Children's home run by Maple Leaf Care Limited in Trafford

Inspection report for children’s home: SC366343 1 SC366343 Registered provider: Maple Leaf Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company. The home provides care for up to four children with emotional and/or behavioural (social and emotional) needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is managed by an experienced and qualified manager who has been registered with Ofsted since October 2015.

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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.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited the home on 7 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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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 16 January 2020

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC366343 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/01/2020 Full Outstanding 23/10/2018 Full Outstanding 22/11/2017 Full Outstanding 23/11/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC366343 3

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outstanding

Children thrive as a result of living in a home where there is a well-embedded culture of unconditional and parent-like care and support. Staff are genuinely interested in the children and are persistent in their efforts to effect positive change, even at times of high resistance. Although to varying degrees, the experience of living at this home does make a positive difference to all the children’s lives. A social worker wrote: ‘[Name of child] has been difficult to engage at times, but staff have remained consistent and committed to her. [Name of child] did make some good decisions with the support from staff.’

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outstanding

Since Ofsted’s last visit in October 2020, five children have positively moved on in a planned way to live independently or return home to live with their families. Those children made excellent progress relative to their individual starting points because of the time they spent living at the home. These improvements included a reduction in risk-taking behaviours, improved engagement in education, training and employment, and better family relationships. A child wrote, ‘I have had my ups and downs, but you have had your arms open for me to have a cry. Without your love, kindness and support, I would not be the person I am today.’

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outstanding

Staff are warm and nurturing in their approach to caring for the children. They are skilled at developing secure, positive attachments, many of which go well beyond the child’s time living at the home. It is testament to the commitment of staff that so many children and young people remain in touch after they have left the home. For some children, staff remain their main source of support well into their adult lives. For example, staff have recently provided a young person with a food parcel and signposted her to other sources of support, including for her mental well-being.

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outstanding

Three children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. Each child has a carefully considered individualised plan that focuses on helping them to overcome their past difficulties and develop resilience. Staff have a detailed understanding of these plans that have been developed in partnership with each child. This creates ownership and enables children to influence how they are cared for and the decisions affecting their lives.

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outstanding

Planned and unplanned conversations provide regular opportunities for children to have a voice and influence the day-to-day running of the home. Children can confidentially communicate with staff, social workers and professionals using a telephone application called ‘mind of my own’ (MOMO). This process, along with children feeling valued, respected and listened to, means that children have not felt the need to raise a complaint. Inspection report for children’s home: SC366343 4 Staff recognise and promote the importance of education and training. Strong links with education professionals and organisations are used to identify learning opportunities, share good practice and develop individualised timetables of support. An education professional said: ‘Staff are not passive carers. They are always professional, but take on a parent-like approach. They have worked with us to adapt [Name of child’s] timetable to be specific to her current emotional needs. They could

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

Staff talk to children about their individual needs. They provide learning opportunities in relation to risks, such as child sexual exploitation and substance misuse. This is done in a way that encourages children to make educated and age- appropriate choices. Although some children do not always accept this help, for the majority, risk-taking behaviours reduce over time. A professional said: ‘I believe they provide [Name of child] with excellent care. [Name of child] has made progress since living at this home. Staff’s positive relationship[s] with her [are] significant protective factor[s] in helping her reduce risk-taking behaviours.’

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

Risk management plans are individualised and contain child-focused strategies of support. This includes how staff will support, monitor and manage children when they suspect they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. However, staff do not consistently follow these risk assessments, specifically the standardised two-hourly check on children throughout the night. However, this has presented minimal risk to children because staff complete a dynamic risk assessment that identifies an individualised support plan which is proportionate to the level of concern.

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

Children are well protected by a range of safeguarding policies and procedures. These are understood and consistently implemented by the manager and staff. Issues of concern, such as children going missing from home and/or being at risk of exploitation, are responded to using a multi-agency approach. An officer from the police force’s missing persons team said: ‘From the children’s home that we deal with, this is by far the best. Staff really know the children and provide exceptionally detailed information that helps us to locate and return the children as quickly as possible.’

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

On a small number of occasions, there has been an unnecessary delay in notifying Ofsted when serious incidents have occurred. This has not been detrimental to the care or safety of children because the right action has been taken by the manager and staff to minimise and manage risk.

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

Staff are positive role models for children who are respectful towards staff. Positive behaviour is incentivised with children receiving monetary rewards for achieving set targets. The manager is in the process of making these more purposeful and individual to the specific behaviours of the current group of children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC366343 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Effective leadership promotes an ethos and culture of high aspiration and positivity. The responsible individual, manager and staff team demonstrate a can-do attitude that is underpinned by a trauma-informed approach. One member of staff said: ‘What I like about working here is that we are more like parents to the children.’ Another wrote: ‘I love the homely environment and, if it is not good enough for your own children, it is not good enough for our children.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff describe managers as extremely supportive and inspiring. All staff benefit from purposeful supervision that is focused on professional development and improving the quality of care. Although limited by the pandemic, staff have continued to access mandatory and needs-led training. However, based on the needs of the children living at the home, some staff need additional training in working with children who are at risk of child sexual and criminal exploitation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The responsible individual is very much involved in the running of the home. She completes regular shifts at the weekend, providing support for the children and mentoring for staff. In addition, she delivers monthly workshops that cover a range of research-based topics, including staying close, adversity and trauma-informed care, and mental-health first aid. As a result, staff have the skills to create a nurturing environment that is responsive to children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Excellent partnership working is maintained with parents and health, education and safeguarding professionals and agencies. The concept of ‘team around the child’ is consistently promoted. The manager and staff advocate strongly to ensure each child receives the maximum support possible. A professional said: ‘The manager and staff promote a team-around-the-child approach. They are assertive and champion the child’s cause. They will challenge and tell me if I am not doing what I should.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has a good understanding of what the home does well, but she is always striving to make things better. She makes good use of effective quality assurance processes that are used to promote an improvement agenda. These are further strengthened by the monthly scrutiny of the independent visitor. However, the visitor does not regularly seek the views of parents as part of this process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Suitable action has been taken to address the two requirements made at the last inspection. This has improved fire safety and the quality of children’s risk assessments, specifically those relating to self-harm and alcohol and substance misuse. Inspection report for children’s home: SC366343 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

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (2)(a)) 17 March 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff follow the child’s risk assessment when children return home under the influence of alcohol or drugs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that all staff complete training in child sexual exploitation and child criminal exploitation. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5)  The registered person should ensure that Ofsted are notified of any significant events without delay. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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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: SC366343 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Maple Leaf Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 16a Regent Road, Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 1RP

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Inspector

Paul Scott, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC366343 8 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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