Children's Home run by Homes for Support in Cheshire East

Inspection report for children’s home: 2526004 1 Registered provider: Homes for Support Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private organisation. The home is registered to provide care for up to six children who may have emotional and/or social difficulties. At the time of the inspection, five children were living in the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The previous registered manager moved to take on the role of responsible individual in December 2022. He has continued to work regularly in the home. The deputy manager is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

Outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected Outstanding

p.1

Outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

Outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

p.1

Outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

Outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2526004 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/03/2022 Full Outstanding 20/11/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 2526004 3

p.2

outstanding

Children receive individualised care which meets their specific needs. Staff provide the right guidance, advice and support to children to promote their development. Staff have high aspirations for children and encourage them to be ambitious for their futures. This has resulted in children making exceptional progress.

p.3

outstanding

One child said: ‘I would not be where I am today without the support of the staff. They are like family and always will be.’ One parent said about their child’s achievements: ‘This is just fantastic!’

p.3

outstanding

Children make progress in all areas of their lives. A strength of the home is the support provided to children in their education. Staff use a combination of incentives and positive reinforcement to help children understand the advantages to them of engaging in their learning. When there are significant barriers to attendance, staff work hard to overcome these. They constantly keep the children’s views central to their plans.

p.3

outstanding

Children work with staff to identify both short- and long-term goals. This supports children to develop a sense of achievement. Not all children have close relationships with their peers. However, there have been no incidents of conflict between the children. Managers ensure that detailed assessments are completed before any new children move into the home. Managers understand the importance of matching and ensure that the well-being and safety of the existing children are paramount.

p.3

outstanding

Managers and staff work hard to support children to gain the skills they require to move into adulthood. Children are prepared both practically and emotionally. Staff understand how moving on can cause additional anxieties for children, so they spend long periods of time consistently supporting, preparing and guiding children. This helps children to move on positively.

p.3

outstanding

When children live a distance from their hometown, staff support them to maintain links with important people in their lives. The staff go above and beyond to keep children in their familiar school. This promotes stability and continuity for children.

p.3

outstanding

The premises are clean and well-presented and communal areas of the home have lots of resources for children. The spacious dining area means that children and staff can all eat together and also celebrate special occasions. Inspection report for children’s home: 2526004 4

p.3

outstanding

Staff understand the risks to each child and individualised plans to mitigate risks are regularly updated and well recorded. This means there is a consistent response from staff to keep children safe. Where stringent measures are put in place to safeguard children, these are reviewed to avoid safeguarding actions becoming punitive.

p.4

outstanding

When children go missing, staff follow plans to return children quickly and safely. When incidents occur in relation to self-harm, substance misuse and criminality, there has been a measured but firm response. This promotes the ongoing safety and welfare of children.

p.4

outstanding

Staff are suitably trained to manage behaviours, and incidents of children being held for their own safety are relatively infrequent. Other less restrictive options are taken which take account the vulnerabilities of the children whose behaviour is underpinned by previous trauma. This helps children to feel safe as they learn to regulate their own behaviour.

p.4

outstanding

Online safety is taken seriously and is identified as a risk for some of the children in the home. Safeguards are multi layered and include giving children the skills to keep themselves safe online.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been promoted in the company. He has continued to support the home alongside the deputy manager. The deputy manager is in the process of registering with Ofsted. These arrangements ensure that the changes in roles are seamless, and a consistent approach is in place for the children and staff.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a clear vision of the type of care they want to provide. They also have high expectations of the staff team and expect them to be invested in the children. This helps to drive a cohesive team approach.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a detailed understanding of the children’s needs and progress. They are intuitive about the sometimes-faltering pace of children’s progress and ensure that even small achievements are recognised and celebrated. This supports children’s progress.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with training to ensure that they have the skills, experience and knowledge to support the children. The home has recently started to help staff understand the impact of their own actions on others. This is related to an established theory on motivations for human behaviour. The manager is encouraging the staff team to use incentives with children, rather than imposing restrictions and penalties on children. The result is that children themselves see the benefits of making changes. Inspection report for children’s home: 2526004 5 Managers understand the home’s strengths and weaknesses. They are continually reviewing care practices to maintain the high standards of care that they expect. External monitoring of the home does not support the managers to improve the quality of care or consistently identify any shortfalls in practice. This had been identified by managers before this inspection.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers work successfully with other professionals involved in children’s lives. They challenge the practice of others when this falls short of expected standards. This is pivotal in driving forward change and ensuring that the voices of children are heard. One child said: ‘The staff give me the world; they love me and I look at them as my family. I would not change a thing about my care or support.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2526004 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

p.6

Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

p.6

Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b)) 30 April 2023

p.6

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: 2526004 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes for Support Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Northern House, 3 Kennerleys Lane, Wilmslow SK95EQ

p.7

Inspector

Rachel Ruth, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2526004 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8