Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Limited in Stockport

Inspection report children’s home: SC068664 1 SC068664 Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today

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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 children’s home provides short-, medium- and long-term care and accommodation to up to five children or young people who may have emotional, social and/or behavioural difficulties or learning disabilities. The manager has been registered since December 2013.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 19 to 20 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: SC068664 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/08/2018 Full Good 08/11/2017 Full Good 21/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 21/09/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC068664 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The care that children receive is helping them to make good progress in all areas. Staff support children in going to appointments so they stay healthy, and they encourage their social and emotional development. The key-working sessions are recorded in a child- friendly and personalised way so that children feel included in the work.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children are attending school, including those who have not been in education in the past. They are making progress from their starting points, and one child’s attendance has gone from their not attending at all to 100% attendance. The staff communicate effectively with schools, and when there are issues they are addressed through all necessary channels without delay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children build positive and trusting relationships with all the staff. These relationships allow children to build secure attachments and freely express their views. Children contribute to decisions about the home and their care through weekly individual and group meetings. This provides them with a sense of autonomy, increasing their self- confidence. Children said that the home is a ‘great place to live’ and would choose to stay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Independence plans are designed to teach children skills for later life. For example, during the inspection, one child was practising his cooking and baking skills. He made an evening meal for the other children and baked a cake for his mother’s visit. Children know their plans well and enthusiastically engage in them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children coming to the home feel welcomed and can have visits to the home where they meet staff and other children prior to moving in. Children said that they felt comfortable very quickly, they were well supported and were helped to understand the home’s guidelines when they arrived. This makes them feel safe and confident in the care provided to them by the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place the well-being of the children at the centre of their practice. Their achievements are recognised, and good behaviour and positive outcomes are celebrated.

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

Children feel safe and protected, recognising that the staff help to keep them safe. Children do not often go missing from home, and it has been some months since the last incident. Staff respond consistently when children go missing from home, making efforts to contact them and look for them in known locations. If the child cannot be found, the police are notified and the missing from home policy is followed.

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

Risk assessments are reviewed regularly, and they are specific to the individual child. They address all known risks and include strategies to reduce those risks. This helps Inspection report children’s home: SC068664 4 staff to maintain their understanding of the concerns for each child and respond appropriately, to minimise the risk of harm to children.

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

Key-working sessions are delivered to give children the tools to keep themselves safe. They cover the individual risks to the child as well as topics such as racism, criminality and other key issues. When there have been incidents of bullying or discrimination, these are tackled individually and as a group during children’s meetings. Children are given the opportunity to share their feelings and discuss how incidents have an effect on the wider group.

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

Positive behaviour is constantly promoted, and staff are effective in de-escalating any negative behaviours. When they occur, incidents are recorded accurately, reflective work is completed with the staff and children, and any learning is discussed in team meetings.

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

Occasionally, children have returned home under the influence of substances or alcohol. Their risk assessments reflect this, and plans are in place to mitigate those risks. Children are offered the support of professional services. If these are declined, key-work sessions have been arranged with their designated worker. This helps to educate children about the dangers of substance and alcohol misuse and encourage more appropriate behaviour.

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

Staff training covers themes which pose a risk to children, such as county lines and exploitation. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the risks and how to recognise signs when a child is at risk of harm. Staff know and use the procedures for reporting concerns about a child and follow the safeguarding policy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced and enthusiastic manager who is dedicated to securing good outcomes for children. She is assisted by a capable deputy manager who has a good knowledge of the children and their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has formed good working relationships with other professionals, which help her to meet the needs of the children. Meetings with the police take place, in which information is shared about concerns linked to the local area which might have an effect on the children’s level of risk. There is open communication with education professionals to ensure that children are supported in school. When the response from other professionals falls below the manager’s expectations, it is challenged appropriately and escalated when necessary.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The dedication and enthusiasm that the staff team demonstrates for their work with children is a strength. This is reflected in the feedback received from professionals and a parent. The parent said that she is grateful for staff who have ‘looked past the behaviour and seen the child’. This is evidence of the unconditional positive regard that the manager and her staff demonstrate towards the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Care is taken when inviting a new child to the home. Social workers have commented on Inspection report children’s home: SC068664 5 the manager’s ‘tenacity’ in exploring new referrals. Where possible, the manager visits the child or young person and reassures them about coming to the home. However, the manager must ensure that all information that is gathered about a child is recorded in the assessment. This will better demonstrate how the impact of the child or young person has been considered alongside the home’s ability to meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a culture of learning and development, which is driven by leaders and managers. Staff receive regular training and are encouraged to further develop their skills through discussion in team meetings, which provides focus on the needs of the children and reflection on practice. Supervision takes place regularly, and staff have the opportunity to discuss issues and problems. Supervisions would benefit from replicating the reflective style used in team meetings to better support individual practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has completed a detailed home and workforce development plan, which demonstrates the home’s strengths and plans for improvements. These plans are not fully reflected in the manager’s review of the quality of care report. While there is extensive consultation with the children, the impact of their views on the development of the home is not explicit in the report.

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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, the 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 complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (‘a quality of care review’) at least once every six months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (‘the quality of care review report’). (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the report includes actions to improve 01/05/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC068664 6 the quality of care in the home that are, in part, informed by the opinions of children living at the home.

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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 home regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. The Statement of Purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of children the home is set up and equipped to care for. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page

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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: SC068664 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today

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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

Deb Duffy: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC068664 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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