Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Today

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC005042 1 SC005042

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Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The privately owned service is both a children’s home and a school that provides care and education for up to 10 young people who have had adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours. The children’s home can accommodate up to 10 young people, with a further two young people accommodated in the satellite home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in June 2014 and is appropriately qualified. He is supported by an experienced and qualified deputy manager.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken following a complaint received by Ofsted. On 20 May 2020, Ofsted carried out a monitoring inspection remotely to consider this complaint and to review the progress of the home since its last inspection.

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This monitoring visit

There were several aspects to the complaint, some of which were historical. Ofsted found that the provider had already taken satisfactory action to consider any issues. No concerns remain outstanding relating to this complaint.

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This monitoring visit

Children said that they chose to live and want to continue to live at this home. One child is planning his transition to the satellite home. Careful planning will give consistency of care with staff while allowing him to live in a smaller home, where he will be supported to develop his independence skills. The inspectors spoke to several children during the inspection; each child spoke positively about living in the home and about the staff who care for them.

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This monitoring visit

Children enjoy trusting relationships with staff and feel able to seek reassurance from them when they are worried or anxious. Direct work is undertaken with children, and this is of good quality and meaningful for the child. However, at times this work is reactive to an incident, and there are missed opportunities to undertake Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC005042 2 work with children to promote and support positive and safe relationships. Managers have plans to develop this work.

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This monitoring visit

Children are safe and said that they feel safe living in this home. Staff provide children with clear boundaries about what is acceptable and unacceptable. Staff also have a good understanding of risk. However, despite risk assessments detailing all known risks for children, some lack detail in respect of strategies for staff to follow. This means that staff are not always given clear guidance about what actions they should take to reduce risk.

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This monitoring visit

Children enjoy a wide range of activities, which provide them with new skills and experiences, opportunities to keep fit and maintain healthy lifestyles and appreciate quieter times for relaxing. Staff have provided children with new gaming and leisure opportunities and fun activities in the ‘House Barber Shop’, which has kept children entertained and engaged during the difficult period of COVID-19 (coronavirus) lockdown. There have been very few incidents during this period, which demonstrates the efforts that staff have made to maintain consistency of education and structured free time for children.

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This monitoring visit

Staff support children to maintain their relationships with their families and friends. This includes travelling significant distances for visits and using social media to keep in touch during COVID-19 restrictions. Staff provide outreach support to parents. This helps parents to understand and manage their children’s behaviour to ensure that visits are a positive experience for all. One child has been able to return to the care of his family as a result of collaborative work with the family and the placing authority. Parents and social workers stated that occasionally they do not receive copies of incident reports.

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This monitoring visit

Social workers reported progress in children including their personal presentation, engagement in education and activities and ability to express their emotions, wishes and feelings. They stated that this is due to the therapeutic way in which staff work with children by building relationships to develop trust and confidence. An in-house therapist works with children directly and offers staff consultations to assist them in their understanding of trauma and associated behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

When children display behaviour, which puts themselves or others at risk, staff intervene to keep children safe. Physical interventions are appropriate and short in duration. However, some details are missing from records relating to sanctions used to address children’s behaviour, and these sanctions are not always restorative in nature. Additionally, it is not always clear that the registered manager has reviewed sanctions or reviewed their effectiveness. Consequently, children do not benefit from a behaviour management strategy that is reviewed and revised.

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This monitoring visit

Staff advocate for children to help them have improved career/college choices. When the inspectors spoke to children, it was clear that they are involved in the plans for their futures. One child has been supported to attend college interviews and has successfully gained a place to study his chosen subject despite lots of competition Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC005042 3 and limited places. This reflects how, through the positive relationships the child has with staff, his confidence has improved significantly and led to this success.

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This monitoring visit

Children benefit from receiving care from an experienced and stable staff team. Staff receive regular supervision and have their performance reviewed annually.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 17/09/2019 Full Good 30/05/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/07/2017 Full Good 02/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC005042 4

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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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from relationships based on mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful. Regulation 11(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(vi)) 30/06/2020

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff 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; help each child to understand how to keep safe. Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)) 30/06/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and the registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. The registered person must ensure that 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 the date, time and location of the use of the measure; details of any methods used, or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; within 48 30/06/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC005042 5 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”) has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate;

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Requirement Due date

and 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(1)(a)(2)(3)(a)(iii)(v)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Recommendations

 Registered persons have a key role in seeking to develop the home’s effective working relationships with each child’s placing authority and with other relevant persons which may include services, individuals (including parents), agencies, organisations and establishments that work with children in the local community, e.g. police, schools, health and youth offending teams (regulation 5 – engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met). These working relationships will also be key to success in delivering the care planning standard. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.3)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Ofsted is aware of the challenges that COVID-19 is currently posing to those we regulate. During this visit, the inspectors took into consideration the impact of any measures being taken to slow the spread of COVID-19 by the home. This has included the effect these have had on staffing arrangements . The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC005042 6

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Inspectors

Annemarie Parker, social care inspector Joanna Warburton, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC005042 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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