Children's home run by The Together Trust in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home: SC025714 1 SC025714 Registered provider: The Together Trust Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run and managed by a charitable organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to five children who may have social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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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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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 outstanding

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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: 10 October 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 for children’s home: SC025714 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/10/2019 Full Good 28/11/2018 Full Good 31/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC025714 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children thrive in this home and make good progress. They confirm that they enjoy living in this home. Relationships with the staff team are loving, respectful and caring. This means children feel safe and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care in this home replicates family life. Staff provide children with well-balanced lifestyles. Routines mean children can fully engage in education, social activities and hobbies. This promotes progress and improved outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Throughout the pandemic, staff have been committed to ensure that children benefit from stable care. Staff put in place a wide range of activities, as well as home-schooling children . Equally, staff commend children for their actions and behaviour throughout the pandemic. One member of staff said: ‘Every child in our care has been fantastic in sticking to the rules and following guidance.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are heard on a day-to-day basis. A range of systems ensure that children can express their views about their care and any concerns. This enables children to take part in their care plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is of a high standard. Children take pride in their home. Children personalise their bedrooms. This means their private space reflects their individual personalities and preferences.

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

Safeguarding practice keeps children safe. Stakeholders confirm that safeguarding incidents are well managed.

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

From admission to the home, risks are well understood. Managers assess children to ensure that they are compatible with each other. Risk-taking behaviours from some vulnerable children presented the staff team with safeguarding challenges. Despite these behaviours, safeguarding practice has been effective in reducing risk of harm.

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

Risk-management plans are in place for each child. Strategies to protect children are clearly recorded and provide clarity to staff. They are regularly reviewed. This means children enjoy increasing levels of independence.

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

Physical interventions are only used as a last resort. The management team train staff on the use of physical intervention. This means the team are highly skilled in de-escalation of incidents. Records provide clarity about interventions. Records are routinely analysed to ensure that interventions are safe, necessary, and proportionate. Inspection report for children’s home: SC025714 4 There have been a few incidents where children have gone missing from the home. Staff are knowledgeable about responding to such incidents. This ensures that children are quickly located and safely returned to the home.

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

The home has an up-to-date locality risk assessment. The registered manager has sought information from stakeholders and relevant agencies, but the feedback fails to outline the known risk factors within the wider community.

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

Children are kept safe through the safe recruitment of staff. However, records that summarise the vetting and recruitment checks are not consistently updated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leadership and management arrangements are exceptional. The registered manager has a clear focus to drive continual improvement in this home. The culture of the home aims to ensure that all children succeed and reach their personal potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The highly experienced assistant manager supports the registered manager in the day-to-day operation of the home. Together, they are an effective management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers are inspirational and lead by example. They collaborate and work cohesively together. Excellent team morale and a sense of shared ownership propel improvement within the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Partnership work is a strength of this home. Social workers and a headteacher confirm high standards of professionalism. They state that standards of care ensure that the promotion of children’s best interests is highly valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager promotes staff professional development. Staff can access high calibre and diverse training opportunities. Rigorous supervision arrangements maintain good standards of care. Children achieve good outcomes. This is because of the professionalism and dedication of this staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers and staff use research and evidence-based practice throughout their work. This includes implementing training on adverse childhood experiences and trauma informed practice. The motivated team strive to improve care practice for the benefit of all children in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers have excellent insight into the operation of the home. They quality assure the home through rigorous internal auditing. This monitoring also requires a clear focus on ‘lessons learned’ from past placements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is effective in promoting improvement. Shortfalls from the last full inspection have been addressed. Ambitious development plans are in place to drive continued improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: SC025714 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should undertake reviews following on from placement disruptions and placement breakdowns. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that good employment practice is maintained. They must ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year, as specified under regulation 46. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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: SC025714 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Together Trust Centre, Schools Hill, Cheadle SK8 1JE

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Inspector

Amanda Ellis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC025714 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under

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Inspector

the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspector

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Inspector

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