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

Assurance visit report: SC025417 1 SC025417

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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.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since January 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Requires improvement to be good

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

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Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit. Assurance visit report: SC025417 2

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The care of children

At the time of the assurance visit, four young people were living in the home. One young person transitioned into the home at the start of the summer holiday. Some young people have continued to make steady and positive progress since living at the home. One young person appeared relaxed and happy in his environment. He enjoyed activities provided by the home. There was evidence of good relationships with staff. For other young people, there has been a deterioration in their behaviour.

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The care of children

One young person who transitioned into the home arrived without a clear education plan. This young person is currently out of education. Consequently, this young person feels frustrated and bored. There was a lack of evidence of robust challenge from the manager to the placing authority to support the education needs of this young person. All young people require up-to-date education plans.

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The care of children

Care plans are required to be updated to reflect the needs of each young person. Care plans help young people to understand why they are living at the home and what actions are required to help them to have a positive outcome. Good-quality care plans also help to avoid confusion and upset for young people who may not fully understand what is happening to them. Care plans also provide a resource tool for staff and the manager for effective decision making.

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The care of children

All young people are registered with local primary care services. Staff take swift action to ensure the health needs of young people are met. This may mean being taken to a local clinic and/or hospital for treatment.

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The safety of children

All young people have a risk assessment and behaviour support plan on file. The information in the documents is generic and does not detail specific risks and behaviours. For one young person, the documents had not been updated to reflect current concerns. Consequently, recognising early signs and triggers, and managing risk-taking behaviour, did not occur.

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The safety of children

Notification of incidents have not been submitted to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate in a timely way. The inspector found that some incidents were difficult to monitor or track as the chronology of incidents was not clear. This is particularly important for young people who may be at risk of criminal exploitation.

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The safety of children

Impact assessments are completed for each young person before they arrive at the home. For one young person, the assessment was generic and did not outline his specific needs. For example, how the home could support his emotional and psychological needs.

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The safety of children

Young people who may be vulnerable in the community are supervised one-to-one by staff. In the absence of a thorough assessment and guidance from the placing authority, this is deemed as a restriction of liberty. Clear rationale for this measure is necessary so young people can understand why they are unable to go out on their Assurance visit report: SC025417 3 own. A plan to support young people to become more independent would help young people to build on their confidence and social skills.

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager has been in post since January 2019. The home was last inspected in March 2020. Several requirements and recommendations were made at the last full inspection. During the assurance visit, the inspector was unable to see a detailed development plan and/or action plan to address the previous requirements and recommendations. Therefore, these remain in place until a full inspection is conducted. The manager reported that the recent pandemic had placed some pressure on the home. The manager reported that staff morale was at times low. The access to appropriate services for some young people had been cancelled and/or delayed. Social workers were difficult to contact or did not return calls. The manager should consider escalation through senior management portals within the company and/or key stakeholders. In the absence of the registered manager due to annual leave, several tasks were

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Leaders and managers

delayed and or/did not take place. An important meeting relating to one young person was unnecessarily delayed. Risk assessments have not been updated to reflect current events. Team-work is a key requirement under the leadership and management standard. Delegation of tasks in the absence of the manager is important to ensure that the home runs efficiently while the manager is away. Regular training is offered to staff. The skills-set of staff balanced with needs of young people is important. This ensures that those young people with complex emotional and/or behavioural difficulties have their needs fully met, with staff who understand them, and their complexities.

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— 04/01/2021 Assurance visit report: SC025417 4 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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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))

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d) and (e)) 04/01/2021

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and 04/01/2021 Assurance visit report: SC025417 5 have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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; 04/01/2021 Assurance visit report: SC025417 6 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")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

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)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii) and (c))

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Requirement Due date

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

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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.

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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.

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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) and (5)) 04/01/2021

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 04/01/2021

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 04/01/2021 Assurance visit report: SC025417 7 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training, or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities, and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x) and (b))

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Recommendations

Assurance visit report: SC025417 8  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)  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 a lasting memory. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.14)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role

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Recommendations

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.  Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other 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)  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

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Recommendations

be regularly undertaken to improve the appearance of the home.  All children must have access to appropriate advocacy support, and where possible this should be provided by a person that the child chooses. Looked-after children are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)  A deprivation of liberty may occur where a child is both under continuous supervision and control and is not free to leave the home. A children’s home cannot routinely deprive a child of their liberty without a court order, such as a section 25 order to place a child in a licensed secure children’s home, or, in the case of young people aged over 16 who lack mental capacity, a deprivation of liberty may be authorised by the Court of Protection following an application

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Recommendations

under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.63)

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Children’s home details

Assurance visit report: SC025417 9 Unique reference number: SC025417

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Inspector

Kamal Bhamra, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC025417 10 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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Inspector

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