Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Today

Inspection report for children's home: SC044745 1 SC044745 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

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for six 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.

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Information about this children’s home

Children attend a school that is on the same grounds as the home. 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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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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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: SC044745 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/07/2022 Full Good 04/05/2021 Full Good 18/09/2019 Full Good 05/02/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC044745 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children build trusting relationships with the staff who care for them. They told inspectors that they feel able to speak to staff about things that are important to them. Their wishes about their care are understood by the registered manager and staff, who advocate well on behalf of children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend the school that is located within the grounds of the home and is part of the same organisation. Their attendance is excellent, and they are making progress with their learning. The registered manager and staff work closely with teachers. There is an activity-based incentive system in place to promote positive behaviours in school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to develop social skills that promote positive relationships with the children they live with. This means that conflicts are managed well and do not escalate into incidents of bullying.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Independence is promoted by staff, and children develop skills that will help them in adulthood. Staff have high expectations of children maintaining their bedrooms to a reasonable standard of cleanliness. However, sometimes this is not always achievable for children who would benefit from more staff support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is situated in a rural area that is remote. This means children rely on staff to help them to access shops and leisure activities in the community. Children’s plans do not identify how staff enable children to access community facilities independently. This is a missed opportunity to support children to build friendships outside of the home and prepare them for life once they leave.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health care plans are not always fully understood, and the actions set out in them are not always achieved. For example, one child’s health assessment identified that the child would benefit from taking multivitamins during the autumn and winter months. However, this action was not completed. On a separate occasion, staff have not chased health professionals for blood test results and referrals to services identified to help children. This means children do not always receive healthcare at the earliest opportunity.

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

Children have told inspectors that they feel safe. Staff have a good understanding of children’s behaviours and risks, and they manage them well. This means that children’s behaviours and risks have been reduced as a result of the support they receive. One child’s risk has been reduced significantly, and there is now a plan for him to return to live with family. Inspection report for children's home: SC044745 4 Staff use incentive and reward systems to promote positive behaviours. Behaviours viewed by staff as unacceptable are discussed with children. On some occasions, consequences are used to help children to develop an understanding of the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others. However, these are not always used consistently by staff and do not always link to behaviours displayed by children.

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

Staff are trained in using physical intervention. Restraint is used rarely by staff and as a last resort to keep children and others safe or to prevent damage to property. Good-quality incident records provide a clear account of what has happened. When the registered manager is involved in a physical intervention, the incident report is monitored by the area manager.

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

Two staff have started working in the home. They previously worked in a different home with the same organisation. Safe recruitment systems are in place. This reduces 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

Since the last inspection, there have been no incidents of children going missing from home. Despite the significant progress children have made and the reduced risks, children still have limited access to the internet and mobile phones. This practice prevents children from developing skills in managing age-appropriate risks and keeping in touch with friends using their preferred communication method. These restrictions are also not preparing children for life outside the home.

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

Health and safety is taken seriously. Following a recent review of the home’s fire risk assessment, the registered manager has taken swift action to meet the recommendations identified.

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good

Staff support children to understand how to make a complaint and seek children’s views about the care they receive during weekly children’s meetings. Since the last inspection, one complaint from a parent has been received. This was reviewed by the registered manager. The investigation does not include a response to all aspects of the concerns raised by the parent. This lack of oversight from the registered manager does not promote a reflective culture or give confidence to those raising a complaint that it will be taken seriously.

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good

Ineffective systems for monitoring staff training make it difficult to evaluate if staff have undertaken appropriate training. There is a lack of guidance about the required frequency of mandatory training. Not all staff are included in the training records, and the records do not reflect all the training that staff have completed. There is no evidence that all staff have completed training related to the specific needs of the children.

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good

Learning from feedback is inconsistent. Not all requirements and recommendations from the previous inspection have been met. Information from complaints is not always used to reflect on the care provided or make improvements. Inspection report for children's home: SC044745 5 The manager provides regular supervision to staff. However, the records of these meetings lack detail, making it unclear whether the supervision sessions are meaningful and helpful.

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good

Feedback from professionals and parents is mostly positive. They recognise the significant progress children make during their time living at the home. However, one parent would like staff to be more proactive in initiating communication with them.

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good

Children receive care from an experienced, qualified manager and a consistent staff team. This helps the children to build stable, positive relationships with safe adults who are invested in their well-being.

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good

Staffing at the home has been challenging, and some staff have left in the last year. The manager has taken a sensible approach to deal with this and is not planning to increase occupancy levels until sufficient staff have been recruited. The home has sufficient staff to provide safe care for the children currently living at the home. Inspection report for children's home: SC044745 6

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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 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(a)(c)(f)(g)(i)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is repeated. 31 May 2023 Inspection report for children's home: SC044745 7 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; and

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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

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, where there are no assessed safety concerns, children’s views and wishes in relation to accessing electronic devices and using the internet should be supported to enable them to manage age-appropriate risks and keep in touch with family and friends using their preferred way of communication.

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager and staff should promote children’s opportunities to integrate into the community, access shops and participate in suitable activity clubs independently of the staff and peers they live with and go to school with.

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Requirement Due date

Staff should have realistic expectations of children maintaining their bedrooms clean and should act as positive role models by supporting children with cleaning tasks that are not done as part of a weekly cleaning routine. 31 May 2023 Inspection report for children's home: SC044745 8 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—

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s health is assessed annually and information is used to inform children’s health and care plans.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. 31 May 2023

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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: SC044745 9

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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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Inspectors

Helen Malanaphy, Social Care Inspector Vicky Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC044745 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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