Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Today Children‟s Services

Inspection report children’s home: 2507391 1 Registered provider: Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is run by a private organisation and offers care and accommodation for up to four children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in March 2019 and the manager is suitably qualified.

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Inspection date: 4 March 2020

Date of last inspection: 14 January 2020

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Inspection date: 4 March 2020

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2507391 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children’s experiences in the home are good, and they emphatically reported that they are happy in the home. Staff constantly seek to improve children’s experiences and provide new opportunities. This means that children can widen their social circle and develop their independence.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff make sure that the home is warm, welcoming and well maintained so children have a positive environment to live in. Managers have quickly addressed concerns about fire doors raised at the last inspection, to ensure that staff and children are safe. Staff understand safeguarding procedures, and the registered manager now has clearer oversight of incidents and sanctions. This supports staff to develop their practice and helps them to safeguard children. There has been one occasion when information from an incident was not included in a child’s risk assessment. However, this information was shared with staff through other documents, so children were kept safe.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have put in place keyworking planners to enable them to remain clear on the work they need to do with children. This also enables the registered manager to monitor the work staff are doing to take forward children’s plans. She plans to include dates for keywork sessions and so reduce the possibility of drift in plans. Children now regularly sign their own records, which helps them to feel more involved in their own care.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children who have left the home have left for positive reasons. While at the home, children make progress in relation to their behaviour, and this has enabled some to move to foster care. Staff support transitions and keep in touch with children after they leave. This indicates to children that the relationships they made at the home were important and they were cared about.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff help children settle into the home well. Visits to the home are planned before children move in, and staff engage children with fun activities to build relationships. The registered manager completes risk assessments before children move in that consider known information about them and the other children in the home. This means that children who are accepted to the home are appropriately placed.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Despite improvements in management oversight and monitoring, there is still a lack of evidence that staff are aware of updates to all risk assessments. This means that managers cannot be assured that staff are working to the most up-to-date guidance. This potentially leaves children and staff vulnerable. Inspection report children’s home: 2507391 3 Staff in the home, in particular the registered manager, have good professional relationships with others. Communication is good, which means that children are supported by well-informed networks. One social worker told the inspector that the staff in the home know the child she is responsible for very well, and at times know more about them than she does ‘as a good parent would’. By developing and maintaining good professional relationships, children are better supported by their networks and receive the help they need when they need it.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Due to protocols in the organisation, staff in the home are restricted from using some basic systems, such as sending external emails and printing. This hinders them from ensuring that everything that is needed for children is in place. The registered manager has confidence in the staff and is escalating this within the company to enable her staff to develop further in their roles.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has ensured that requirements made at the last inspection have been met. These relate to improving the quality of risk assessments, ensuring the accuracy of staff rotas and improving management oversight of incidents and sanctions. The workforce plan has also been updated and now includes the required information. Inspection report children’s home: 2507391 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2507391 5

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that up-to-date records and risk assessments are available to staff, and managers have a clear system in place to be assured that staff have read and understood them. 10/04/2020

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 2507391 6

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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

Karol Keenan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2507391 7 to 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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