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Inspection report for children's home: SC394463 1 SC394463 Registered provider: Cornerstone Children’s Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private organisation. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it provides care for three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since May 2022. A new manager has been appointed to this post and has applied for registration.

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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: SC394463 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/03/2022 Full Good 27/11/2019 Full Good 04/04/2018 Full Good 01/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC394463 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are three children living at the home. One child moved into the home this month. They have settled in quickly and have been made to feel welcome by staff. The child’s social worker said, ‘They scooped up my child and have helped [the child] settle in. It’s absolutely fantastic. The staff are wonderful, so caring and helpful.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress, and they benefit from high-quality relationships with staff. Staff provide them with continuity of care that helps children develop and sustain their positive attachments. Children benefit from stability and consistency in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the health needs of children are met effectively. Medical consent is in place and staff understand the health decisions and responsibilities that are delegated to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with doctors, dentists and opticians and staff support them to attend their routine health and medical appointments. Annual health needs assessments are completed by the nurse for looked after children to review the health needs of the children and to promote their positive health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a diverse range of enjoyable activities. They enjoy the cinema, trampolining, football and baking. Children have recently enjoyed a caravan holiday in Wales. Their interests and pastimes are actively encouraged. One child said, ‘Staff take us on activities, and we have lots of fun.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote family time to ensure that children sustain their close relationships with the people that are most important to them. A social worker said, ‘They have a good working relationship with the family.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Currently, two children are home tutored, and staff provide additional educational activities to support the children’s learning. The manager is working closely with placing authorities to identify suitable school placements for the children to attend.

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

Children are kept safe and say that they feel safe living at the home. Staff ensure that the safety of the children is prioritised effectively. The use of clear risk management plans and an effective safe working practice promotes the safety of children at the home.

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

The frequency of missing from care episodes has reduced since the last inspection. When a child goes missing from the home, staff actively look for them, and follow the home’s procedures to secure their safe return. Risk assessments are regularly Inspection report for children's home: SC394463 4 updated by staff. This ensures that staff are aware of the specific risks and emerging vulnerabilities of the children.

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

Staff are trained in child protection so they have the knowledge and skills they need to recognise when children may be at risk of harm. This ensures that staff know how to deal with allegations and know how to report suspected abuse. Significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities that are charged with a duty to protect children. As a result, children are supported and protected from harm.

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

Holds to keep children safe in unsafe situations are only used to protect children from harm. Consequences used to address negative behaviour are fair and these are kept to an absolute minimum.

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

Staff consistently praise, acknowledge and reinforce positive behaviour. Staff implement clear and consistent boundaries to help children learn and understand what types of behaviour are acceptable. Staff understand the triggers for children’s behaviours and anticipate incidents well, which enables them to prevent behaviours from escalating.

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

There have been no complaints since the last inspection. Staff employed to care for children are selected and vetted carefully to protect children from unsafe and unsuitable people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager left the home in May 2022. In June, a new manager was recruited to this post and has applied for registration to manage the home. The new manager is suitably experienced and well qualified. They promote a supportive, caring and nurturing environment for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home employs a team of well-qualified, trained and experienced staff. Staff benefit from good-quality training to meet the diverse needs of the children. Staff receive regular, practice-related supervision. As a result, they feel valued and supported in their roles. A staff member said, ‘I get more support than I could ask for from the whole management team.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff meet with the home’s therapist on a regular basis for informed discussions about how best to meet the specific needs of the children. The home’s psychologist said, ‘Carers use the psychological consultations well. The team prioritises the well- being of the young people and wishes to support them to have the best possible experiences.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is a warm, cosy, comfortable and homely living environment. The home is nicely decorated, furnished and well maintained. Children’s bedrooms are appropriately personalised in accordance with their needs and wishes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has completed an annual review on the location of the home. However, they have not identified a local train station as being a potential risk to Inspection report for children's home: SC394463 5 children’s safety. Additionally, the manager has completed a quality-of-care review to reflect on the progress and experiences of children. The review, however, does not consider the views of social workers or other stakeholders. As a result, recommendations are made to address these issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is visited by an independent professional to review the quality of the children’s care and the home’s arrangements for safeguarding them. The reports produced help the manager and staff to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The manager produces an action plan to address any recommendations from these visits to secure improvement. Inspection report for children's home: SC394463 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are in full-time education while they are of compulsory school age. The staff team must aim to support full-time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to the Children Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 5.14, page 28)  The registered person should ensure that, as part of their review of the home, they consider the views of stakeholders to ensure continuous improvement. (‘Guide to the Children Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 10.24, page 54)  The registered person should ensure that they review the suitability of the home’s location. The review should include the risk associated with the local railway station. (‘Guide to the Children Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 15.1, page 64)

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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: SC394463 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cornerstone Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4th Floor, Centenary House, Centenary Way, Manchester M50 1RF

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC394463 8 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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