Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Today

Inspection report for children’s home: SC044745 1 SC044745 Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today Children’s Services Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for six children who may have experienced childhood instability resulting in trauma and associated complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager holds a level 5 qualification.

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Information about this children’s home

Children attend a school which is in the same grounds as the home. The inspector only inspected the social care provision.

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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: SC044745 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/05/2021 Full Good 18/09/2019 Full Good 05/02/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 03/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC044745 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, three children have moved out of the home and four children have moved in. Children attend a school which is in the same grounds as the home. From children’s starting points, their attendance and behaviours at school have improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to learn skills that will support them to develop their independence. Children contribute to the day-to-day running of the home, by helping to prepare the table before meals and washing the dishes. Staff support children to do their laundry and clean their bedrooms. This helps them to develop confidence and prepare them for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children speak warmly of their relationships with the staff who care for them, and feel comfortable raising concerns. Weekly children’s meetings and consultation questionnaires help managers and staff to understand what is important to children. This practice helps children to feel listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager works well with social workers to review arrangements for children to keep in touch with people who are important to them. As a result, some children have increased the time that they spend with their families. This helps children to maintain and improve their relationships with loved ones. For one child, this contributed to them returning to live with their parent on a permanent basis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities with staff and other children who live in the home. However, children’s opportunities to build friendships away from home and school are limited.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with local health services and usually attend routine health appointments. One child has not attended a dental check-up. The registered manager does not always ensure that external services comply with statutory responsibilities. Two children have not had an annual health assessment. This means that staff do not have up-to-date health information.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children experienced unplanned moves from the home due to escalations in behaviours that placed them at risk. The manager did not ensure that children had an opportunity to say goodbye to the staff who had cared for them or the children they had lived with. This does not help children to invest in meaningful relationships in the future.

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

Children’s risks reduce as a result of living in the home. The registered manager and staff have a good understanding of children’s behaviours and risks, but this knowledge is not always reflected in children’s plans. For example, staff can identify Inspection report for children’s home: SC044745 4 warning signs and understand triggers for behaviours, however, this information is not always detailed in the child’s plans. The registered manager works well with external agencies to review and agree actions to support reducing risks. This helps to keep children safe.

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

There has been a reduction in incidents of children going missing. Staff follow children and encourage them to return home. When children are missing, staff share concerns with relevant individuals and work well with police to ensure children are found and returned home. The registered manager ensures that children have an opportunity to speak with an independent person about their experiences that led to them going missing. This practice helps to reduce future incidents of children going missing.

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

Staff use incentive systems to motivate children to achieve individualised targets that help them to make progress. On rare occasions, in response to unacceptable behaviours, staff use sanctions that do not relate to the behaviours displayed. Despite this, behaviours are mostly managed well and children’s behaviours improve.

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

The registered manager ensures that staff receive training in physical intervention. There has been a significant reduction in incidents requiring physical intervention for one child who has moved into the home. Staff keep clear records of any restraints used with children, including the techniques used. This allows the registered manager to evaluate the appropriateness of holds used by staff.

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

Staff encourage positive relations between children. Sometimes, children struggle to get along. Staff are skilled in identifying incidents of bullying and discuss concerns with children. However, these incidents are not always clearly recorded, making it difficult for the manager to review effectively the action taken, to reduce the likelihood of further bullying.

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

The home is furnished and decorated to a good standard, however, actions identified in the fire risk assessment specific to fire doors have not all been addressed. Steps were taken during the inspection to arrange for remedial work to be undertaken.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and has a clear vision for the home, which is understood by staff. He is very child-focused and works well with professionals and children’s family members. This ensures that children benefit from a strong support network.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported. The registered manager ensures that staff receive regular supervision and that their performance is appraised annually. These meetings provide staff with the opportunity to discuss their contribution to the care children receive and identify learning needs to support their personal development. Inspection report for children’s home: SC044745 5 Children receive care from a consistent and experienced staff team who attend additional training that is specific to the needs of children who live in the home. Team meetings are held regularly, which helps staff to develop consistent and effective strategies for working with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s monitoring systems are not always effective in identifying gaps in records. For example, some health appointments attended by children are not recorded in their plans. In addition, medication records do not provide sufficient information about children’s medication or how this should be administered. On one occasion, a child received only half the recommended dose of pain relief. Inspection report for children’s home: SC044745 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met.

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s health is assessed annually and information is used to inform children’s care plans. 18 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(xiii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff keep clear records of incidents of bullying, so that children’s experiences can be assessed and appropriate measures can be put in place to keep children safe from harm. 18 August 2022

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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. 18 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC044745 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Effective health and safety measures must be in place to reduce the risk of harm.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 18 August 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home or moving to another placement. In particular, the registered person should ensure that children who experience unplanned moves at short notice are supported to say goodbye to staff who have cared for them and children they have lived with. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)  The registered person should ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that staff help children to understand what

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Recommendations

local leisure and other cultural or religious services are on offer for them, support them to access any relevant leisure passes and encourage them to participate in activities in the community. In particular, that children are supported to join community groups, providing them with opportunities to meet people who are not connected to the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.6) Inspection report for children’s home: SC044745 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: SC044745 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today Children’s Services

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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

Helen Malanaphy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC044745 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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