Lower Roach End Farm

Inspection report for children's home: SC005048 1 SC005048 Registered provider: Partnership of Care Today Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is situated in a remote area and is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to eight 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 in leadership and management for residential care services for children.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is on the same site as the school. 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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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 7 September 2021

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC005048 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/09/2021 Full Good 20/02/2020 Full Good 15/08/2018 Full Outstanding 25/04/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC005048 3

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improvement to be good

In the main, children are healthy, and staff support children to attend routine and specialist health appointments. However, staff do not support children’s health needs consistently well. On one occasion, staff did not take prompt action when a child injured their hand and this delayed the child receiving medical treatment. In addition, the registered manager was unaware of a health condition that a child has listed in their plans. Not finding out more about this issue may impact on the care of the child. Children use weighted blankets for comfort and reassurance. The registered manager has not considered the children’s individual weight and height before using the blankets as per NHS guidance and guidance set out in the children’s individual risk assessments. Consequently, the blankets could be limiting children’s movement more than originally intended.

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improvement to be good

Most children spoke warmly of their relationships with the staff who look after them and told inspectors that they can talk to staff about things that worry them. When children talk about things that they say have happened to them in the past, it is not always clear how they are kept up to date about what has happened with this information.

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improvement to be good

Staff help children to manage their relationships with each other. However, this is not always effective and on occasions children have hurt each other. Work to support children to be kind to each other is ongoing.

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improvement to be good

The general areas of the home are well maintained and nicely furnished, and provide welcoming spaces that feel homely. Some children’s bedrooms are also bright and personalised spaces for children to enjoy. However, others require attention because they are not well kept and are in need of decoration. Some children need additional storage for their belongings. Plans are in place to decorate children’s bedrooms.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always check on children after they have gone to bed to ensure they are okay or asleep and safe in their rooms. A child had slept on the floor on the night prior to day one of the inspection and upturned some bedroom furniture. Staff were unaware of this until the following day when the inspector looked around the home.

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improvement to be good

There are eight children living in the home. One child has moved into the home since the last inspection. This was a planned move and the child visited and met staff and children before moving in. The registered manager assessed the child’s needs before offering them a place to live. Good planning helps to alleviate children’s anxieties. Inspection report for children's home: SC005048 4 The registered manager and staff help children to understand their care plans. One child spoke to an inspector about their plan, which is to find a foster family. Another child spoke about his plans to move to another children’s home in the organisation that is connected to the secondary school he will move to. Keeping children informed and enabling them to contribute to their plans helps them to prepare for transitions and promotes positive endings.

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improvement to be good

Children experience stability and have developed traditions that they enjoy and look forward to. For example, they were looking forward to wearing new matching Christmas pyjamas and having surprises in their Christmas Eve boxes.

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improvement to be good

Children attend the school that is part of the same organisation and situated on the same site as the home. Children’s attendance at school improves from their starting points and they make progress with their learning.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage children to take part in activities that they enjoy. All children attend swimming lessons, and some children have joined other groups such as dancing and Cubs. This provides children with opportunities to regularly meet other children in the community and develop social networks while having fun.

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improvement to be good

Staff are creative in capturing children’s experiences in colourfully decorated and personalised memory books that children take with them when they leave. This helps children to capture their life journey and promotes their identity.

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improvement to be good

On two occasions, the registered manager has not notified Ofsted of allegations that needed investigating. On both occasions, the allegations were specific to care children received before they came to live in the home. On another other occasion, a child who has since moved on from the home reported concerns specific to the care they experienced while living there. Although the concerns are being investigated by people independent of the home, the registered manager is not clear about the status of the investigations or how they are progressing. As a result, the registered manager is not keeping abreast of important information that may impact on the care and welfare of children.

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improvement to be good

When the responsible individual does consider complaints raised about the service or undertakes an internal investigation at the request of the local authority designated officer, she does not keep clear records of the investigation she has carried out. Consequently, it is not always clear how she has reached her conclusions.

