Children's home run by Stockport Supported Accommodation Service in Stockport

Inspection report children’s home: SC039070 1 SC039070 Registered provider: Stockport Metropolitan 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

This local authority operated home is registered to care for up to five children who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

A new manager, who was appointed in April 2019, is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 16 to 17 September 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 good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC039070 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/07/2018 Full Good 05/07/2017 Full Good 20/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 22/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC039070 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) Specifically, that electronic records and paper files contain up-to- date plans and assessments which are dated and signed and are accessible to young people. 31/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) In particular, ensure that information in relation to the responsible individual and registered manager are correct and any amendments are dated accurately. 31/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. The independent person must produce a report about a visit (‘the independent person’s report’) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1)(4)(a)(b)(5)) 31/10/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC039070 4

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Recommendations

 When the person in day to day charge of the home proposes to be absent from the home for a continuous period of 28 days or more, they must notify Ofsted in writing (regulation 48). The registered person must notify Ofsted of a range of other changes to the running of the home (regulations 49, 50 and 51). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 60, paragraph 12.5). In particular, that the registered manager should submit a notice of voluntary cancellation of registration.  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 homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9). This is with particular reference to redecoration of the living room, refurbishment of the bathroom, including removing the paper towel dispenser, and repairing or replacing the

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Recommendations

damaged bathroom suite, redecorating and refurnishing young people’s bedrooms and ensuring that all young people have sufficient bedding.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people of different ages and with diverse experiences of being looked after make good progress in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are well supported to move on in a planned way. Those who leave the home when endings are unplanned are supported by staff to move on in a positive manner to their new settings. Staff remain young-person focused and understand the feelings associated with moving on. Young people are helped to recognise the part the home has played in their life story.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When young people are admitted to the home, there is careful consideration of their needs as well as those of young people already in placement. As a result of this, young people experience a positive home environment and, on the whole, live together harmoniously.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged to lead healthy lifestyles. They are supported to eat well and get active. Young people access a range of activities which introduce them to fun and stimulating new interests in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to explore sensitive and sometimes challenging areas of their lives, such as gender identity. They experience a warm and nurturing staff team, which values differences and promotes equality.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged to deal with conflict using a restorative approach. The staff caring for young people are suitably trained and experienced in this method of practice. As a result, young people develop skills in addressing conflict in an open and constructive manner. Inspection report children’s home: SC039070 5

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

Young people receive help and protection from staff where there are incidents of bullying or aggression in the home between peers. While these episodes are infrequent, young people have trust in staff and share their concerns with them. Young people are confident that staff will act to address these behaviours and keep them safe.

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

Staff quickly identify when young people need additional services and are proactive in referring young people on. For example, young people are accessing the local Healthy Young Minds service to support their emotional health and the healthy living programme to promote physical health and healthy lifestyles.

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

When young people go missing from care, staff are robust in their efforts to find them and encourage them to return. Staff are aware of, and act on, the risks for each young person. The staff team understands and implements the missing from care protocols. They participate in strategy meetings and missing from home panels. This results in multi-agency risk reduction plans to help keep young people safe.

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

Young people are rewarded for good behaviour and staff seek to de-escalate negative behaviours. The use of sanctions is minimal. This promotes positive attitudes from young people. They enjoy the recognition they receive for their achievements. This helps build self-esteem and confidence.

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

Where restraint is used, this is proportionate to the risk young people pose to themselves or others. Staff are trained in restraint techniques and this training is updated annually. Staff say that they are taught that restraint is to be used as a last resort. In response to a requirement from the last inspection, the behaviour management policy has been amended to ensure that all restraints are evaluated effectively. This includes restraints involving the registered manager. As a result, there is additional oversight of these incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The local authority has appointed a new manager who took up post in April 2019. The post-holder is not registered with Ofsted and the previous registered manager has not cancelled their registration. The statement of purpose for the home gives incorrect information in respect of the registered manager and responsible individual for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home benefits from having an experienced assistant manager. He provides stability and continuity to the staff team. The wider staff team is diverse in respect of age and experience. New staff members bring a range of experiences of working with young people, which add to the skills and knowledge of the existing staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have a good induction to their role through the local authority children’s services training programme. They have access to ongoing training, which comprises both face- Inspection report children’s home: SC039070 6 to-face and e-learning. Staff have frequent supervision, which supports them to reflect on their practice and the progress of young people. The home’s manager does not have automatic access to the supervision records of those staff supervised by the assistant manager. This has an impact on her oversight of the whole staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager undertakes monthly audits of case files for each young person. This has not been effective in ensuring that case files contain current information. Information is often not dated or out of date. Some documents do not have a clearly named author, including, in one example, a document relating to safeguarding concerns raised by a young person. This lack of organisation means that young people cannot easily access information in relation to their care. It is a barrier to them contributing effectively to their care planning. It also does not support transparency of decision-making in respect of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is not yet providing a welcoming and homely environment for young people to live in. The communal living areas lack personal decoration, such as photographs or ornaments. Some of these areas need repainting. In the bathroom, the bath is stained and damaged. Other fixtures are missing or broken. Young people do not have towels to dry their hands on. They have to use paper towels from a wall-mounted dispenser.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Young people’s bedrooms are poorly furnished and decorated. Bedding appears old and tired. One young person was sleeping on a bare mattress as they did not have a sheet for their bed. While it appears that this was an isolated incident, it reflects a lack of oversight from staff. Improvements in the physical environment of the home were required at the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The independent visits to the home are undertaken by a manager from the local authority. The reports arising from these are comprehensive and provide some challenge to the practice of the home. Visits are not always being undertaken with the expected frequency. On one recent occasion there was a significant delay between the visit being undertaken and the written report being provided. This means that the quality of care and the leadership and management of the home are not consistently scrutinised.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC039070 7 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: SC039070 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider : Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Stockport, Cheshire SK1 3XE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jeanette Warburton

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Inspector

Dawn Parton, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC039070 9 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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