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

Inspection report for children's home: SC008607 1 SC008607 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

This home is one of a number of homes operated by a partnership. It is registered to provide care for up to two children. At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home. One of them spoke to the inspector about their experiences of living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2007.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

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

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home for SC008607 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/08/2021 Full Good 20/06/2019 Full Good 03/10/2018 Full Good 04/10/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home for SC008607 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Prior to living in the home, most children have experienced several placement breakdowns and are often reluctant to develop relationships with staff. Staff recognise this and continually reinforce messages that they care. They are patient and consistent in their approach, and they implement clear boundaries. One parent told the inspector, ‘The home is fantastic. They have so much patience with [name of child]. I think they help him a lot.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s progress is varied. Most children make some progress in comparison to their individual starting points. Their achievements are celebrated in accordance with their individual needs, and staff regularly review their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they like living in the home. They can speak with staff about issues that are affecting them. Through these discussions, children are helped to make positive choices. Children know how to make a complaint and are regularly consulted about their care. Any concerns are swiftly addressed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to pursue and develop their interests. They are offered opportunities to engage in a range of sports clubs and leisure activities, including attending football clubs and going go-karting. Children are helped to create and keep memorabilia of their time in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home and two children have moved in. Children who are new to the home are always welcomed sensitively and with the best possible planning. Their needs are considered alongside the needs of any children already living in the home. Despite plans to support a child to move on positively, his placement ended abruptly following a serious safeguarding incident. The provider has taken steps to reflect and learn from this incident.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Health needs are well understood. Children are registered with healthcare professionals and are encouraged to access specialist and routine health services as required. Staff work with other agencies to promote positive outcomes for children. They have raised concerns with external professionals about a child’s emotional health needs but have missed opportunities to access support from the organisation’s therapeutic service.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The team seeks to overcome barriers to children’s learning. One child has not attended education for several years. The team is tenacious in encouraging his attendance. They strongly advocate on his behalf to work with other agencies to identify a suitable learning environment and implement strategies to support his attendance. Another child has recently moved into the home. He has excellent school attendance. The team is supporting him to maintain his school placement until the end of the school year despite it being a distance from the home. Inspection report for children's home for SC008607 4 The home is a welcoming environment for children. It is suitably furnished, but some window coverings need to be secured and damage to flooring is in need of repair. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms, and their interests and photos are displayed in communal areas of the home. One child regularly

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

causes damage to areas of the home and his bedroom. This is quickly addressed, but despite efforts to improve the condition of his room, it appears sparse.

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

Some children living in the home display complex and challenging behaviours. Staff understand these behaviours and are vigilant about children’s individual and group vulnerabilities. They work closely with other agencies to manage risks that children may be exposed to in the community. As a result, children who previously engaged in anti-social and risk-taking behaviours experience a reduction in these behaviours. Professionals recognise this and say that children are safe when living in the home and that the staff take action to safeguard children when they are out in the community.

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

Staff maintain contact with children when they are away from the home appropriately. On occasions when children go missing from home, staff are proactive in locating them and encouraging their return. Children who go missing from home have the opportunity to speak with an independent person on their return.

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

There have been two allegations since the last inspection. These have been managed in line with safeguarding procedures. The provider has liaised with relevant agencies, and internal investigations have been completed satisfactorily. Any learning has been shared across the organisation.

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

Children’s risk and behaviour management plans are not robust. They are individualised and regularly reviewed but do not always include clear strategies for staff to follow.

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

Staff rarely need to hold children to keep them safe. However, when they do, records lack detail about the types of strategies and holds used, and debriefs have not always taken place as required by regulation. This limits the manager’s oversight and reduces opportunities for reflection and learning. Staff have completed additional training around de-escalation and recording to improve practice around interventions.

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

Consequences are rarely used as a response to negative behaviours. However, when they are used, they often focus on financial recompense. The impact of this is limited and reduces opportunities for children to reflect and learn from their behaviours; the manager has taken action to address this.

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

The manager is reviewing the use of locks on communal doors. He is also reviewing the use of bedroom door alarms to ensure they are only used when needed to keep children safe. Inspection report for children's home for SC008607 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably skilled and experience manager. He holds the relevant qualification. He also manages another home that is in close proximity to this home. The team benefits from the manager’s clear leadership and guidance. He uses internal and external monitoring systems to review practice in the home, but records do not always reflect his oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is supported by senior residential workers and, in his absence, cover is provided by other managers from the organisation. However, there was a shortfall in oversight of a serious incident when the manager was away from the home. Appropriate action had been taken in response to the incident, but it had not been notified to Ofsted as required by regulation. This limits the regulator’s oversight of incidents in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is stable and experienced. Staff say they feel supported and valued in their roles. They benefit from access to a clear induction and regular reflective supervisions, and their performance is reviewed annually. Staff have opportunities for progression and are encouraged to access a range of training courses. Any staffing shortfalls are covered by staff from within the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s statement of purpose had been reviewed but had not been submitted to Ofsted as required by regulation. Inspection report for children's home for SC008607 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 registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restrain which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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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

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)) 28 July 2022 Inspection report for children's home for SC008607 7 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 28 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b) 28 July 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the condition of the home is maintained to a high standard throughout. Despite ongoing efforts to improve the condition of a child’s bedroom, it appears sparse. Some areas of the home appear tired and would benefit from refreshing, and the flooring would benefit from refurbishment. Window coverings need to ensure children’s privacy is maintained and be free from hazards. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, clearly recorded and maximise the opportunity for children to reflect and learn. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should review and risk assess the presence and function of locks on internal communal doors and the routine use of door alarms to ensure

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Recommendations

that they are only used when required to keep children safe. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that all children’s plans include clear details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis with oversight from the manager. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) Inspection report for children's home for SC008607 8

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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 for SC008607 9

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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

Caroline Bertram, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home for SC008607 10 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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