Children's Home run by Trafford Borough Council in Trafford

Inspection report children’s home: SC032496 1 SC032496 Registered provider: Trafford Borough Council

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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 local authority. The home provides care for up to six young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home employs an experienced manager who was registered with Ofsted in March 2017.

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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 outstanding

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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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: 5 September 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: SC032496 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/09/2018 Full Good 26/06/2017 Full Good 26/10/2016 Full Good 23/06/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC032496 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from well-planned, highly personalised care that promotes their needs very effectively and contributes to sustainable change and improvement in their lives. Young people make good progress in relation to their individual starting points across aspects of their physical, social, emotional and behavioural development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A young person reported, ‘The best thing about being here is the staff. This place is more than what I expected it to be. It’s a good place, and I’ve actually enjoyed being here.’ A social worker reported, ‘In terms of the placement, I feel [young person] is very well supported by his keyworker and staff. Communication with myself has been excellent… I have established positive working relationships with a number of the team.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from consistent care. The group is looked after by well-qualified, skilled, trained and highly experienced staff. Young people receive the support they need to sustain contact with their friends and families. As a result, they enjoy the time that they spend with the people that are most important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s good health is well promoted, and individuals have access to primary and secondary healthcare services when they need them. Staff maintain highly effective partnerships with health professionals to promote young people’s physical and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged to attend school or alternative education provision regardless of the difficulties this presents. They receive the help and support they need to overcome the barriers they may have experienced with their education. Staff work closely with the providers of young people’s education to support their career aspirations, training and education goals. Staff consistently have high aspirations for young people and they promote their learning and education achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A social worker reported, ‘When [young person] indicated that he would like to make an application for the army, staff went above and beyond to support his application. I have always found the staff to be positive and supportive and encourage the [young person] to reach his potential in all areas of his life. Staff also promote family time and have built good relationships with his family.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are involved in key decisions, and this ensures that they can influence and contribute to the running of the home. Young people are listened to by friendly, child- centred staff who act on their views, feelings and reasonable requests. Young people know how to make a complaint. However, no complaints have been made by young people since the last inspection. Inspection report children’s home: SC032496 4

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

Risk-taking behaviours, such as going missing from care for lengthy periods, self-harm and substance misuse have reduced significantly, considering young people’s starting points. Staff have an excellent understanding of young people’s specific needs and emerging vulnerabilities and take appropriate action to manage them. Risks associated with young people are well known and understood by staff. Risks are managed safely and effectively by staff.

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

Staff have high expectations of young people’s behaviour. Adults apply the home’s rules and boundaries consistently to promote a safe environment for young people. Consequences used to address negative behaviour are monitored by the registered manager. This ensures that the use of consequences is balanced, fair and proportionate. The use of restraint is exceptionally rare; if used at all, it is only ever as a last resort to protect young people from harm.

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

A young person reported, ‘It’s better than my last care home. You can have a laugh with staff, and I’ve got more freedom. When I first came here, I was very angry, and I would smash things up. But now I’m much calmer.’

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

Staff help young people to self-regulate their own behaviour. They anticipate issues exceptionally well and have a good understanding of the triggers for young people’s behaviour. Consequently, staff respond to incidents in a calm, controlled, professional and sensitive way. Negative behaviours are reduced and incidents that do occur are managed professionally and effectively by staff.

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

The home maintains highly effective partnerships with the police and all other safeguarding agencies to promote the safety and well-being of young people. Young people benefit from effective help, support and protection from staff. They become safer because of the actions staff take to support and protect them.

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

Young people are protected from abuse and all other forms of significant harm. Staff are trained in child protection and are skilled and knowledgeable in relation to their safeguarding roles. Staff prioritise the safety of young people and are always alert to the risk of harm. Young people are kept safe and develop a strong sense of personal safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home benefits from a deeply committed, passionate and enthusiastic registered manager who exercises strong and effective leadership of the day-to-day operation of the home. The manager was registered with Ofsted in March 2017. She oversees a strong, capable and stable staff team with the qualifications, training and experience needed to meet the specific needs of the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager leads staff by example. She is an inspirational leader who stimulates staff’s enthusiasm and channels their efforts effectively. Staff share and Inspection report children’s home: SC032496 5 implement the home’s ethos, approach and philosophy in caring for young people. They meet the aims and objectives, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose, delivering a high-quality service for young people. A social worker reported, ‘From my own experiences of working with the staff, I have always found them to be very child centred in their practice – always putting [the young person] first.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff maintain highly effective partnerships with the families of young people, schools, social workers and other professional agencies to ensure that young people benefit from effective help and the best possible all-round support. Staff ensure that the needs of young people are prioritised and met effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The performance of the home is managed efficiently and highly effectively. The home is visited each month by an independent professional who scrutinises the home’s ability to meet the needs of young people and to promote their safety and well-being. The registered manager makes really good use of the home’s internal and external monitoring activities to secure its continuing improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is in the process of transitioning to a new model of care designed to provide support to young people in, or on the edge of, care. The home intends to extend the range of services and support currently on offer. A variation to undertake this work and amend the aims and objectives of the service is in the process of being submitted to Ofsted for approval.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No requirements or recommendations are made following this inspection.

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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: SC032496 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Trafford Council, Town Hall, Talbot Road, Manchester, Trafford M32 0TH

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC032496 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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