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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC008269 1 SC008269 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. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have experienced trauma and have complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2022 and holds a relevant qualification at level 5.

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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: 17 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: SC008269 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/11/2021 Full Good 05/02/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/10/2018 Full Outstanding 09/01/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC008269 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children speak positively about their experience of living in the home. They have strong relationships with the staff who care for them. The home is decorated and furnished well. This creates spaces that are welcoming and which children feel proud of. Children invite their friends to visit, which provides opportunities for staff to get to know the people who are important in children’s lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is promoted well by staff. Two children attend full-time education and are making good progress with their learning. One child, who has recently moved in, is engaging with a home learning programme. The registered manager has identified an education service to support the child to prepare for their GCSE exams and a referral has been submitted. With support from staff, the child has applied for a place at college.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff encourage children to share their views and opinions. When there is a difference in opinion between the child and professionals involved in their care, the registered manager supports the child to understand how and why the decision has been made. This practice supports children to accept decisions and receive care that is in their best interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are supportive of children’s individual identities. As a result, children develop their confidence and flourish. Staff call children by their preferred name and use the correct pronoun to reflect children’s chosen gender assignment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to build and sustain relationships with people who are important to them. They give children advice on how to have a difficult conversation, which has had positive results. For example, one child, who was reluctant to communicate with his parent, was supported to do so by the registered manager. This helped to improve the relationship between the child and their parent, and they are now planning a family holiday together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences of moving into and on from the home. The registered manager and staff work well with children and others to plan for these transitions. Sometimes, the registered manager visits children for the first time in their home. This provides a safe space for children to ask questions about their new home and people who will be caring for them. When children leave, staff and children mark the occasion by going for a meal. Children who leave are given a memory book, gift and card. This good practice enables children to have positive endings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home. Although the manager has not kept a record of the information considered to inform his decision to admit children to the home, children are happy and making good progress. Inspection report for children’s home: SC008269 4 Children are in good health. Staff support children to register with local health services and attend routine appointments. One child’s health plan contains conflicting information that has not been verified. Consequently, it is not clear if the child needs a routine vaccination.

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

Staff support children to develop an awareness of risk and how to keep safe in the community. For example, staff have supported one child to develop their road safety skills, which means that the child now walks to college and accesses local shops independently.

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

Children living at the home are settled and have not presented any behaviours that worry staff. Staff use praise and rewards to recognise children’s positive contributions and achievements. Staff’s nurturing approach helps children to understand what is expected of them in a way that is helpful.

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

On occasions, staff have used physical intervention to prevent children who previously lived in the home from hurting themselves or others. Staff are trained in using physical intervention techniques and records of the incident are kept. Information about physical interventions has not been shared with relevant professionals promptly. This was reflected on in a multi-agency meeting and learning was identified. However, this learning was not disseminated to staff. Because there have been very few incidents, this has had limited impact on children’s welfare.

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

It is rare for children to go missing from the home. On the three occasions this has happened, staff have worked well with parents and professionals to locate children and return them home. Staff speak to children about their experiences of being away from home. Children can also speak with an independent person, and information gathered from these discussions is used to prevent further incidents.

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

There is now a stable and consistent team of staff who care for children. Since the last inspection, four new members of staff work in the home. The registered manager has effective safe recruitment systems in place, which reduces the risk of children been cared for by unsuitable individuals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a change in registered manager since the last inspection. Before the current registered manager joined the team, the home was supported by registered managers from other homes in the same organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is child centred, and his supportive approach is effective. Staff retention has improved, which means that children receive consistent care from people who they know well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some staff are qualified, others are working towards completing a relevant qualification. The registered manager ensures that staff receive additional training to Inspection report for children’s home: SC008269 5 help them to fulfil their role and support children’s individual needs. For example, staff have received training that is specific to one child’s diagnosed health condition and now have a better understanding of how the child processes information.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager oversees the quality of care children receive well. He has effective systems in place to monitor children’s progress and experiences. Information gathered is used to inform children’s care plans in agreement with children’s social workers and parents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff performance is formally appraised following a probation period and on an annual basis. Under the new registered manager, staff receive regular supervision. These meetings provide the opportunity for staff and managers to reflect on the care of children and their contribution. It also promotes staff development and aids learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager understands that staff’s nurturing approach towards children is a strength of the team. This helps children to invest in trusting relationships with the adults who care for them. This caring and supportive approach enables children to reach their potential. The registered manager is motivated to make continual progress and has created a reflective culture among staff that promotes this. Inspection report for children’s home: SC008269 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that information is recorded clearly and objectively. In particular, the registered manager should keep a clear record of information considered to inform their decision to admit a child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff have a key role in organising and ensuring that each child’s attends appointments with primary and secondary health services. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.11)  The registered person should ensure that steps agreed with relevant professionals to manage assessed risks to children are implemented. In particular, learning identified from a multi-agency investigation should be shared with staff to develop practice. This specifically relates to informing relevant people without delay when

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Recommendations

physical interventions are used by staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: SC008269 7

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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: SC008269 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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