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

Inspection report children’s home: SC390576 1 SC390576 Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today Children’s Services Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A large provider of children’s services operates this home. The home provides care and accommodation for up to four children who have experienced childhood instability, resulting in trauma and associated complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit took place on 22 February 2019, in response to concerns raised in safeguarding notifications and by a placing authority. A restriction of accommodation notice was issued on 26 February 2019 and is in place until 20 May 2019. A compliance notice was issued, listing steps that the home must take to meet regulations.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit took place on 15 March 2019 to monitor the provider’s adherence to the restriction of accommodation noticed issued on 26 February 2019. The monitoring inspection also reviewed information relating to safeguarding notifications and information received from a placing authority. The inspection found that the home was adhering to the restriction of accommodation notice, and this remained in force. Inspection report children’s home: SC390576 2

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged outstanding at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Serious safeguarding concerns have arisen at the home. These have placed children at risk of harm. Partner agencies are currently investigating what is alleged to have happened.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

One child lives at the home. Since the last inspection, four children have left the home. Children’s experiences of moving on from the home are varied. Although two children benefited from a planned move, two did not. They left the home abruptly due to serious safeguarding concerns. As a result, these children were not prepared for their moves and did not experience a positive end to their time living at the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

When children move in to the home, the registered manager takes some steps to assess the suitability of new children for those already resident. However, impact risk assessments lack detail about the way that potential risks will be managed. Furthermore, they focus on current behaviours and do not give due consideration to children’s past experiences and needs. This leaves the registered manager and staff without a good understanding of the behaviours children may display and ways in which these will be managed.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some children have experienced bullying at the home. Staff undertake some initial discussions with the children involved. However, staff do not always carry out follow-up work with children to fully explore how they can change their behaviour.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff understand the importance of education and promote children’s education well. For example, the child living at the home is making good progress with his learning relative to his starting point. His attendance is good, and he is on track to obtain three GCSEs.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children develop some positive relationships with staff. Key work sessions and house meetings provide children with the opportunity to express their views, wishes and feelings. The child living at the home feels listened to.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff do not always fully support children to understand why their behaviour is not acceptable and the impact that it can have on themselves and others. As a result, staff are not always effective in working with children about issues such as substance misuse, racism, healthy relationships and the impact and dangers of smoking. In addition, staff do not engage consistently well with relevant health services to promote children’s health and welfare.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff support children to spend positive time with their families. This helps children to maintain relationships with people who are important to them. Inspection report children’s home: SC390576 3 The child living at the home has access to a range of activities. This means that the child’s interests and hobbies are well supported.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

On occasions, the registered manager has not shared relevant information with placing authorities. Not sharing information readily means that placing authorities are unable to assess the full impact of risks on children who live at the home and how these can be managed.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

When incidents occur, the registered manager and staff see these in isolation. They do not see potential links between incidents, identify patterns of behaviour or fully consider any lessons that can be learned from serious incidents that occur. This inhibits the staff’s ability to manage risk. The registered manager has started to reflect on this shortfall and is considering new ways of working to improve this area of practice.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The quality of risk assessments has generally improved, and the compliance notice raised at the inspection on 22 February 2019 has been met. Managers review risk assessments regularly, and this helps to keep staff informed of any changes to risk levels or behaviour management strategies. Occasionally, staff do not date risk assessments, which makes it difficult to track whether information is current.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has not always notified Ofsted about serious incidents that have occurred. This leaves the regulator without essential information needed to monitor the effectiveness of the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has taken some steps to improve children’s safety at night. Waking night staff, temporarily introduced following a serious incident, are now a permanent staffing arrangement. Work is ongoing to review other practices at the home to bring about improvement, for example ways in which staff support children’s bed-time routines.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The restriction of accommodation notice remains in place. Managers have adhered to this notice and have not admitted children to the home since the notice was issued.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/07/2018 Full Outstanding 12/12/2017 Full Good 17/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/09/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC390576 4

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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 ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare. (Regulation 6(2)(b)(ii)) 13/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on an understanding about acceptable behaviour.

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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

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11(1)(b)(2)(a)(vi)(xiii)) 13/05/2019

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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 ─

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about 13/05/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC390576 5 a child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(vi)(b)) 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 their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(b)(2)(h)) 13/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if —

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(b)(e)) 13/05/2019

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, page 62, paragraph 14.4). In particular, when risk assessments are reviewed, these should be dated, and impact assessments should clearly outline how risks should be managed.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC390576 6 after.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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’.

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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

Sarah Junor-Fitzpatrick, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC390576 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 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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