Children's Home run by Brookfield House in Stockport

Inspection report children’s home: SC008484 1 SC008484 Registered provider: Brookfield House Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is run by a private company. It provides care and accommodation for up to six 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 employs a qualified registered manager who has been in post since February 2015.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC008484 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

Young people make good progress in relation to their individual starting points across all aspects of their development. Young people are kept safe and experience a strong sense of personal safety. They enjoy living at the home and confirm that their individual experiences are positive.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff provide young people with a supportive, safe, caring and nurturing environment. The accommodation provided for young people is reasonably well maintained. The home is clean, tidy and suitably furnished. However, it lacks a homely feel and requires redecoration and refurbishment to create a homelier living environment.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff promote family time, so young people sustain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them. Young people experience warm and nurturing relationships with staff. However, there have been some staff changes that have impacted upon young people’s ability to sustain their positive attachments.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A parent reported, ‘The staff really care about my daughter and I can ring and talk to them about anything. They keep me involved and up to date about what is going on. My daughter likes it as well and she is doing really well at school. She likes the staff, so this makes me happy.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are actively encouraged to attend school or alternative educational provision and make sustained progress in relation to their starting points. Staff work in close partnership with the providers of young people’s education to promote their learning and educational achievements. Young people enjoy positive activities at home and in the wider community to promote their social skills, interests and hobbies. For example, young people enjoy horse-riding, music lessons, swimming, Brownies and the Scouts.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are protected from abuse and all other forms of significant harm. They become increasingly safer because staff help them to reduce any risk-taking behaviour. Staff are trained in child protection and have a good understanding of their safeguarding roles. Staff are familiar with the home’s procedures for reporting young people missing from care. They actively look for young people if they are absent from the home or go missing. Staff maintain effective partnerships with the police to locate young people quickly and secure their safe return.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff consistently encourage, praise and reinforce young people’s positive behaviour. Staff have adopted a restorative approach to help young people reflect on their Inspection report children’s home: SC008484 3 wrongdoings and behaviour. The use of restraint has reduced, and young people are learning to manage their own feelings and behaviours safely. Young people reported, ‘I think it’s pretty good because the staff are amazing. The best thing about living here is everything,’ and, ‘It’s good because staff support us when we are upset.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home is managed by an experienced registered manager who ensures that the needs of young people are consistently prioritised and met. Staff maintain effective partnerships with social workers, schools and other professional agencies to ensure that young people benefit from the best possible help and all-round support.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager makes good use of the home’s internal and external monitoring activities to secure the home’s continuing improvement. Feedback from social workers, staff, young people and other stakeholders is consistently positive and has been used to review the quality of young people’s care. However, the feedback questionnaires currently used contain too many closed-ended questions and don’t prompt the reader to give a more detailed answer, meaning that feedback is somewhat limited.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has met all the requirements and most of the recommendations from the last inspection. The unmet recommendations are therefore repeated. Inspection report children’s home: SC008484 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/06/2019 Full Good 23/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/11/2017 Full Good 13/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC008484 5

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Recommendations

 The Statement of Purpose is of particular importance to this Standard (regulation 6(2)(a) and (b)(i)). Homes are required to develop and keep under review a ‘Statement of Purpose’ (regulation 16 and schedule 1). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5) This is with particular reference to ensuring that only accurate information is recorded so as not to be misleading.

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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. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) This relates specifically to improving the standard and quality of the accommodation provided.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement with: each child; the home’s staff; each child’s family/carers where appropriate; and professionals involved in the care or protection of each child including their social worker, Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO), teachers, clinicians and other health professionals etc. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23) This relates specifically to improving the systems used for ascertaining the views of young people, social workers and other relevant stakeholders as part of the home’s quality of care review.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must demonstrate every effort to achieve continuity of staffing so that children’s attachments are not overly disrupted, including ensuring that the employment of any temporary staff will not prevent children from receiving the continuity of care that they need (regulation 31(1)). (‘Guide to the children homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1)

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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: SC008484 6

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC008484 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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