Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2526875 1 Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A large national provider of children’s services operates this service, which is situated in a rural location. Ofsted has registered the home to provide care for up to five children who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties. There is a registered school attached to the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in August 2019 and is working towards her level 5 qualification.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021. We last visited this setting on 19 and 20 October 2020 to carry out an assurance 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: 21 February 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not judged

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2526875 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2526875 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend the organisation’s school, which is adjoined to the home. Attendance has significantly improved for all children. During the last school term, one child has increased their reading age. With staff support, all children make progress with their learning from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to keep in touch with people who are important to them. They support children with visits and telephone calls and to buy gifts for their family members in order to celebrate important events. This good practice promotes children’s identity and helps them to maintain positive relationships with family members.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with local health services and attend routine appointments. Due to COVID-19, there have been some delays in children having an annual health assessment. The manager has raised this with relevant local authorities and is keeping the issue under review.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of children’s needs and implement effective strategies to support them. Staff respond well to children. As a result, children value their relationships with people who care for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from positive experiences of moving into and from the home. One child, who moved out, was supported by staff to visit her new home for tea and have overnight stays before leaving. She also visited her new school. Preparing children well for their next steps helps to reduce anxiety, provides them with a positive ending and gives them the best chance of settling into their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from accessing a range of activities and clubs in the community. This provides children with the opportunity to meet children of similar ages and interests. For example, children enjoy horse riding lessons, swimming, football and riding their bikes. At Christmas, children spent some of their pocket money on toys to donate to a children’s hospital. This kind act raises children’s awareness of the needs of others and helps them to learn how they can make a positive contribution to their local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff do not always keep children’s plans up to date, and information is not always written in a way that would be helpful to a child if they read them now or in the future. This is a recording issue and has not yet directly impacted on children’s progress or experiences. However, if unaddressed, it has the potential to do so. Inspection report for children’s home: 2526875 4

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

Staff ensure that children understand what is expected of them. Children respond well to their daily routines and clear boundaries. They can also speak to staff about things that worry them.

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

Children are supported by staff to develop skills that support them to manage their emotions and make good choices. As a result, children’s risks reduce. The manager and staff have a good understanding of children’s behaviours and effective ways of managing these. This helps children to feel safe.

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

Appropriate restrictions on electronic devices are in place to ensure that children do not access information on the internet that could cause them harm. Staff speak to children about the dangers often associated with the internet and how they can develop skills in keeping themselves safe online.

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

The manager has good systems in place for recruiting new staff. This reduces the risk of children being cared for by unsuitable individuals.

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

The home is kept to a high standard and furnished well. This creates a homely, safe and relaxing environment that is enjoyed by children and staff.

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

The manager shares information and works well with the designated officer for the local authority and the child’s social worker when an allegation is made against a person who works in the home. Concerns are taken seriously and investigated. This practice keeps children safe.

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

On one occasion, a child went missing from home. Staff searched for the child and ensured that they returned home safely. The manager did not ensure that the child had an opportunity to speak to a person independent of the home following her return. In addition, it was not clear what follow up work had been undertaken by staff with the child in order to understand what had happened and why. These are missed opportunities that may help staff to manage future incidents.

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

Staff use rewards and consequences to manage children’s behaviours. On occasions, staff physically intervene to keep children and others safe. Records of restraint incidents and consequences do not always provide sufficient detail. For example, the effectiveness of the use of the restraint is not evaluated by managers. In addition, staff do not always record the time and location of measures used.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is sufficient staff to meet the needs of children who live in the home. The manager ensures that changes to the staff are managed sensitively, and this helps children to feel cared for by staff who know them well. Inspection report for children’s home: 2526875 5 Staff receive regular supervision and their performance is reviewed annually. These opportunities provide staff time to discuss children’s needs and progress, and to reflect on their role and development. Staff speak positively about the support they receive from the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held regularly, and these are well attended by staff. They provide the manager and staff time to reflect on practice and review care provided to children. This practice promotes consistency, which children benefit from.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager values positive working relationships with children’s family members and professionals. She ensures that children’s progress is communicated well, and that children’s views and wishes are understood by people who contribute to care planning arrangements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers, staff and children have established positive relationships with neighbours. For example, during adverse weather conditions, a neighbour clears snow from the lane that leads to the home. Children provide neighbours with afternoon tea when they are celebrating special events. This helps children to feel accepted in the community in which they live in and gives them a sense of belonging.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff complete training specific to their role and to the needs of the children they care for. Staff who are not qualified to level 3 in caring for children are enrolled on the course and on target to complete this within the required timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear vision for the home. She uses staff’s strengths to enable her to develop a positive culture within the home which supports children’s progress and enables them to have positive experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager notifies Ofsted of some events that she considered to be serious. However, she did not notify the regulator when allegations were made against staff working at the home. Although other relevant partners were informed and matters were investigated, not notifying Ofsted affects the regulator’s ability to review and monitor the effectiveness of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2526875 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, 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—

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are provided with an opportunity to speak with an independent person following a missing-from-home incident. In addition, she must ensure that staff record any follow up work they have undertaken with the child. 02 March 2022

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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

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; and

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iii)(iv)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff record the time and location of consequences used to manage behaviours. In addition, she must ensure that staff record a clear description of any restraint technique used and that managers review the effectiveness of restraint incidents. 02 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2526875 7 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 kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that plans are kept up to date and records written sensitively towards the child. 02 March 2022

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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 an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 02 March 2022

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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 for children’s home: 2526875 8

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Helen Malanaphy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2526875 9 regulates and inspects 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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