Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC005040 1 SC005040 Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today Children’s 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

A large private provider operates this home. The home offers care and accommodation for up to four children who have experienced childhood instability, resulting in trauma and associated complex behaviours. The registered manager holds a level 4 qualification in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 11 to 12 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 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: SC005040 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/01/2019 Full Good 21/11/2017 Full Good 21/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/09/2016 Full Good

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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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)) 28/10/2019

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Requirement

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; 28/10/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC005040 3 a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know children well and invest in them. This helps children to feel settled and develop a strong sense of belonging. Children speak positively about staff and the good care they receive. One child told the inspector, ‘Staff are kind, they listen to me, they care about us.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to understand the importance of education. They are ambitious and work closely with teachers to provide children with consistent care. One child recently started attending a new school. Staff organised induction days and shared important information about the child’s history and needs with teachers. As a result, he has made a very positive start to school life. Another child is currently not attending school. In the interim, staff have organised daily home tutoring and alternative education activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children participate in the day-to-day running of the home. Children and staff meet weekly to decide upon activities and menus, and to discuss each child’s progress. Staff also hold regular feedback sessions with children to gather their views on the quality of care they receive. Children also participate in more complex aspects of their care. For example, they work closely with staff to review their internal plans. This gives them a sense of ownership and responsibility for their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to become healthier, both physically and emotionally. One child has undergone extensive treatment for a back injury and is now fully recovered. Another child receives regular play therapy to help him manage the complex behaviours associated with his previous trauma. The registered manager seeks specialist support Inspection report children’s home: SC005040 4 and advice. For example, the child and adolescent mental health service now attends staff meetings to offer advice and consultation. As a result, children receive individualised and specialist care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spend regular time with people who are important to them. One child is preparing to return to the care of his mother. Staff have developed a strong working relationship with the child’s mother and other family members. They have offered the child and his mother extensive practical and emotional support to ensure that his transition home is successful.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The majority of the home has been redecorated since the last inspection. Children’s bedrooms are personalised. The home has a welcoming feel. Children develop a good rapport with staff, their interactions are warm and laughter often fills the home. Children feel able to relax in this nurturing environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities, such as trips to a local theme park and the cinema. Staff support children to maintain and develop hobbies and interests. One child is an exceptionally talented footballer and is a member of the local professional club. Another child has recently joined a local boxing club. This helps children to increase their confidence and self-esteem.

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

Staff support children to understand how their behaviours can be harmful to themselves and others. For example, weekly meetings and key-work sessions focus on the risks associated with going missing and negative friendship groups. Staff plan to offer a child a mentor as an additional measure to help him understand the risks of gang association. In addition, the registered manager provides staff with specialised safeguarding training to meet the children’s needs.

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

Staff encourage children to behave positively and offer them regular rewards for doing so. Children respond well to this practice and enjoy meeting their behaviour targets. This positive ethos means that incidents of challenging behaviour are rare. This is significant progress for children when their starting points are considered. There have been no incidents of restraint since the previous inspection.

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

One child has become increasingly unsettled over recent weeks. This has resulted in him going missing and placing himself at risk of harm. The registered manager and staff are working hard to keep this child safe. They frequently share important information with a range of safeguarding partners. The registered manager recently organised a multi- agency meeting to share information and devise a plan to keep the child safe.

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

Staff understand each child’s risks. This is supported by detailed and up-to-date risk assessments with clear staff control measures. On the majority of occasions, staff offer a robust response to safely return a child when he goes missing. They contact police in a timely manner, search known areas and notify the local authority. Overall, records are detailed and show how staff have worked well with professionals to ensure that the child Inspection report children’s home: SC005040 5 is returned safely. An independent visitor offers the child an opportunity to discuss their missing incident. However, in some instances staff have not searched for the child when he failed to return home. This inconsistent approach could potentially expose the child to risk and is a lost opportunity to locate him and return him home. The registered manager acknowledges this shortfall and plans to address it with staff urgently.

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

Another child has been involved in some low-level antisocial behaviour in the local community. This has resulted in an anonymous complaint being reported to Ofsted. The registered manager is keen to strike a balance between offering the child time with his friends and keeping him safe. Staff monitor the child’s behaviour in the community and have put clear boundaries in place. In addition, they provide the child with targeted key- work sessions, which focus on community safety and positive friendships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The experienced and skilled registered manager is supported by a strong management team. She holds high ambitions for children in her care and strives to provide them with a nurturing, caring environment. This ethos inspires staff to make a positive impact on children’s experiences and progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team has adequate resources to meet children’s needs. They are experienced and skilled and work well together to provide children with consistent care. Staff feel supported by the management team. They have good opportunities to develop their practice and achieve internal promotions. Staff also benefit from a good training programme. This means that children have access to staff with a range of skills and expertise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has effective monitoring systems in place. She completes monthly reports, which scrutinise the progress of each child and the quality of care they receive. A detailed development plan includes ideas to develop staff and improve children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s plans are detailed and in line with the targets set by their local authorities. Staff have strong and proactive relationships with a range of partner agencies. For example, one child was at risk of permanent school exclusion. Staff worked alongside teachers to identify an alternative education provision. As a result, he is making good progress and his behaviour has settled. A teacher told the inspector, ‘Staff have been fantastic in supporting him. We worked well with them to identify his other provision. He really enjoys it and has the opportunity to gain qualifications.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and appraisal. There is a healthy learning culture in the home that encourages staff to support and challenge each other’s practice effectively. Staff meetings are comprehensive and discuss children’s progress in detail. However, records of staff supervision are of variable quality. This means that staff may receive inconsistent support and records do not fully reflect the discussions had.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has not notified Ofsted of all significant events relating to Inspection report children’s home: SC005040 6 children. This is a missed opportunity for agencies to provide additional oversight and support.

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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: SC005040 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today Children’s 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

Gareth Leckey, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC005040 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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