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

Inspection report children’s home: SC021679 1 SC021679 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

The home is provided by a partnership and provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home’s registered manager has been in place since April 2010.

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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

Date of last inspection: 1 November 2018

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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: SC021679 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/11/2018 Full Good 28/06/2017 Full Outstanding 07/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 02/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC021679 3

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Recommendations

 Children should be in full-time education whilst they are of compulsory school age. If no education place is identified by the placing authority, the registered person must challenge them to meet the child’s needs under regulation 5 (engaging with the wider system to ensure that children’s needs are met). (‘Guide to the children’s home’s regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)  The processes that the registered person puts in place to enable regulation 45 reviews to take place, should allow for a report to be generated at least once every six months. The generated report should be sent to Ofsted and the placing local authority of all children in the home who are looked-after children. (‘Guide to the children’s home’s regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.3)  The registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that supervision and performance management of staff are

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Recommendations

clearly recorded in order to safeguard children and minimise the potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s home’s regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between young people and staff are based on mutual regard and respect. Staff listen to young people and are consistent in engaging at a level that they understand and respond to. Young people confirm that they are consulted about how the home runs. Consistent key-work sessions, young people’s meetings and feedback forms provide consistent opportunities for young people to express their views and opinions about the running of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Residential care planning is good. Staff focus on enabling young people to make positive changes in their lives. For example, individuals reduce their risk-taking behaviours, attend school and learn how to regulate their feelings and emotions. Young people engage in key-work sessions and assist in the review of their progress and the development of future work. On the whole, young people make good progress towards their placement goals and have a renewed positive outlook for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education attendance is encouraged and supported in this home. On the whole, young people have good overall attendance and make suitable progress within their educational provision. However, there have been delays in one local authority finding suitable education provision for one young person living in the home. While it is evident that the manager and staff have consistently challenged the local authority, steps to escalate Inspection report children’s home: SC021679 4 these concerns have not been taken. Consequently, one year ten young person does not have an identified educational placement and, therefore, this negatively impacts on their preparation for GCSE examinations. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Healthcare planning is good. Young people attend routine appointments and check-ups with support from the staff team. Where additional support is required, staff link with a range of external agencies in order that young people receive the specialist advice that they need. Regular visits from the looked after children’s nurse enable young people and staff to discuss any health concerns or queries.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Where possible, contact with family and friends is suitably supported. Young people are helped to maintain contact with important people in their lives through visits, telephone contact and attendance on occasional family activities. Where relationships are strained, staff work extremely hard to help young people and their families repair their relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Planned and unplanned activities take place on a regular basis. Individual interests are well supported. Young people are provided with support and encouragement to venture out and try new activities and hobbies. Young people attend the gym, go horse riding, and go to theme parks, cinema and bowling.

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

Young people’s progress is acknowledged and rewarded on a regular basis. For example, young people receive certificates, incentives and recognition for their achievements. This system is part of the home’s behaviour management programme which focuses on praise and reward. Young people also attend a variety of short certificated courses provided by the organisation. Courses include keeping yourself safe, the impact of drugs and alcohol, online safety and positive relationships. Young people enjoy the courses and are proud of their growing portfolio. Young people’s risk-taking behaviour is reduced while living in this home. Risk assessments are further developed to create bespoke assessments that identify potential risks and the steps to be taken to reduce such risks. Young people review their risk assessments. One young person said, ‘I think they are good. It has helped me to look back on when I first arrived and the things I did and where I am now.’

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

Young people are rarely missing from the home. Good relationships with staff and consistent key-work sessions support young people to make the right choices in order to keep themselves safe. As a result, previous risk-taking behaviours are significantly reduced. However, should a young person not return at the agreed time, staff take effective action to locate the young person and ensure their safe return. Staff receive annual training on the use of physical intervention. However, the home prides itself on the use of de-escalation and redirection techniques. Consequently, the use of physical intervention in the home is minimal. Where an intervention has taken place, staff and young people are provided with a full debrief and a review of the circumstances which have led to the intervention. In addition, any form of physical intervention is formally addressed both within key-work sessions and staff supervision.

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

Inspection report children’s home: SC021679 5 Since the last inspection in November 2018, there have been a number of retracted allegations made against staff. The registered manager has followed the correct procedure by ensuring that the designated officer for the local authority is fully briefed of the allegation and the steps that the home has taken, to ensure the continued safety of the young person. The designated officer said, ‘The registered manager is consistent in his approach to the safety of young people and the management of any allegation made in the home.’ Young people are provided with a detailed children’s guide on their admission to the home. This provides them with good information about how the home runs and includes examples of unacceptable behaviours, sanctions and incentives. The guide also provides details of the home’s complaints procedures and telephone numbers for external support

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

agencies for young people to access if they require. There have been no complaints since the last inspection in November 2018.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified registered manager who has been in post since April 2010. He has a substantial number of years’ experience working with children and young people. On the whole, young people live in a home that is managed in their best interests. The home meets the aims and objectives of the statement of purpose, and young people, social workers and families are clear about the service and support that the home provides. External monitoring systems provide the home with a good 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. Records of internal monitoring by the registered manager illustrate that it is completed and regularly updated. However, copies of the reports are not always received by Ofsted in accordance with regulation. Therefore, the regulatory body is not consistently

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

provided with an overview of the progress that the home makes or the challenges ahead. A recommendation is made to address this matter. Mandatory training is regularly refreshed, and additional training is provided at staff request. In addition, staff and young people are invited to attend training sessions that focus on teenage trends and difficulties such as the effects of drugs and alcohol or the impact of destructive relationships. Likewise, staff state that they receive good support from the manager. However, some records of supervision do not demonstrate effective and quality supervision, for example records are limited in context and do not consistently address personal development targets. A recommendation is made to address this matter. The registered manager and staff demonstrate good overall child-centred practice tailored to the individual and personal needs of young people. The effectiveness of this

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

approach is measurable in the progress that young people make, particularly in education, building relationships and social integration. Inspection report children’s home: SC021679 6 The registered manager is aware of the procedures for notifying Ofsted of all incidents under regulation 40. Since the last inspection, there have been a number of suitable notifications made. Providing this information to Ofsted ensures that information is shared with the 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.

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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: SC021679 7

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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

Maria McGranaghan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC021679 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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