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

Inspection report children’s home: SC025417 1 SC025417 Registered provider: Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to four young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 18 January 2019.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 22 January 2019

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

None. Inspection report children’s home: SC025417 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/01/2019 Full Good 14/11/2017 Full Good 21/02/2017 Full Good 14/11/2016 Interim Not judged Inspection report children’s home: SC025417 3

p.2

improvement to be good

Progress for young people is mixed, with some young people doing well in some areas and others experiencing poorer outcomes.

p.3

improvement to be good

Some young people have struggled to manage their relationships with each other and there have been incidents of bullying. While staff attempted to address the behaviour, the lack of a cohesive strategy meant that the issue was not dealt with effectively or quickly enough. As a result, one young person’s placement broke down because his behaviours towards others could not be managed safely by the staff team.

p.3

improvement to be good

Young people are encouraged to become more independent. For example, there is an expectation that young people will tidy their rooms and help with daily tasks such as shopping. Staff support young people to pursue their personal hobbies and interests, as well as to try new activities.

p.3

improvement to be good

All young people currently living at this home are attending school regularly. Staff understand the importance of education in securing positive outcomes for young people. The home has strong links with education professionals to ensure that information is shared appropriately. When young people experience temporary exclusions, staff are proactive in sourcing suitable structured activities to engage young people in.

p.3

improvement to be good

Good arrangements are in place to promote young people’s health. They are supported to attend appointments, which ensures that routine checks, such as with the dentist and optician, occur regularly.

p.3

improvement to be good

Young people are cared for by a consistent team of staff who understand them well. One social worker said, ‘They know [young person’s name] really well and are very fond of him. They know what motivates him and his likes and dislikes, and this is so nice to see.’ However, when young people have made complaints about the care they receive, they have not always received an appropriate or robust response. This means that the young people’s voice is not always heard. A requirement has been made to address this.

p.3

improvement to be good

Some shortfalls in safeguarding practice were identified during this inspection. For example, the management of allegations has not been carried out in line with the organisation’s safeguarding procedures. Some staff demonstrated a lack of knowledge of safeguarding procedures, including the company’s whistle-blowing policy. A requirement has been made to improve practice in this area. Inspection report children’s home: SC025417 4 Young people benefit from regular individual key-work sessions that focus on their individual risks and vulnerabilities. Staff use these as forum for young people to reflect on their behaviours and talk about their feelings. Staff also use these sessions as informal learning opportunities to educate young people on important topics such as knife crime and the dangers of radicalisation.

p.3

improvement to be good

Individual behaviour support plans are being developed to support staff to respond to young people’s behaviour in a consistent way. While these are in their infancy, staff are gaining an understanding of young people’s behaviours and are identifying how best to respond to them.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff rarely use physical interventions to manage young people’s behaviours. However, when restraints do happen, young people feelings and views are not always sought afterwards. These are missed opportunities for staff to listen, learn and adapt their practice. Records of restraints lack important details, such as the duration of restraints and the types of intervention used. This makes it difficult to assess the safety of practice in this area. The manager has not identified, or acted to address, this shortfall.

p.4

improvement to be good

All young people have care plans and risk assessments which are reviewed after significant events. However, these documents do not always contain sufficient detail about how young people’s care needs will be met and how risks are being managed. Requirements have been made to improve practice in these areas.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff use an incentive scheme to reinforce positive behaviours. This is helping young people to manage their behaviours better. However, there were shortfalls identified in the use of sanctions. Some sanctions were not restorative in nature, and the length and type of sanction applied lacked a cohesive rationale. Furthermore, the manager did not oversee the sanctions to measure their effectiveness, equity or impact.

p.4

good

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since January 2019. She is a visible presence in the home and is available to support staff and young people. Staff reported that she is approachable and that they value the support they receive from her.

p.4

good

Staff benefit from regular supervision and an annual appraisal of their performance. All new staff attend a mandatory training programme which equips them with the basic skills they need to care for vulnerable young people. However, additional specialised training is required to support the staff team’s understanding of areas such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and adverse childhood experiences. A recommendation has been made to address this.

p.4

good

Regular team meetings help to ensure that staff are kept updated on young people’s needs. There are good communication systems in place which help to ensure that Inspection report children’s home: SC025417 5 daily care is well planned. This is helping staff to develop a more cohesive approach to supporting young people.

p.4

good

The manager’s internal monitoring systems are not sufficiently robust. This hampers the manager’s ability to evaluate the quality and safety of care provided for young people. A number of shortfalls were identified during the inspection. For example, the manager failed to identify and act on anomalies in the records of some significant incidents. This meant that the appropriate actions were not always taken. Furthermore, on a number of occasions, the manager has failed to notify the relevant authorities of significant events. A requirement has been made to improve practice in this area. Inspection report children’s home: SC025417 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.6

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(iv)(v)(vii)) 24/04/2020

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child, and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

p.6

Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— 24/04/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC025417 7 feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received;

p.6

Requirement Due date

and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(b)(2)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

p.7

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b)) 24/04/2020

p.7

Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

p.7

Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

p.7

Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

p.7

Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

p.7

Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

p.7

Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

p.7

Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

p.7

Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

p.7

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 24/04/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC025417 8 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

p.7

Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the procedure must provide that no person who is the subject of a complaint takes any part in its consideration or investigation, except at the informal resolution stage if the registered person considers it appropriate.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must supply to HMCI, at HMCI’s request, a statement containing a summary of any complaints made during the preceding twelve months and the action that was taken in response to each complaint. (Regulation 39(1)(2)(3)(5)) 24/04/2020

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.8

Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; or

p.8

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(c)(d)(e)) 24/04/2020

p.8

Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other Inspection report children’s home: SC025417 9 children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46 paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities

p.8

Recommendations

and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53 paragraph 10.11). In particular, training should be more closely aligned to the needs of the young people living at the home.  Ensure that staff play a full role in preparing a journal for young people which captures their journey through care and provides children and young people with a lasting memory. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.14)  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 standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9). In particular, interior and external maintenance should

p.9

Recommendations

be regularly undertaken to improve the appearance of the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC025417 10

p.9

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: SC025417 11

p.10

Children’s home details

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

p.11

Inspector

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC025417 12 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.

p.11

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.12

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.12

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.12