Children's home run by The Together Trust in Stockport

Inspection report children’s home: SC025714 1 SC025714 Registered provider: The Together Trust

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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 run and managed by a charitable organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by an experienced and qualified registered manager.

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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

Date of last inspection: 28 November 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: SC025714 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/11/2018 Full Good 31/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/11/2017 Full Good 30/03/2017 Interim Not judged Inspection report children’s home: SC025714 3

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Recommendations

 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 home regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9). This is with particular reference to the communal areas and the risks presented in the garden due to the building work, being included in the home’s locality risk assessment.  All children’s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely whilst they remain in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3). In particular, this refers to the local authority care plans.  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

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Recommendations

needs of the children assigned to their care. A record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraphs 13.2 and 13.3)  All staff should have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonably practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and the children in the home’s care. As part of the performance management process, poor performance should be addressed by a timely plan to bring improvement. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5).

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are settled and progress well within the home and are supported by a stable and experienced staff team. Some individuals that have experienced instability in other care settings flourish in this home, and have trusting relationships with the adults who are caring for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to spend time with their family and important people in their lives. The home works well with parents to maintain and strengthen family relationships where appropriate to do so. One parent told the inspector that her child had made progress at the home because they have worked alongside the family not against them. As a result of this, young people are able to build upon their sense of Inspection report children’s home: SC025714 4 belonging and identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people value their education. Education is prioritised in the home. Where young people are facing barriers to accessing education, staff advocate on their behalf to ensure that their needs are understood and can be met. This means that young people are helped to make progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged to have active lifestyles and have opportunities to take part in a range of community activities. For example, young people have recently spent time at the organisation’s holiday caravan and have been on day trips during the school holidays. This opens young people up to a range of new and positive experiences. Their horizons expand and their expectations for themselves grow.

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

Young people who have previously struggled to regulate their emotions and manage their own behaviours receive the help and support they need. This support is available to them through the consistent day-to-day care from a skilled staff team. In addition, all young people are receiving help from child and adolescent mental health services. As a result of this help from the adults around them, the behaviour of young people improves and they are better equipped to make progress.

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

Staff understand the risks that young people face; these areas are identified and plans put in place to address and manage the presenting risks. In addition, young people are supported to take age- and developmentally appropriate risks. This helps young people to grow in self-confidence and take on new challenges.

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

Staff are trained in, and implement effectively, the organisation’s therapeutic framework. As a result of this, there is a culture within the home which promotes positive behaviour.

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

Sanctions are rarely used. Incentives are in place for young people, which reward their achievements.

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

Since the last inspection there have only been two incidents of restraint. The need for these interventions was assessed prior to use and well evaluated afterwards. Physical interventions with young people are used as a last resort to keep young people safe. As a result of this, young people are living in a positive environment, which supports them to feel safe and to flourish.

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

There is no bullying within the home. Relationships between young people are good. There are clear expectations of young people in relation to their behaviours, which they are made aware of as soon as they arrive at the home. This means that young people understand that they will be kept safe from bullying and that they have a responsibility to keep others safe. A social worker told the inspector her young person received a welcome card from the other young people on her arrival at the home. This helped to reduce her anxieties. Inspection report children’s home: SC025714 5 The interior of the home is safe and secure for young people. Externally, due to major building work adjacent to the property, there are potential risks for young people. These were identified at an early stage by the registered manager and plans put in place to reduce risks while the construction work is underway. The newly presenting risks linked

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

to this building work must be included within the locality risk assessment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced registered manager. Currently the manager is also providing management oversight for another of the organisation’s homes. There is no evidence that this is currently having an impact on the progress and experiences of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Key strengths of the home are the stability and experience of the staff team. Since the last inspection, no staff have left or been recruited. The staff know each other well and are a cohesive team. This consistency helps young people to feel secure and make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision in line with the organisation’s policy. Records of supervision do not demonstrate that staff are having the opportunity to reflect effectively on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. Concerns raised around performance of staff are not always dealt with appropriately. Supervision records do not evidence clear support and guidance to staff. Annual reviews or appraisals to address staff performance are not timely. As a result of this, staff are not being consistently supported by some members of the management team to improve and sustain good practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s records are comprehensive. The home has in place plans and assessments, which are accessible for young people. Young people are encouraged to read and sign their records. The registered manager has plans in place to develop this further. This helps young people to understand and contribute to the plans for their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Information from the local authority and other relevant agencies are available on young people’s case files. Where other professionals have not provided written information, this has been actively followed up by staff. In an isolated example, one young person’s care plan was not current. This means that the home did not have all the information needed to plan their care effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interior of the home is maintained to a good standard. Young people are able to personalise their bedrooms. They are encouraged to have photographs or other personal memorabilia in their room to make it their own space. This approach is not yet evident in the communal areas of the home, which as a result lack warmth. Use of the back garden has been affected by the nearby building work. As a result it is neglected and unwelcoming.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has, on the whole, a good understating of the strengths and areas for development of the home. The manager has a good knowledge of the needs of Inspection report children’s home: SC025714 6 the individual young people. Decisions about new admissions to the home are young- person-centred and the needs of young people already resident are prioritised. This contributes to the positive experiences that young people go on to have in the home.

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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: SC025714 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Together Trust Centre, Schools Hill, Cheadle, Cheshire SK8 1JE

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Inspector

Dawn Parton, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC025714 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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