Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Leeds

Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 1 SC437645 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

The home is operated by a private company. It provides care and accommodation for up to four children who may have social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2022.

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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: 10 November 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: SC437645 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/11/2021 Full Good 15/01/2020 Full Good 23/07/2018 Full Good 27/02/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they are happy living in this home. Staff help the children to feel cared for by forming trusting and secure relationships with them. Children say that staff support them and help them to make progress. This means that children are confident and comfortable to be themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they ‘love’ the activities that staff encourage them to take part in. Children enjoy pampering days, playing football, going on holiday and going to theme parks. Additionally, staff encourage children to have hobbies and join clubs, such as cadets, basketball and swimming. This helps to build children’s self- confidence and improve their social skills. These memories are captured in colourful photo books for the children to look back on in later life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to behave well. Staff support children to recognise and increase positive behaviours while working on behaviours that are perceived to be less desirable. One child said, ‘They [staff] help me to behave,’ and ‘They [staff] help me to be calm.’ This is a view that is also shared by carers and professionals who spoke with the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living in this home are making good progress in education. When children struggle with education, the staff create individualised incentive plans that help promote positive behaviour in school. One professional said, ‘They [staff] have excellent communication with the school,’ and ‘He [name of child] is having a much better time in school.’ Understanding the importance of going to school is part of everyday life in this home. As such, the children are progressing well and are, therefore, more likely to achieve their full potential in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move on from this home, transitions are well planned and at a pace that meets the needs of the child. Staff support the children with introduction visits, joint activities with their new carers and overnight stays. If the child is happy to, the staff will remain in contact with them after they move. This provides children with a positive ending from the home and the best chance of a successful new start.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home, although it feels homely, looks tired, and the internal areas of the home do require some repair and redecoration. The children’s bedrooms are individual and personalised with their own unique decorations. However, the manager recognises that the children’s bedrooms need to be repainted and that the carpets require replacement. Essential repair work will help children to feel valued and create a greater sense of belonging to this home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 4

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

Children say that they feel safe living in this home. This is a view that is shared by professionals and carers. One professional said, ‘She [name of child] is absolutely safe there [the home], and the manager and staff have safety plans in place that help keep [name of child] safer in the community.’

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

Children told the inspector that they know who they can speak to if they are worried about anything, and they are confident that staff will act on this.

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

Staff have a clear understanding of children’s risk behaviours and how to manage them. Children’s risk assessments are detailed yet concise and easy to follow. For those children where the risk is greater, individual support plans are created by staff with the child. These plans focus on the strengths of the child and the best ways for the staff to support them. This helps to keep children as safe as possible.

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

When children go missing from the home, the pull factor is to spend time with friends. Staff are proactive in looking for children and encourage them to come home by putting incentive plans in place. The manager and staff work in collaboration with the police and the child’s local authority to agree appropriate safety plans. This helps to reduce the risk of future missing episodes.

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

Children are well matched in the home, and admissions are carefully planned and considered. When emergency admissions are agreed, the manager collaborates with the local authority to ensure that plans are quickly in place to support the child. The staff work hard to ensure that there is as little disruption as possible to the children who already live in the home. This provides children with the best chance of living together more contently.

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

Positive behaviour management is recognised as a strength of this home. Staff said that the routines and boundaries are consistent, simple and easy to follow. Children understand how to earn rewards and incentives, and this works for them. One carer said, ‘They [staff] listen to [name of child] and set him achievements that he is trying to reach.’ As a result, children are more likely to develop their own coping skills that will help them as they grow.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate about his role. He has a clear vision for the home’s future development. This passion is helping to create a happy team of staff who get along well with one another. One staff member said, ‘We are like a family. We have fun with the children, and I love working here.’ This benefits the children as they are cared for by a team of staff who enjoy being in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager, although still new to the home, has already made positive changes. He promotes a culture that empowers staff and children to be involved in all decisions that are made for the home. This helps staff and children to feel included in all aspects of this home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 5 Staff say that they feel supported by the manager and that they are confident in him as a leader. Staff say that they feel listened to and supported both with work and personal issues. They feel that he is readily available to them and always ‘checking in’ with them. This has resulted in a staff team that feels valued and supported at work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular supervision that they say is helpful and reflective. The manager supervises all staff in the home, and this allows him to have a good insight into all staff and their differing needs. When inconsistencies occur in the team, the manager addresses these quickly. This means that any grumbles in the team are managed before they can become a bigger issue. This helps to provide the children with consistency of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good systems in place to capture the wishes and feelings of children. Children’s views are actively sought during weekly one-to-one confidential meetings and in the weekly house meetings. The manager has good oversight of these, and he ensures that children’s requests are acted on. This helps to give children a voice and the confidence that they are being heard. Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children and is a homely, domestic environment. In particular, the registered person should repair the wear and tear in the home and redecorate the areas of the home that look tired. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC437645 7

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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

Jo Birtwhistle, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 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 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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