January 2018. He is qualified at NVQ level 3 and is currently concluding his diploma in children’s social care at level 5. The registered manager has a number of years’ experience of working at a senior level within children’s residential care. Two staff have recently left the service creating a deficit in the staff team. The home currently employs four permanent staff. Staff shortfalls are covered by staff from another service also managed by the registered manager. On the day of inspection, a staff member from another service was present. However, he had not previously visited the home or worked with the young people accommodated there. The registered manager said, ‘The organisation often shares staff between homes.’ The registered manager must now ensure that a full core staff team is employed in the home in order

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

to provide consistency for young people with attachment disorders. A requirement is made to address this matter. Internal and external monitoring systems provide the home with a suitable approach to the overall monitoring of care. Detailed information highlights areas for development and the manager’s action plan details the methods used to enhance the service. Staff state that they receive good support from the manager. Records of supervision demonstrate that staff meet with the registered manager regularly and training and personal development targets are addressed. An annual training package ensures that staff, overall, receive up-to-date training specific to meeting the needs of the young people accommodated in the home. The registered manager is aware of the procedures for notifying Ofsted of all incidents under Regulation 40. Since the last inspection, there have been several suitable notifications made. Providing this information ensures that information is shared with the

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

regulatory agency in order that actions and outcomes for young people can be suitably assessed.

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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: SC416267 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: SC416267 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Mill Fold, Ripponden, Sowerby Bridge, Yorkshire HX6 4DH

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Dominic Macauley

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Inspector

Maria McGranaghan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC416267 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 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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