Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children’s home: SC356318 1 SC356318 Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A large national provider of children’s services operates this home. Ofsted has registered the home to provide care for up to two children who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, a new manager registered with Ofsted on 24 May 2022, and she holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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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: 25 January 2022

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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: SC356318 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/01/2022 Full Good 15/01/2020 Full Outstanding 15/01/2019 Full Outstanding 27/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC356318 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The same two children live in the home as at the time of the last inspection. Children attend school daily and make progress with their learning. One child has successfully moved from a local primary school to secondary school. The other child attends a school that is operated by the same provider as the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to keep in touch with people who are important to them. The registered manager works well with social workers, and children’s plans are continually reviewed. One child is preparing to return to live with a parent, which is a good outcome for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is decorated and furnished well. Photos of children and staff are displayed around the home. Soft furnishings provide a feeling of comfort and contribute to making the home a place where children and staff want to spend time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children are registered with local health services and attend routine appointments. They encourage children to manage their personal hygiene in line with the recommendations in their healthcare plans. Children are expected to brush their teeth twice a day and go to bed at a reasonable time to allow them to have sufficient rest that helps them to function well the next day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from positive relationships with the staff who care for them. They can identify several staff who they can speak to if they are feeling worried.

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

Children’s risks have reduced since living in the home. There have been no incidents requiring physical intervention, and children have not gone missing from the home.

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

Staff support children to resolve any differences they have with each other. Children are helped to understand socially acceptable behaviours through discussions and the use of rewards and consequences. This good support enables children to make positive choices that help them to make progress in their relationships with their peers. Sometimes, incidents of conflict between children are not clearly recorded by staff, and this is an area that has been identified for improvement.

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

The registered manager responds well to any concerns that are raised and shares information with relevant people. This includes sharing the outcome of investigations that have been completed. Good partnership working promotes an open culture and contributes to keeping children safe.

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

Children’s views and wishes are sought by the staff who care for them. Regular meetings with children provide an opportunity for children to reflect on their experience and raise concerns. Children told the inspector that they feel safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC356318 4 The registered manager has appointed one new staff member since the last inspection. This person was safely recruited. Good safer recruitment systems reduce the risk of children being cared for by unsuitable individuals.

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

Health and safety issues are taken seriously. There are systems in place to ensure that the home is maintained well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by the registered manager. She ensures that staff have regular supervision to discuss the children and review any support they may need. These meetings are more frequent for new staff who work in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager formally reviews staff performance on an annual basis. In addition to this, new staff have their performance reviewed at the end of their probation period. Staff are supported to reflect on their practice, and they evaluate how they contribute to the team and children’s progress and experiences. This approach helps to identify training needs and recognises personal development and individual and team achievements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff complete training that is specific to their role and the individual needs of the children who live in the home. This helps staff to develop their knowledge and skills and results in children having positive experiences of being cared for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular team meetings are held. They provide opportunities for staff to review the care that children receive and develop consistent practices. Staff use this time to reflect on and learn from incidents, which creates a learning culture.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children receive care from a consistent staff team that children know well. However, the staff rota does not clearly identify who is working in the home. Despite this, the information can be found in other records that are kept in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC356318 5

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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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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that records are objective and clear. In particular, they should ensure that staff keep a detailed record when there is an incident between children. Additionally, the staff rota must detail staff’s full name and hours worked. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC356318 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today

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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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Inspector

Helen Malanaphy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC356318 7 regulates and inspects 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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