Children's Home run by Stockport Supported Accommodation Service in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home: 1271135 1 Registered provider: Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home cares for seven children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. Care is provided in the main house which can accommodate up to five children, and a separate smaller building which can care for up to two children.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, four children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is managed by an experienced and suitably qualified registered manager.

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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: 18 and 19 August 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 for children’s home: 1271135 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/08/2021 Full Good 12/06/2019 Full Good 27/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/06/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1271135 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Strong and effective decision-making about which children come to live at the home results in children living together in a harmonious and safe home environment. Children build relationships with each other and with the staff caring for them. This provides children with opportunities to make progress and have positive experiences of residential care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, a number of children have moved on from the home in line with their care plans. One child has moved to another local authority residential home and other children have moved to foster families. Some children are now fostered by staff who cared for them at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The high standard of care children have received from staff has given them the skills, knowledge and increased resilience to move forward with their lives. They have developed long-lasting relationships with trusted and nurturing adults.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have regular opportunities to voice their views and wishes through one-to- one time with staff. Children are told about how they can raise informal ‘grumbles’ and formal complaints. Children spoken to during inspection told the inspector that they would be confident to raise issues of concern to them, but had not yet felt the need to do so. Children say they enjoy living at the home and have good relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain or rekindle relationships with their families when it is in their best interests to do so. Where appropriate, staff support children to spend time with their families in the community. Staff encourage parents to be involved in their children’s lives in line with their care plans. One parent said: ‘They have supported us to get an increase in family time. I don’t feel like they judge me. I am made to feel like I am still part of my child’s life.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The positive and inclusive approach from staff means that children are able to retain their sense of belonging and identity. Children experience care and support from a number of adults, whether they be family members or care staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children are not in school, or when children’s educational settings are not meeting their needs, staff advocate for children. When staff identify there may be a need for further assessment of a child’s cognitive or sensory needs, they work with the relevant services to progress this work. This contributes to children having access to learning opportunities that meet their needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 1271135 4

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

Staff have a good understanding of the strengths and vulnerabilities of children. The staff team is involved in well-embedded, multi-agency information-sharing and joint working, which helps identify and reduce risks to children.

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

Written risk assessments, risk reduction plans and placement plans are of good quality. They provide staff with the information they need to act to safeguard the children in their care.

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

One child is assessed as at high risk of criminal exploitation and these risks have increased over recent months. The child has lived at the home for a lengthy period of time. Staff have worked with patience and persistence to build relationships with the child and effect some positive changes in his life.

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

Leaders and managers have responded to increases in risks to the child while in the community in a thoughtful and considered manner. They have a clear rationale for making the decision that they are no longer able to offer the child a reasonable level of safety. Leaders and managers are working with the child’s social worker to identify a more suitable placement for him.

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

Children experience care in the home which, for the most part, keeps them safe. The use of physical intervention is minimal and, where used, is appropriate. Records of these incidents are detailed and there is timely oversight from the registered manager. This practice helps children build trusting relationships with staff.

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

Some children are allowed to keep cigarettes and e-cigarettes in their bedrooms. There is no written assessment of the potential risks associated with this practice, and therefore no clear rationale for this decision-making. One child has video games in his bedroom that are certified as unsuitable for children under the age of 18. There is a lack of recognition or acknowledgement of the impact of access to unsuitable material on children.

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

Room searches are undertaken when this is necessary to keep children safe. Records for these searches are clear. Children are not always being asked to sign these records. Other records contain children’s electronic signatures. It is not clear if children have read or been made aware of these records. These practices result in a lack of clarity about children’s knowledge of, and involvement in, the recording of their care.

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

When children go missing from home, staff follow the actions detailed in children’s plans to ensure they return home safely. Children are provided with independent return home interviews from an independent person from the local authority. . Records of these events do not always distinguish between visits to children by police to conduct safe and well checks and the visits from the local authority independent visitors. This means there is a lack of accountability for practice in this area. Inspection report for children’s home: 1271135 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leadership and management of the home is strong. Children and staff benefit from the commitment and expertise of the registered manager and the senior staff member with responsibility for children living in the annex to the main home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are positive role models for their staff. Staff say they enjoy working at the home. Children benefit from a consistent, stable and skilled staff team, and staff feel well supported by their managers. Practice throughout the home is child-centred.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular, good-quality supervision and annual reviews of their practice. This provides staff with an opportunity to reflect on their practice and the contribution they make to the progress and experience of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has good oversight of practice in the home. Quality of care reports are evaluative and include the views of children, families and external professionals. The registered manager has established systems in place for monitoring and review.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The records of children coming to live at and leaving the home do not contain the child’s legal status, as required by regulation. This has not had any impact on children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a strong advocate for the children in her care. She represents the residential service to a high standard in her work with other professionals, within and external to the local authority. This ensures that the voice of those staff who are involved in children’s day-to-day care, and who know them well, is listened to when making decisions about children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have overseen the temporary closure of the main building for a number of months to allow for refurbishment. On completion of this work, children now have a lovely home environment which meets their needs, and is a welcoming and secure place to live. It helps children feel valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have taken a well-considered approach to decision-making about children coming to live at the home since it has reopened. Currently, two children are living in the main building, which is registered to care for up to five children. This thoughtful and child-focused practice means that children have the best possible environment to make progress and have positive experiences of living at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1271135 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 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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that children do not have access to electronic games and other material which is classified for adults. Also, that the rationale for decision-making in relation to children keeping smoking equipment in their bedrooms is included in their individual risk assessments. 30 November

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

A record in the form of a register showing in respect of each child—

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Requirement Due date

the date of the child’s admission to the home; the date on which the child ceased to be accommodated in the home; the child’s address immediately before being accommodated in the home; the child’s address on leaving the home; 30 November Inspection report for children’s home: 1271135 7 the child’s placing authority; and the statutory provision (if any) under which the child is accommodated.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when children’s electronic signatures are being used in care records, staff record if the child has read and agreed the record. Children should be encouraged to sign records of room searches and staff should record if the child has declined to sign the record. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraphs 14.5 and 14.6)  The registered person should ensure that missing from home records clearly distinguish between the completion of police safe and well checks and the completion of independent return home interviews. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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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: 1271135 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Spend and Provider Management Hub, Upper Ground Floor, Stopford House, Piccadilly, Stockport SK1 3XE

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Inspector

Dawn Parton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1271135 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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