Children's Home run by Safe Places for Children UK in Cheshire East

Inspection report for children’s home: 2548260 1 Registered provider: Safe Places for Children UK Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private organisation. The home is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since November 2022. A manager has submitted an application to register in this time.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2548260 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 28/09/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2548260 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is currently one child living at the home. This was a planned transition. The child said, ‘This is the best home that I have been in. I have lived in a lot of different places.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child benefits from well-tailored plans that promote their needs effectively. The child enjoys living at the home because the home is based in the child’s home area and is close to their friends and family. As a result, the child sustains their close relationships with the people who are most important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child benefits from positive relationships with the manager and the same consistent staff team. The manager ensures that the child has a stable staff team in place for them to feel safe and secure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are good arrangements in place to meet the child’s health needs. The child is registered with a doctor, dentist and optician and has access to these services when they need them. The child has suffered a recent family bereavement. The manager quickly identified bereavement counselling for the child to help them with their loss.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made good progress in their education in relation to their starting point. They are attending school more frequently and staff promote the child’s improved attendance, educational achievements and learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly provide the child with positive activities to develop their interests and hobbies. Sometimes, the child does not want to engage in any activities and prefers to spend their time in the home or with friends and family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has been given an album of photos so that they have their own keepsake of their most memorable moments at the home.

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

The child’s safety is consistently at the centre of staff’s practice. Risks associated with the child are well known and understood by staff. Staff have a good understanding of the child’s specific needs and vulnerabilities and take appropriate action to address them. Staff keep the child safe and protect them from harm.

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

Staff work closely with the police and other safeguarding agencies to promote the child’s safety. Staff respond to incidents quickly and take action to prevent behaviours from escalating. There have not been any restraints since the last inspection.

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

There has been a considerable decrease in the frequency of missing-from-home episodes since the last inspection. On the occasions that the child has gone missing Inspection report for children’s home: 2548260 4 from home, staff have followed the missing-person procedures effectively, including actively looking for the child and securing their safe return.

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

The child becomes increasingly safer because of the actions staff take to protect them. A local police inclusion and engagement officer said, ‘The staff are great. We have excellent partnerships with the team and the manager is a breath of fresh air. Communication is excellent.’

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

The child benefits from a physically safe, comfortable and homely living environment. However, due to concerns in the local area, after close consideration of the impact of the location on any children living at the home, an agreement has been made between the provider and the local authority for the home to close and cease to operate. The child currently living in the home does not yet have an agreed plan of where they are moving to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager had submitted an application to register with Ofsted. However, as the home is due to close, they will not now be registering. The manager has had a positive impact on the children and the care provided. They have ensured that risks associated with localised anti-social behaviour have been shared with the police, which has led to increased police presence to disrupt and target anti-social behaviour. As a result, incidents have reduced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has ensured that staff are supported effectively through regular team meetings and monthly practice-related supervision. This provides staff with the opportunity to reflect on their practice and review the child’s experiences and progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff meet the aims and objectives as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. However, the document does not include details of the qualifications and relevant experience of the staff working at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has completed a detailed quality-of-care review that demonstrates they have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the care provided. However, they have not directly used the views of children, staff, social workers or other stakeholders. The manager has been over-reliant on the feedback received by the independent person, obtained as part of the external monitoring activities. Additionally, there are limited targets set for the next six months to secure improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2548260 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, the 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 registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the inclusion of staff’s details, experience and relevant qualifications. 24 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and 24 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2548260 6 make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should help children to prepare for any moves from the home, such as moving to another placement. This includes working with the placing authority to support children to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home’s support. Placement endings should be positive and handled sensitively. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)

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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: 2548260 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Safe Places for Children UK

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: First Floor, Triad House, Mountbatten Court, Worrall Street, Congleton, Cheshire CW12 1DT

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Inspectors

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2548260 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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