Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Today Children‟s Services

Inspection report children's home: 2498911 1 Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today 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 children’s home is managed and run by a partnership and is registered to provide care for up to two young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The manager of the home was registered with Ofsted in December 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2498911 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

This is the home’s first inspection since it was registered with Ofsted in December 2018. Inspection report children's home: 2498911 3

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Recommendations

 Ensure that relevant plans are obtained from the placing authority. (‘Guide to the children homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.1) This relates specifically to obtaining a copy of the young person’s care plan.  For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) This relates specifically to addressing the damp and redecorating the affected walls.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The current young person has lived at the home since 17 May 2019. He has settled in well and has been made to feel welcome by staff. The young person has quickly begun to develop positive relationships with staff and, despite not wanting to be ‘in care’, he told the inspector that he enjoyed being at the home and felt safe living there. The young person benefits from highly individualised, well-planned care that promotes his needs effectively. Staff maintain effective partnerships with the young person’s social worker, school and family to ensure that he benefits from the best possible help and all- round support. Staff facilitate regular contact taking place and this ensures that the young person can sustain his close relationships with the people who are most important to him. Medical consent is in place and staff are familiar with the types of health decisions and responsibilities that are charged and delegated to them. The young person is registered

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

with a doctor and dentist, and staff are in the process of registering him with a local optician. Staff ensure that the young person has access to the health services he needs when he needs them, including specialist support to promote his emotional and psychological well-being. There are effective arrangements made to promote the young person’s good health. The young person attends school regularly with good support and encouragement from staff. The young person has an education, health and care plan to meet his specific educational needs. Staff work proactively with the provider of the young person’s education to promote his educational achievements. However, with the young person only being recently accommodated, he requires a care plan from the placing authority to guide the staff support and care practice. The young person’s social worker reported:

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

It’s been really good. He’s come into a very calm atmosphere and they’ve settled him in easily. They’ve facilitated getting him into school and maintained his Inspection report children's home: 2498911 4 CAMHS [child and adolescent mental health services] appointments. They seem very enthusiastic about having him here and I’m really happy with the placement.

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

Young people’s safety is consistently at the centre of staff’s practice, irrespective of the challenges this presents. Staff are developing a good understanding of the young person’s specific needs and emerging vulnerabilities and take appropriate action to address them. The use of clear risk assessment and effective safe working practices ensures the safety and well-being of young people. The young person confirms he is kept safe and feels safe living at the home. He is developing a sense of personal safety. He has been advised about the home’s complaints procedure, so he knows how to make a complaint. However, he had no complaints at the time of this inspection. Additionally, no complaints have been made by young people who have previously lived at the home. Staff ascertain the young person’s views and will act upon his reasonable requests. This ensures that the young person can influence and contribute to the running of this home.

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

Young people rarely go missing. However, if they do, staff are knowledgeable of the procedures to be followed to locate young people quickly and promote their safe return. The young person currently living at the home has not gone missing since his admission. There were very few previous incidents of young people going missing from the home. Staff are trained in child protection and have a good understanding of their safeguarding roles. Significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities to support and protect young people. Young people are protected from abuse and all other forms of significant harm. Staff are trained to manage the behaviours of young people safely and effectively. The use of restraint is exceptionally rare. When young people have had to be held for their safety, it has been of a low level and of the shortest duration. The registered manager scrutinises all restraints to ensure that any interventions used are safe and warranted.

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

Consequences for addressing unacceptable behaviour are fair and proportionate. The use of sanctions is kept to a minimum. There is a strong emphasis on rewarding young people’s positive behaviour and staff have high expectations of young people. Staff are positive role models and the young person has adults he can look up to and learn from. Health and safety arrangements are managed effectively. There have been some issues with damp to some interior walls which has caused crumbling plaster and has damaged the paintwork. This requires prompt action to stop the problem from getting any worse.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager of the home was registered with Ofsted in December 2018. He demonstrates strong and effective leadership of the operation of the home. The registered manager leads staff by example, and prioritises the needs of young people. The registered manager has consistently high expectations of staff and high aspirations for young people. He stimulates staff’s enthusiasm and channels their efforts effectively. The registered manager provides staff with a clear sense of purpose and direction. Staff share and implement the home’s ethos, approach and philosophy in caring for young Inspection report children's home: 2498911 5 people. Staff are well managed, motivated, supported and led. They benefit from practice- related supervision that encourages them to reflect upon and continually improve their practice. The staff team is newly established. However, staff are growing and developing and work together very effectively as a team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from good-quality training that enables them to meet the specific needs of the young people. They meet the aims and objectives as set out in the home’s statement of purpose, providing a high-quality service for young people. There are effective systems in place to monitor the standard and quality of young people’s care. The home is visited each month by an independent person who looks at the home’s arrangements to safeguard young people and promote their well-being. The registered manager makes good use of the home’s external and internal monitoring activities to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The registered manager works closely with staff in tackling and eliminating any shortfalls or weaknesses to secure the home’s continuing improvement.

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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 children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children's home: 2498911 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider : The Partnership of Care Today 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

Anthony Kyem, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: 2498911 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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