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

Inspection report children’s home: SC008485 1 SC008485 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 is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2019.

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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

Date of last inspection: 6 February 2019

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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: SC008485 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/02/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/11/2018 Full Inadequate 05/09/2017 Full Good 28/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC008485 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to the home— the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25(2)(b)) In particular, that the home implements all the fire safety risk management recommendations as contained in the home’s fire safety risk assessment. 31/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any incident which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(e)) 31/07/2019

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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 home regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) In particular, that documents used to advise on the management of risk take into account all known information, and that such documents are not contradictory.  For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of the children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments.(‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15 paragraph 3.9) In particular, that repairs and redecoration are completed in children’s rooms in a prompt and timely manner.  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as

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Recommendations

recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4) Inspection report children’s home: SC008485 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people feel settled at the home and enjoy warm and trusting relationships with staff. They describe the staff as caring, nice and loving. These positive relationships help young people to feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The strength of the relationships that exist between young people and staff underpins the progress and positive choices that young people make. They are receptive to the advice that staff give and over time they begin to talk about and reflect on their previous life experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Nearly all young people regularly attend education and those who struggle to attend are given ongoing encouragement to overcome any barriers that exist. Staff advocate on behalf of young people to ensure that they receive the educational input they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to provide fun leisure activities that young people enjoy and benefit from. This enhances young people’s life experiences and strengthens further their self- worth.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s identities are supported and valued by the staff, and staff build and maintain positive relationships with young people’s families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is reasonably well-maintained. However, some damage in young people’s rooms requires attention to ensure that their environment remains homely.

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improvement to be good

Young people said that they feel safe at the home and professionals who were spoken to agreed with this view. As a result of the vigilant care that is offered by staff, incidents of missing from home are infrequent, as are incidents of drugs misuse or self-harm.

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improvement to be good

Risks presented by the young people are understood well by the staff and there is prompt action taken by the staff and manager should concerns arise. However, the documents used to identify risks and advise staff on the management of risk are not always clear, and some information had not been transferred from referral documentation. Although an impact risk assessment was completed prior to a young person joining the home, this does not have regard to any of the other young people already resident. It is therefore extremely limited in its scope and considerations.

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improvement to be good

Young people are helped to become inclusive in their views of others and any discriminatory behaviours are challenged in an educative way by the staff. There are clear boundaries and expectations that young people understand and, on the whole, adhere to. Inspection report children’s home: SC008485 5 Any complaints or allegations are promptly responded to by the manager, and all young people know how to make a complaint should they need to. Young people feel that rules are fair.

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improvement to be good

Consequences are rarely used to manage young people’s behaviours. Rather, there is a concerted effort made by the staff to reward and praise acceptable behaviour.

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improvement to be good

At the last inspection, it was found that not all of the recommendations from the fire assessment had been addressed. At this inspection, it was found that remedial actions had been taken on all but one of the outstanding actions. This relates to the ceasing of the practice of propping doors open, or the installation of door-release mechanisms.

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improvement to be good

Overall, the manager appropriately notifies Ofsted when serious incidents occur. However, Ofsted was not notified of one such incident.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager was appointed as manager of the home in January 2019, and was registered to manage the home in June 2019. Since her appointment, she has worked hard to bring about the necessary changes in the quality of care that young people receive. She seeks and utilises feedback well, and has improved the monitoring systems that inform the development of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good insight into the children’s needs and the plans for the children. She makes herself readily available to staff and young people alike.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Formal supervision of staff is enhanced through regular reflective consultation with the in-house psychologist. This supports staff in developing and improving their responses to young people, and developing their understanding of how past trauma may affect young people’s development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff have recently undergone training in brain development, trauma and the model of care that is used within the home. It is intended that this training will be ongoing in order to fully imbed the model and ensure that any new staff are fully conversant with the approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

As a result of the changes that have been made since the last the inspection, young people are making progress and incidents of missing from home and damage to the home have significantly reduced in number.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals reported that there is timely sharing of information, and that staff have good insight into each individual’s needs and quickly develop positive relationships with young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC008485 6

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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: SC008485 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: 31 Wellington Road, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 7ED

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Inspector

Pauline Yates: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC008485 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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