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improvement to be good

Staff promote positive behaviours through praise and rewards and children are supported to reflect on their behaviours. Children’s behaviours and risks that cause concern reduce. For example, children’s levels of aggression have fallen. Records of consequences used by staff are not always detailed, which makes it difficult to evaluate if the consequence given is proportionate. For example, records do not Inspection report for children's home: SC005048 5 describe the chores that staff ask children to complete and the time taken to do them.

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improvement to be good

On occasion, staff restrain children to keep them and other people safe. The registered manager ensures that staff are trained to use restraint safely and only as a last resort. Records of restraint are generally good. However, on one occasion, there was no record of reflection completed with the child who was restrained. Not recording the child’s views does not promote learning for staff.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager has some systems in place to reduce the risk of fire. Firefighting equipment is sited around the home and there is a fire alarm system. Fire doors are used in the main living spaces, however, these are not always well maintained, which could compromise their effectiveness in the event of a fire.

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improvement to be good

When children use the internet, they are supervised by staff, in a way which is appropriate to their age and stage of development. This reduces the risk of children experiencing online abuse and exploitation.

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improvement to be good

No children have gone missing since the last inspection.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager has effective recruitment systems in place, which reduce the risk of children been cared for by unsuitable individuals.

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good

Shortfalls in the handling and recording of complaints and allegations contribute to the requires improvement judgement in leadership and management.

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good

Monitoring systems used by the registered manager do not always identify areas that need to be addressed and improved. This limits the continued development of the home and the quality of care provided to children.

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good

There has been one occasion when the independent person commissioned to visit the home on a monthly basis has not done so, and instead the person gathered information remotely. This practice reduces the effectiveness of the independent oversight of the home.

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good

The registered manager has a good understanding of the children’s needs. Children respond well to her nurturing approach and they remain her focus when making decisions. Staff share her vision for the home and are keen to promote positive childhood experiences.

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good

Staff speak highly of the support they receive from managers. Regular supervision provides them with a safe space to reflect on practice and understand the care needs of children who live in the home. Inspection report for children's home: SC005048 6 The registered manager ensures that staff receive an annual performance review. As a result, some staff have been promoted and some have started additional training that will help them to achieve qualifications in counselling, social work or therapeutic skills.

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good

An experienced and consistent staff team looks after children who live in the home. Most staff hold a relevant qualification or are working towards this. The registered manager ensures that staff receive regular training to support their role and that is specific to the needs of the children who live in the home. For example, staff have completed training in autism. This helps staff to understand the specific needs of children and to adapt their plans to ensure children’s needs can be met. Inspection report for children's home: SC005048 7

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)9ii)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This is specific to ensuring that all children’s bedrooms are a welcoming space for children to enjoy and that staff check on children who struggle to settle at night. 28 February 2023

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 28 February 2023 Inspection report for children's home: SC005048 8 that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that staff seek medical advice and treatment for children without delay, that they properly assess the use of weighted blankets, and familiarise themselves with one child’s health condition, to ensure that the child is receiving all the necessary support.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must maintain good oversight of all safeguarding concerns. Independent visitors must visit the home at least once a month. The manager must ensure that fire doors are repaired quickly. In addition, ensure that consequences are fully recorded and that children have timely debriefs following restraint incidents, and that debriefs are recorded. 28 February 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse and neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular— 28 February 2023 Inspection report for children's home: SC005048 9 Provide for liaison and cooperation with any local authority which are, or may be, making a child protection enquiry in relation to a child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the registered person maintains good communication with relevant professionals about the progress of any investigation into allegations made by, or involving, children at the home. In addition, ensure that clear records are kept about actions taken in response to allegations and their subsequent investigation.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should support children to develop understanding and empathy towards each other. In particular, continue to work with children on their relationships with each other and continue to work to mitigate risk of children hurting each other. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality Standards', page 39, paragraph 8.11.)

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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: SC005048 10

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor, Lansdowne House, 85 Buxton Road, Stockport, Cheshire SK2 6LR

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Inspectors

Helen Malanaphy, Social Care Inspector Chanel Bryant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC005048 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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