Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Today

Inspection report children’s home: SC005042 1 SC005042 Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today Children’s Services Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The privately owned service is both a children’s home and a school that provides care and education for up to 10 young people who have experienced adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours. The children’s home can accommodate up to 10 young people, with a further two young people accommodated in the satellite home.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 17 to 18 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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC005042 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/05/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/07/2017 Full Good 02/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC005042 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 27/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(h)) 27/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 27/10/2019

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from experienced staff, who demonstrate commitment to meeting their needs and keeping them safe. As a result, most young people make good progress relative to their individual circumstances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that the health of young people is promoted. Young people have clear health plans and are registered with the relevant primary healthcare services. Staff have good access to the organisation’s therapeutic team, whose members provide clinical oversight of young people’s emotional well-being. Medication is stored safely, and Inspection report children’s home: SC005042 4 an effective medication management system helps to ensure that young people receive their medication safely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

School attendance is consistently high, with most young people attending the organisation’s on-site school. Education is highly valued in the home and care staff ensure that the young people are fully supported to attend and to achieve. For example, they will work closely with teachers, including providing direct support in the classroom when necessary. This promotes both consistency and the value of education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager works closely with placing authorities to ensure that young people’s time with their families and friends is positive and safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key-worker meetings with young people take place at regular intervals. These are more responsive to significant incidents. This means that young people are not receiving input to achieve their agreed goals, to develop new ones and to keep themselves safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people confirm that they are aware of the home’s complaints procedure. Recent complaints that have been made have not had clear audit trails of the investigation that has taken place. Complainants have not been given enough detail about the findings of the investigation and there is no written response to confirm whether the complaint has been upheld. This means that complaints are not being documented thoroughly, which hinders the manager’s reviewing and monitoring of them.

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

Staff have a good understanding of young people’s needs and vulnerabilities and implement the risk management plans sufficiently. Risk assessments are reviewed regularly in response to any changes in young people’s circumstances. Staff use other professionals’ knowledge and skills, such as the therapists within the clinical team. This gives staff improved knowledge of managing young people’s behaviours. This gives staff a greater understanding of how to keep young people safe.

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

Incidents of physical intervention are fully recorded, with evidence of management oversight and monitoring. Staff are clear that physical intervention is very much a last resort and tend to use the positive relationships built up with young people to defuse difficult situations. All staff receive initial and refresher training in physical intervention techniques.

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

When young people go missing from the home, staff liaise with the police and complete detailed records of actions taken. Young people have access to an independent person to speak to on their return home. This helps staff to consider any information that may help to protect young people from going missing again.

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

The manager ensures that young people live in a physically safe environment. Staff carry out regular health and safety checks and make sure that equipment is regularly serviced. Staff are trained in fire safety procedures, and they ensure that young people take part in fire evacuation drills, so that they understand what to do in the event of a fire or other Inspection report children’s home: SC005042 5 emergencies.

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

The manager ensures that young people are protected by thorough recruitment practices. Staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed. These measures positively promote the safety of the young people by preventing unsuitable adults from working with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a registered manager, who has been in post since April 2014. The manager holds a level 4 national vocational qualification in leadership, health and social care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has ensured that staffing levels are appropriate to meet young people’s needs. Staff are well supported through regular supervision, annual appraisal and benefit from a range of appropriate training opportunities to develop their knowledge, skills and professional practice. However, not all staff training is up to date. For example, some staff have not refreshed their training around fire safety or food hygiene. This means that some staff have gaps in their knowledge and skills around health and safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive good levels of supervision and support through regular one-to-one supervision and team meetings. They receive good guidance and direction from the manager, and benefit from monthly reflective practice meetings with the organisation’s therapists. However, the manager has not had an annual appraisal in the last 12 months. This means that he has not had a review or evaluation of his performance or discussion around his own development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has formed positive relationships with parents and a range of agencies, including the police, youth offending service and education departments. A parent told the inspector, ‘Communication with the home is really good. Staff always let me know how he is progressing.’ This means that there is a coordinated approach to meeting young people’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has acted to address the requirements and recommendations from the last inspection. Some internal refurbishment has taken place to improve the home’s interior. Risk assessments are now all up to date and the statement of purpose document now includes the frequency of staff supervision. Inspection report children’s home: SC005042 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: SC005042 7

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lansdowne House, 85 Buxton Road, Stockport, Cheshire SK2 6LR

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Inspectors

Dave Carrigan: social care inspector Pauline Higham: her majesty’s inspector social care Inspection report children’s home: SC005042 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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