Children's Home run by Homes for Support in Cheshire East

Inspection report children’s home: 2540073 1 Registered provider: Homes for Support Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to five children. The provider states in its statement of purpose that care is provided for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties (social and emotional difficulties).

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager resigned in June 2022 and an interim manager is now in post. The manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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

Date of last inspection: 3 November 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2540073 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2540073 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children live in the home. One child has successfully moved out of the home and is living independently. The daily life experiences of children in this home are good. There is a strong emphasis on nurture and holistic care in the home. Children respond well to this approach and appreciate the care and attention from their caregivers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Following the last inspection, subtle changes have been made to the internal decor, which adds a homely appeal to the home. Staff have listened to children and involved them in the redesign. Children have helped staff to utilise the small garden area effectively and have turned it into a relaxing space. A seating area and an array of potted plants and vegetables provide a space that children can enjoy and feel proud of. Children’s bedrooms require attention and reorganising. Children do not have sufficient storage and shelving, and their bedrooms are cluttered and untidy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they are happy and describe the home as ‘decent’. One child said, ‘I have found a weird family. We are as much a part of their lives as they are ours. They go above and beyond.’ Another child, who has moved on to independence, wrote a leaving letter to staff to express his appreciation. He wrote: ‘Phew, what a ride! And it’s been a long one at that, a year and around a half. I wouldn’t have traded it for the world though. It’s been a key part of the man I’ve become.’ Children are valued, respected and supported by the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met in accordance with their health plans. Specialist services, such as substance misuse services, provide advice and guidance to children who may smoke illegal substances. This ensures that children make healthy lifestyle choices and understand wider health risks and avoid becoming criminalised.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are developing a strong focus on children’s mental and emotional well-being. Staff have developed ‘Keep Calm and Fidget On’ resource bags. These are full of items such as fidget spinners and activities that children can use to help to distract them from challenging emotions. Daily affirmations from staff help children to reaffirm self-belief and raise their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since leaving the home, one child has continued with his education at a further education college. Another child is waiting to start employment and training in a care setting. Two children require a clear timetable for their education as the volume of education available does not sufficiently support their educational needs. Evidence of additional learning is required to ensure that children have multidimensional access to learning and maintain routine and structure to their day. This is a repeat requirement from the last inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress towards the goals in their independence plans. One child has made excellent progress towards independence and now lives in his own Inspection report children’s home: 2540073 4 flat. Staff are sympathetically supporting another child to ensure that her move from the home is successful.

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

Children who may go missing from the home have clear protocols for staff to follow. This ensures that staff can take effective action when searching for children who go missing. Children are offered welfare interviews on their return by external agencies. A recommendation is made to ensure that records clearly state when staff return to the home and when they instigate the search again.

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

There has been a noticeable decline in missing-from-home incidents for one child. This child has begun to invest in her placement since her future care plan has become clearer. Staff have supported the child to express her wishes and feelings to the placing authority about where she wants to live.

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

Children say that they are safe and that they understand how to keep themselves safe in the community. Risk management plans are age appropriate and relevant to the risk. For example, a young child has her time in the community limited. The plan is not restrictive of her liberty. Staff reassess her risk dependent on her emotional presentation before her free time can be extended.

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

Risk management plans are detailed and clear to follow. A risk management plan for a child who is known to self-harm requires some improvement. At the time of the inspection, the condition of the child’s bedroom did not reflect that staff are taking steps to ensure that the environment is safe and free from hazards. Consequently, staff are not following the steps in the risk management plan effectively to help to minimise risk.

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

Care planning arrangements require detailed planning to ensure that the consideration of risks posed by children moving into the home, and the effects these may have on other children, are understood. This would reduce the likelihood of peer influences and reduce incidents of children going missing from home together and consequently engaging in antisocial behaviour.

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

Since the last inspection, staff have undertaken comprehensive training that has addressed acceptable mobile phone use and, therefore, increased their knowledge of mobile phone apps. However, there are no safeguarding measures in place to assure managers and staff that a child exposed to risks of criminal and sexual exploitation is safeguarded effectively. A requirement is made to address this matter.

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

The local authority designated officer said that there is good multi-agency, working- together practice. When necessary, managers have taken appropriate action and carried out effective internal investigations as required. Inspection report children’s home: 2540073 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management of this home is a key strength. The previous manager resigned to take over the running of another home within the company. The deputy manager has stepped up to the role of the registered manager with comfort and ease and has a highly aspirational and child-centred approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is evidence of robust challenge with stakeholders. For example, the manager has challenged an education provider about the lack of support in school for one child. Professionals report excellent communication and partnership working. A teacher reported that a child’s progress would not have been successful without the support from the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by their managers and able to develop to take on senior roles. New staff complete a comprehensive probation period. A recommendation is made to ensure that managers employ suitably qualified staff who have the relevant skills and experience of working with children. This ensures that children are safeguarded effectively from inexperienced staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are comprehensive, and supervision sessions are of good quality. There is good reflection on children and appropriate challenge from managers when needed. Supervision sessions are detailed in content and there is a good amount of time allocated to staff for supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff complete regular training that supports their role. Managers are focused on a restorative behaviour management approach. This helps children to understand their behaviour and the impact on others. Managers utilise the skills from external sources to help to inform their knowledge and experience as part of learning and development for all staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers took effective action to address a medical error which occurred. Medication training was revisited with all staff. Medication recording is not always legible, and a recommendation is made to address this matter.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers utilise the internal monitoring system effectively to help to reflect on the overall progress and development of the home. The external monitoring of the home requires improvement to ensure that the independent person provides a detailed evaluation of the progress of the home with clear recommendations for improvement. Inspection report children’s home: 2540073 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of 31 October 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2540073 7 exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 31 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child 31 October 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2540073 8 and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the environment meets the needs of the children. In most cases, homes should be homely, domestic environments. As far as possible, children’s bedrooms should be tidy and organised with suitable storage. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that placements for children are only accepted when they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, and when they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective

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Recommendations

and clear recording. In particular, medication records should be legible. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report children’s home: 2540073 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 children’s home: 2540073 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes for Support Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1st Floor, Cloister House, Riverside, New Bailey Street, Manchester M3 5FS

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Inspectors

Kamal Bhamra, Social Care Inspector Rob Neild, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2540073 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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