Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Today

Inspection report for children’s home: 2557152 1 Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

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 three children. At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home. They both spoke to the inspector about their experiences of living in the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2019.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2557152 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2557152 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they like living in the home. They are supported to develop trusting, mutually respectful relationships with staff who care about them and who understand their individual needs. As a result of the individualised, nurturing care they receive, children make good progress in all areas of their lives.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals are positive about the communication and care provided by the team. One healthcare professional told the inspector: ‘They clearly know [name of child] and spend time with her. They have been proactive in supporting her and liaising with other services. It is a very nurturing placement, and they are very responsive to her needs.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they are listened to and know how to make a complaint. The staff team is proactive in ensuring children’s wishes and views are heard. The two children living in the home are preparing to move on from the home in a planned way. One child told the inspector: ‘I have liked living in the home. The staff have really helped me to get stuff sorted. I couldn’t have asked them to do any more for me. It has been tough trying to get the move sorted but they have really pushed for it, and they are helping me. They understand me and I know they want what is best.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children move into the home in a planned way. The manager gathers information to ensure that the needs of children moving into the home are carefully matched with the needs of children already living there.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide care that supports children’s health and development. They sensitively advocate for children to access specialist and routine services as required and support children to make informed decisions about their healthcare.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Despite children being reluctant to engage in further education or employment, staff tirelessly encourage and support them to attend. Staff communicate effectively with other services to identify education or employment opportunities that meet children’s individual needs.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are treated with acceptance and understanding. Their identities are well supported. Children are encouraged to talk to staff about relationships and issues that are affecting them. This helps children to develop a deeper understanding of healthy relationships and enables them to make safer choices.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is suitably decorated and furnished throughout. Children are encouraged to develop a sense of belonging in the home and are included in choosing decor and soft furnishings. One child is currently completing a piece of artwork to be displayed in a communal area, and children’s belongings are visible throughout the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2557152 4

p.3

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

Children say they feel safe living in the home. They know that staff understand them and are responsive to their individual needs. Professionals believe that children are kept safe in the home. One social worker said: ‘The placement has been really, really good for [name of child]. The staff report all incidents or concerns. They are proactive in watching out for risks and put things in place to safeguard her. They really do watch out for her to keep her safe.’

p.4

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

Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and risks. Children’s plans are detailed and include strategies for staff to follow to keep children safe. Any concerns are appropriately shared with relevant agencies and there is a strong multi-agency response to managing risks. As a result, there is a significant reduction in high-risk and self-injurious behaviours for children living in the home. When incidents do occur, they are well managed and there is clear oversight from the manager.

p.4

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

Children rarely go missing from home. When they do go missing, staff know how to respond and are proactive in trying to locate them. The team communicates effectively with other agencies to ensure that there is a coordinated response to safeguarding children.

p.4

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

There have not been any incidents of staff holding children to keep them safe. The team works with the organisation’s therapy service to help children to develop skills to regulate their emotions and to help them to stay calm when they feel distressed. When responses to negative behaviours are implemented, they are proportionate and provide opportunities for children to reflect and learn.

p.4

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

The practice identified at the last inspection of staff routinely locking internal downstairs doors at night has continued. This restricts children’s movement in and around the home and is not clearly reflected in their plans.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably skilled and experienced and holds the relevant qualification. She is committed to improving outcomes for children. The manager uses internal and external monitoring systems to continually review practice in the home. The manager and staff have excellent working relationships with partner agencies. They provide regular updates and records are well maintained.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The team is stable and well established. Many of the staff have worked together for several years and know each other well. Staff feel appreciated and valued. They benefit from the manager’s clear leadership and guidance. Morale is high. To maintain consistency for children, the manager has continued to work shifts in the home. This limits her capacity to complete some management tasks. There is an ongoing plan to recruit an additional staff member in the home. Agency staff are not used, and any shortfalls are covered by staff employed by the organisation. Inspection report for children’s home: 2557152 5 The manager reviews staff performance annually. Staff also have access to regular team meetings and supervision with the manager. However, supervisions do not always take place in line with the organisation’s supervision policy. Supervision records are not well organised. They also lack detail and do not include routine

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

discussions about children or opportunities for staff to reflect on their practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Progression is a key strength in the organisation. Staff benefit from a wide range of training opportunities to support their personal development and to further enable them to meet children’s individual and group living needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One requirement and two recommendations set at the last inspection have been met. The requirement relating to children being able to access areas of the home has not been met and has been restated. Inspection report for children’s home: 2557152 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that —

p.6

Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any areas of the home’s premises—

p.6

Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

p.6

Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom when balanced against the needs to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to reviewing and risk assessing the practice of locking internal communal doors at night.

p.6

Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 24 August 2022

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.6

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that supervision takes place in line with the organisation’s supervision policy and focuses on the needs and progress of children. 24 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2557152 7

p.6

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any registered manager employed in the home should have sufficient capacity to ensure that the quality standards are met for each child in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.7)

p.7

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: 2557152 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today

p.8

Children’s home details

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

p.8

Inspector

Caroline Bertram, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2557152 9 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.

p.8

Inspector

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 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 .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9