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Inspection report children’s home: SC394463 1 SC394463 Registered provider: Cornerstone Children’s Homes Limited

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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 registered to provide care for up to three young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is privately owned and managed.

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Information about this children’s home

The home’s manager has recently registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 27 to 28 November 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: SC394463 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/04/2018 Full Good 01/11/2017 Full Good 29/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC394463 3

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Recommendations

 Ensure that relevant plans are obtained from the placing authority (‘Guide to the children homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.1). This relates specifically to obtaining pathway plans for all eligible care leavers.  Each child should have permission for staff to administer first aid and non- prescription medication from a person with parental responsibility for them recorded in their relevant plan. For looked-after children, this permission should be sought and arranged by the child’s social worker. Where appropriate, the child’s family should be involved in supporting their child’s health needs as well as in providing permission for treatment. (‘Guide to the children homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.12)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from effective, high-quality support from staff that meets their needs well, and contributes to change and improvement in their lives. They benefit from a warm, secure, caring and nurturing environment. Young people experience warm relationships with staff and sustain their positive attachments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A young person reported, ‘They [staff] just care about me. I know that everyone in here genuinely cares. Well, that’s how I see it anyway.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from continuity of care as this enables them to experience stability and consistency in their lives. Care planning is highly individualised and tailored to meet the specific needs of individual young people. Staff maintain highly effective partnerships with social workers and all other professional agencies to ensure that young people benefit from the best possible help, protection and all-round support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A young person reported, ‘It’s good. [X] has been like a mother to me. She goes by the rules and helps make me a better person. She does what a normal parent would. They’ve helped me with things like school and life-story work.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are effective arrangements in place to promote the young people’s good health. Staff ensure that young people are registered with a doctor, dentist and optician, and that they visit these services when they need them. This includes access to the home’s clinician, as well as other specialist workers, to promote young people’s emotional and psychological well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home’s clinical psychologist reported, ‘I believe young people’s psychological well- Inspection report children’s home: SC394463 4 being is prioritised and the team work hard to better understand the different presentations of each of the young people in their care.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The medication kept in the home is stored and administered safely. However, young people do not have access to homely remedies to treat any minor ailments. No homely remedies are currently kept in the home. However, consent for the administration of non-prescribed medication is maintained on record.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people attend school or alternative educational provisions with support and encouragement from staff. Staff work closely with the providers of young people’s education to promote the young people’s learning and educational achievements. Staff consistently have high aspirations for young people and support their career aspirations, training and any educational goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote young people’s independence. However, some young people require pathway plans to promote their readiness for adulthood. Staff involve young people in key decisions. This enables young people to contribute to the running of the home. Staff promote family time so young people can sustain their relationships with the people who are most important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A young person reported, ‘When I first came here I was really nervous, but after a while I’ve got used to my new surroundings. The staff and the other boys are nice. The staff have helped me and they’re always there for me.’ A family member reported, ‘The staff are lovely and try to accommodate his needs as much as they can. Can’t fault the home and staff, to be honest.’

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

The safety of young people is at the centre of the staff’s practice, irrespective of the challenges this presents. Staff have a good understanding of the needs and emerging vulnerabilities of young people, and take appropriate action to address them. The use of risk assessments and effective, safe working practices promotes the safety and well- being of young people.

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

Risk-taking behaviours, such as going missing from home for lengthy periods, have reduced considerably. When young people have gone missing, staff actively look for them and work closely with the police to locate young people quickly and secure their safe return. Staff maintain effective partnerships with the police and all other safeguarding agencies to promote the safety and well-being of young people.

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

Significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities and this ensures that young people are protected from harm. Young people know how to make a complaint and their complaints are addressed effectively.

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

Staff have high expectations in regard to the young people’s behaviour. Relationships between young people and staff are based on trust and mutual respect. Staff help young Inspection report children’s home: SC394463 5 people to self-regulate their behaviours safely. The use of restraint is rare. If it is used at all, this is only ever to protect young people from harm. Consequences are used to manage negative behaviour, and are fair and proportionate.

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

Staff are trained to protect young people from abuse and other forms of significant harm. Staff are alert to the risk of young people being exploited or placing themselves in unsafe or risky situations. Young people develop a growing awareness of personal safety because of the actions staff take to support and protect them. For example, individual key-work sessions are used to educate young people on sexual health, social media, internet safety, drug misuse and knife crime.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff meet the aims and objectives as described in the home’s statement of purpose. They provide a good-quality service for young people, and share and implement the home’s ethos and philosophy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a newly registered manager who demonstrates effective leadership of the service and ensures that the home is managed efficiently and effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is visited each month by an independent professional who scrutinises the performance of the home and the arrangements made to safeguard young people and promote their well-being. Reports are sent to Ofsted and these are also accessible to placing authorities upon request.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager makes positive use of the home’s internal and external monitoring activities to understand the strengths and any weaknesses of the home. This enables the registered manager to tackle any shortfalls in practice, so as to ensure the home’s continuing improvement. Staff benefit from regular practice-related supervision and access to good-quality training to support their knowledge, learning and professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s clinical psychologist reported, ‘The staff are all at different stages in their psychological understanding of the young people, but there are some extremely capable and psychologically minded carers. It is anticipated that this will be enhanced further with the team getting additional regular training on pertinent psychological principles, and opportunities for clinical supervision.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is consistently maintained to a high-quality standard for young people. Young people benefit from a physically safe, appropriately secure, warm, comfortable and homely living environment. Health and safety within the home is managed effectively to ensure a safe environment for young people, visitors and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has met and addressed the recommendations from the last inspection. Young people are attending education and personal education plans are in place to support their learning. Incidents of discipline and restraint are reviewed and the use of such Inspection report children’s home: SC394463 6 measures is regularly monitored by the registered manager.

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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: SC394463 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cornerstone Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: City Heliport Liverpool Road, Eccles, Manchester, Greater Manchester M30 7RU

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC394463 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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