Children's Home run by Social Care Services (Clayton) Limited in Stockport

Inspection report children’s home: 1263425 1 Registered provider: Social Care Services (Clayton) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care to two children who may have emotional and/or social difficulties. The home is part of an independent company. The home has been in operation since September 2018. The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced and has been registered with Ofsted since August 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 4 and 5 January 2021, to carry out an off-site monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 4 November 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1263425 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/11/2019 Full Good 05/03/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1263425 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for in a calm and nurturing environment. They experience care from adults who are committed to supporting them to flourish and succeed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child with additional learning needs and complex health needs has made significant progress since he moved into the home. His social worker said, ‘He is a different boy from when he arrived at the home. He is now ready and able to move to foster care.’ The progress this child has made means that he now has the opportunity to move on and live in a family environment, which will give him a feeling of permanence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have left the home in an unplanned manner, as the staff team was unable to meet their needs. Throughout the children’s time at the home, the staff team persisted in its efforts to establish relationships and support the children to feel a sense of belonging. Despite this, the two individual children were unable to settle and begin to make progress living in the home. As a result, they experienced further change and instability by moving on from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children currently living at the home are making progress with their education. One child has returned to a specialist school setting after a prolonged period of individual tuition in the home. He is eager to learn. This is also giving him an opportunity to socialise with peers and form friendships which promotes his confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A child new to the home, who has previously not been able to engage with learning in a school setting, has been supported to start a vocational course. Staff have helped him to set up a bank account and he is receiving a small wage while he works towards his qualifications. This is giving him a sense of purpose and optimism for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of their role in promoting the health needs of children. On arrival at the home, children are quickly registered with local health services. There are good working relationships in place between the staff and specialist health services involved with one child. Staff have worked with health professionals to support the needs of a child with epilepsy. Administration of prescribed medication is well organised.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is furnished and decorated to a good standard, which provides children with a homely environment to live in. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms and speak to staff if they want additional toys or equipment to support their interests. Access to the internet is inconsistent across the home due to issues with the Wi-Fi signal. This is a potential barrier to children using the internet constructively to learn or socialise. Inspection report children’s home: 1263425 4

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children are supported to develop skills and take risks, taking into consideration their age and learning needs. One child with additional cognitive needs is enjoying learning to make coffee for staff and visitors to the home. He demonstrated these skills during the inspection. These small achievements are making a difference to how he views himself and what he can achieve in the future.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Risks faced by children are understood by staff and evidenced in children’s risk assessments and plans. These written records support staff to understand the current risks and reflect on the progress that children are making.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children’s case records do not always contain accurate information and some information is missing. Some records contain dates which are incorrect, or they are not signed by staff. It is not clear if children know what information about them is being recorded by staff. The type of language used in children’s records does not encourage children to read and contribute to their care planning.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Physical restraint is rarely used in the home. The one physical intervention which has occurred in the reporting period is clearly recorded and was proportionate to the situation that had occurred with one child. There is reflection from the staff involved in the intervention and good oversight of the record by senior managers in the organisation.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Positive behaviour is promoted and staff work hard to de-escalate situations when children become angry and upset. Staff are skilled in building relationships with children and helping them to understand and address difficult feelings in a safe way. Staff use their positive relationships with children to put in place alternative and constructive coping strategies at times of crisis.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Allegations made by children against staff are responded to swiftly and all relevant safeguarding procedures are followed. Senior managers worked well with the designated officer and the child’s social worker following an allegation being made. Both the child and the person the allegation was made against were well supported during the investigation. As a result, the needs of both parties were considered, and the child was safeguarded effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The child-focused and reflective approach of the registered manager encourages the staff team to care for children in a nurturing and supportive manner. The registered manager provides consistency for staff and children. Her skills and experience promote good practice in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision which supports them to undertake their role effectively. The registered manager’s supervision by her line manager demonstrates a high standard of support and challenge. This provides the registered manager with Inspection report children’s home: 1263425 5 an opportunity to receive and respond to constructive feedback, which helps her to continue to improve in her role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been several staff changes in the home which have resulted in some inconsistency for children. However, new staff are now in post and are supported to establish themselves in their role through a clear induction process and a probationary review. This ensures that staff develop the skills and knowledge to care for children and promote their well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular team meetings help staff to develop a consistent approach to their care of children and understanding the expectations of their roles and responsibilities. However, the recording of these meetings lacks detail. As a result, staff who were not present at the meetings, or staff who may want to use the meeting records to reflect on previous discussions, are unable to do so due to insufficient information recorded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is regular and effective oversight of the home from the independent person. These visits support the registered manager to improve practice. Although these visits are conducted in line with expected timescales, the reports arising from these visits are not being shared with Ofsted in a timely manner. As a result, information is not available to the regulator which contributes to an independent assessment of the home’s effectiveness in meeting children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager undertakes regular reviews of the quality of care. These reports provide information which assists in understanding the progress of children and staff in the review period. There is some limited evidence of children’s views being considered within the report. There is little evidence of meaningful consultation with people external to the home. This lack of consultation means that the registered manager has not considered a wider perspective which could contribute to improvements in the quality of care provided. Inspection report children’s home: 1263425 6

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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, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the language used in records being child-centred and having processes in place to encourage children to read and add to their records. 31 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the information contained in records being accurate. 31 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months. 30 September Inspection report children’s home: 1263425 7 In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(5)) The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the reports being sent to Ofsted in a timely manner. 31 August 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home’s care. In particular, team meetings should be recorded in sufficient detail to support staff to understand the needs of the children and current practice issues in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)  The registered person should ensure that children have access to the internet to support their education and learning. In particular, the lack of consistent Wi-Fi in the home should be resolved. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.19)

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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: 1263425 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Social Care Services (Clayton) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Social Care Services Group, 31 Shaw Road, Stockport SK4 4AG

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Inspector

Dawn Parton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1263425 9 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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