Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC005040 1 SC005040 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

A large private provider operates this home. The home offers care and accommodation for up to four children who have experienced childhood instability, resulting in trauma and associated complex behaviours. The registered manager holds a level 4 qualification in leadership and management.

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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 outstanding

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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: 21 November 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/11/2017 Full Good 21/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/09/2016 Full Good 10/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC005040 2

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Recommendations

 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)  All children’s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely whilst they remain in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3) In particular, ensure that internal plans fully reflect the progress of each child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy and settled. They live in a warm and nurturing home where staff show a high level of commitment and aspiration. Children build trusted and secure relationships with staff and speak positively about the care they receive. A child told the inspector, ‘I love it here. The staff are kind; they care about me. I can talk to any one of them.’ Staff know children well and invest in them. They involve children in day-to-day decisions about their care. Regular consultations and children’s meetings help staff to understand how children feel about their home. In addition, staff work alongside children each month to review their internal care plans and discuss progress. This gives children a sense of ownership over their care and helps to boost their self-esteem. Staff work hard to build strong relationships with children’s parents and former carers. This helps children to rebuild, sustain and develop relationships with people who are

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

important to them. For example, staff support children to visit their ex-foster carers and enjoy safe, regular and enjoyable time with their families and friends. This helps children to build support networks and develop a positive sense of identity. All three children currently living at the home are in school and have excellent attendance records. Staff are ambitious for children and provide them with the routine and structure required for educational progress. They work closely with schools to ensure that children are ready to learn and make progress. Daily handovers between staff and teachers help to provide children with seamless and consistent care. A teacher told the inspector, ‘The home and school work well together. When we need support, they [staff] are brilliant.’ Enthusiastic and committed staff ensure that children enjoy a busy schedule of hobbies and activities. For example, one child has developed a keen interest in horse riding and

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

enjoys regular lessons. Another child, a talented footballer, frequently attends training at Inspection report children’s home: SC005040 3 the local football club. Staff also allow children the time to enjoy friendships away from the home. As a result, children feel part of their local community and develop their self- esteem. Staff treat children with dignity and respect and offer care that is responsive to their needs. For example, children work alongside cultural mentors to explore their ethnicity and identity. Staff also support children to sensitively explore their family history. This helps children to make sense of their past, build emotional resilience and develop a sense of identity.

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

Children make exceptional progress in managing their risk-taking behaviours. Incidents of physical and verbal aggression, children going missing and self-harm have significantly reduced over time. Children rarely place themselves at risk. Nonetheless, staff remain proactive and vigilant. Staff complete regular refresher training on key aspects of safeguarding children. Highly effective planning helps to minimise the risks to children. Staff know children well and use their intuition to recognise and manage the triggers to children’s challenging behaviour. Risk assessments and behaviour management plans contain key information, including clear staff guidance to manage risk. In addition, the registered manager uses a reflective cycle to learn from significant incidents. She utilises research to enhance staff understanding of children’s behaviour and ensure that key-work sessions are better informed. Staff support children to take age-appropriate risks, including spending time in away

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

from the home and building friendships in the community. In addition, staff work closely with family and friends to ensure that there are no unnecessary restrictions when children spend time with those who are important to them. Children can seek support from trusted members of staff when they feel anxious or troubled. They feel that staff listen to them and take their concerns seriously. This open and supportive ethos helps children to feel safe. A social worker told the inspector, ‘He [their child] has had a lot of placement breakdowns. It took him a long time to trust people, but now he trusts staff and feels comfortable with them.’ Staff use a range of measures to help children to understand how to keep safe. Targeted key-work sessions and children’s meetings involve discussion on a range of topics, including community safety. Staff support children to understand how their behaviour impacts others. As a result, children develop a greater awareness of their behaviour and

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

use new strategies to manage difficult situations. Children are rewarded for positive behaviour. They respond well to this practice and take pride in meeting their targets. In addition, the registered manager works alongside children to regularly review their targets and highlight successes. This positive environment helps to significantly reduce challenging incidents. As a result, children live in a calm, happy and settled home. Staff have effective links with partner agencies, including the police and local authorities. The local police community support officer is a regular visitor to the home. These informal visits help children to break down barriers and access specialist support to keep Inspection report children’s home: SC005040 4 them safe. The registered manager ensures that recruitment processes are robust and safe. This helps to protect children from unsafe adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is supported by a strong deputy manager. Together, they lead an experienced and diverse staff team that provides children with consistent care and nurture. Children enjoy access to staff with a range of expertise and interests. For example, children and staff enjoy joint activities, such as bike rides and playing football. Staff have an excellent knowledge of each child’s needs. The registered manager holds high aspirations for children in her care. She is a strong advocate for children and, when necessary, will challenge other agencies if there are shortfalls in their care. This confident and ambitious ethos inspires staff to provide children with high-quality care. A teacher told the inspector, ‘The staff are supportive and passionate about children. If they feel a child needs further support, they will fight their corner.’ The registered manager has effective monitoring systems in place. As a result, she can

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

identify the home’s strengths and areas for development. She is highly organised and ensures that the home’s development plan is up to date and in line with children’s needs. The registered manager is keen to develop her staff. She utilises their strengths and provides opportunities for them to progress. For example, some staff are part of the internal progression programme, while others are specialising in therapy and counselling. The staff training programme is varied and responds to the needs of children. Regular staff supervisions and appraisals have a strong focus on staff development and progression. However, supervision records are repetitive and lack detail. The registered manager ensures that children’s plans are comprehensive and individualised. She uses her close working relationship with agencies and detailed knowledge of children to review and update internal placement plans. However, children’s plans do not fully reflect their progress. The impact of this shortfall is low as

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

staff have a detailed knowledge of each child. The home environment has recently been refurbished. New flooring and paintwork mean that the home is well presented and has a warm, homely feel. Children’s bedrooms are personalised, and their pictures are on show throughout the home. The registered manager is in the process of purchasing new settees for the lounge. This gives children a home that they can be proud of.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC005040 5 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: SC005040 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

Gareth Leckey, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC005040 7 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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