Children's Home run by Choices Home for Children Limited in Stockport

Inspection report children's home: SC407169 1 SC407169 Registered provider: Choices Home For Children Limited

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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 home is privately owned and run. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced, and 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 requires improvement to be 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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC407169 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/06/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/12/2017 Full Good 29/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/06/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children's home: SC407169 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if— the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children; the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24(1)(a)(d)) This particularly refers to assessing the need for bedroom door alarms based upon the individual needs of young people. 31/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13(2)(e)) 31/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23(1)) 31/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction. (Regulation 33(1)(a)) 31/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39(3)) 31/07/2019

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Recommendations

 Usually, rooms should only be searched if the child has been informed or asked for their permission. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.20) In particular, that a clear rationale should be provided for the removal of any belongings, and that their retention should be reviewed.  Children should be provided with appropriate furniture, such as a lockable cabinet or drawers to securely store personal items, including any personal information. Inspection report children's home: SC407169 4 (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.19)  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 the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

In particular, that damage to plaster work and the overall decorative condition of children’s bedrooms are addressed in a timely manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Over time, through the care and attention that staff offer, young people’s self-worth and confidence grow. Because of the nurturing environment they live in, young people make positive changes to their behaviour and begin to accept the boundaries that are set.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people feel listened to and cared about. The home environment helps young people to better manage their disappointments and frustrations and they spend increasing amounts of time with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to establish strong and trusting relationships with young people. The challenges that some young people’s behaviours can present are responded to by staff with patience, kindness and understanding.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people value the time that staff spend with them. This time is both focused and purposeful and young people learn skills to help them manage their emotions. When young people’s progress begins to falter, staff act quickly to identify additional support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff respond well to young people’s changing needs and they are supported to make gradual and age-appropriate transitions to independence. For example, with staff support and oversight, one young person is now managing her own medication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home offers good space and facilities for young people to enjoy. However, not all young people are given sufficient storage for their belongings and some repairs have not been attended to in a timely manner.

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improvement to be good

Young people become increasingly safe through living at the home. This is underpinned through staff understanding and responding appropriately to the risks associated with young people’s behaviours. Young people said that they feel safe at the home. Inspection report children's home: SC407169 5 Staff have a good understanding of young people’s emotional needs. They are vigilant and alert to the changes in young people’s presentation, and act appropriately to prevent escalation or behaviours that might pose a risk to the young people’s welfare. As a result, incidents of missing from home and the need for physical intervention have significantly decreased.

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improvement to be good

When incidents do occur, young people are supported to reflect on the emotions that led to the behaviour. This offers young people opportunities to develop self-awareness and skills in self-management.

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improvement to be good

Although the manager has addressed and investigated an allegation made by a young person, there is not a full audit trail of the outcome. For example, written confirmation from the designated officer has not been secured, nor was the young person written to regarding the outcome.

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improvement to be good

At the last inspection, requirements were made regarding the use of door alarms on young people’s rooms and the safe administration of medication. The former requirement has not been met. Although a new system was introduced regarding medication, at this inspection it was found that staff had disposed of instructions differentiating two types of inhaler used by a young person. Staff do not know why two inhalers are used, or the differences between them.

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improvement to be good

Room searches are not performed frequently by the staff. However, when they do occur, it is not always clear why some of young people’s belongings have been removed. In addition, the timescales for the items being returned, or otherwise, are not recorded.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, rewards and incentives for positive behaviour have been individualised and made more spontaneous. However, some of the responses of staff to young people’s behaviours are not restorative or educative in nature.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced, and was registered to manage the home in December 2018. He is knowledgeable about the young people’s plans, their strengths and vulnerabilities. Young people feel that he knows them well and they trust him.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads by example and the staff work as a team to ensure that young people receive individualised care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, risk assessments, planning documents and behaviour support plans have been improved. As a result, a requirement made at the previous inspection with regard to these has been met. Other improvements include better planning and focus by staff regarding key-working time spent with young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are fully supported by the management team via formal and informal supervision. Inspection report children's home: SC407169 6 In addition, young people’s views regarding staff are sought in order to inform annual appraisals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

At the last inspection, a requirement was made regarding the stability of staffing at the home. Due in part to changes in working rotas, over half of the staff have left the home since December 2018. Although these staff members have been replaced by experienced staff, stability of staffing has yet to be evidenced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

To improve planning and consolidate changes, the new manager has introduced a workforce development plan. However, this plan does not specify the minimum number of shadow shifts nor training, to be completed by new staff prior to them commencing on shift.

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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: SC407169 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Choices Home For Children Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: C/o Afford Bond, 31 Wellington Road, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 7ED

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Inspectors

Pauline Yates: social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC407169 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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