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

Inspection report for children's home: SC008608 1 SC008608 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

The home is run by a partnership. The home provides care for one child with social and/or 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 the 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 2 and 3 December 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC008608 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/04/2019 Full Good 02/05/2018 Full Good 20/09/2017 Full Good 15/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC008608 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop positive relationships with the staff. There is a real sense of emotional warmth and understanding shown to children. Together, they create a family feel in the home. One child said: ‘It’s homely, an actual home. They are not staff, more like a family. They actually care about me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from involved agencies is really positive. Individualised care and support are exceptional. Staff place a strong focus on bespoke care. Children’s confidence and self-esteem grow, which is evident.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well considered and met by the team. Staff work very closely and proactively with a variety of health services. They support children to attend appointments. This maintains children’s physical and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff involve parents and important family members extremely well. Staff go above and beyond to make sure contact is supported where appropriate. Staff understand the importance of this. This supports children to be happy and settled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff motivate children to learn. Children engage with their education and make clear progress. Children’s attendance has increased because of this. This means children achieve and make academic progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop a sense of belonging and stability in the home and have a range of positive experiences. Children express their personalities and explore their interests, but they would benefit from different ways to celebrate positive, small moments in time.

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

Children have trusting relationships with the manager and staff. Children know they are listened to. They can share any worries or concerns, and these are taken seriously. This reflects the staff’s ability to manage and support children to work through their worries. As a result, children have the stability they need.

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

The manager and staff understand the risks. Risk assessments are thorough and provide staff with clear strategies to minimise risk. This supports staff to take effective action to keep children safe.

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

Staff work effectively with families and other services to reduce the number of times that children are missing from the home. When such incidents do happen, staff locate the children and ensure their safe return to the home. Staff have a clear understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. Training is robust and specific to the needs of the children. Staff also receive training refreshers and Inspection report for children's home: SC008608 4 explore safeguarding issues during the wider team meetings. As a result, staff safeguard children effectively.

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

Children know how to make a complaint if they are unhappy with any aspect of their care and are provided with information to support them. However, the quality of relationships between staff and children means they have not felt it necessary to make any complaints or raise concerns formally.

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

Recruitment is managed well. The principles of safe recruitment practice are followed. This reduces the risks of unsuitable adults working in the home.

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

The home is generally well maintained and has a homely feel. However, there are some areas that are in need of repair. These have been identified and raised with the company. There are no timescales set for these repairs to be completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2007. He provides a stable environment and is a positive role model. The manager has extensive knowledge and significant experience of working in residential care. Consequently, the team has confidence in the manager and values the leadership he provides.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have a genuine sense of commitment and loyalty. There is a real sense of family between the staff and children. Children are at the centre of everything the staff do. As a result, children have considerable trust in the staff and manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective systems are in place to monitor the quality of care provided. The management team has oversight and completes thorough checks of records. The records show the progress of each child. Plans are dynamic in nature and change with the child. Children would benefit from being offered the opportunity to read their social care files and from advice on how to access these records in later life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular formal supervision. They are detailed and reflective. Staff also have daily support and guidance from managers. This has led to a settled and dedicated staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place and have a focus. In addition, staff also attend area meetings for internal training in specific topics relevant to their roles. This supports staff in their ongoing learning and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff work well in partnership with other agencies and families. They share information and communicate effectively. Family members were positive in their feedback about the staff. One parent said: ‘I get written reports every week, without fail, really good communication. I know they have my child’s best interest at the heart of everything they do.’ Inspection report for children's home: SC008608 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are actively encouraged to read their records and to add further information to them. They should be regularly reminded of their rights to see information kept about them and be given information about how they might be supported to access their records in later life. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the system for rewarding and celebrating positive behaviour and recognising where children have managed situations well. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph 9.39)  The registered person should ensure that ongoing maintenance takes place so that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children and be a homely, domestic environment. (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC008608 6

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Children’s home details

Registered Provider: The Partnership of Care Today

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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

Thirza Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC008608 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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