Lower Roach End Farm

Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 1 SC005048 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 private company owns this home. It provides care for children with social and/or emotional difficulties. The children’s home can care for up to eight children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2014 and holds a level 5 qualification in Health and Social Care Leadership and Management.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, the registered manager has not been working in the home. In their absence, an experienced and qualified manager has been supporting the day-to-day arrangements.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspectors only inspected the social care provision at this school.

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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: 22 November 2022

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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: SC005048 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/09/2021 Full Good 20/02/2020 Full Good 15/08/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have had positive experiences of moving on from the home. Children meet their new carers and visit their new home. This helps them to prepare for the move. Staff consult with children about how they want to celebrate their time living in the home, and arrangements are made to create positive memories for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend a school that is part of the same organisation and is located close to the home. Children make progress with their learning and are looking forward to celebrating their end-of-year achievements at an awards event. One child is preparing to move to high school. To reduce the child’s anxieties about moving school, staff are supporting him to visit his new school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities at home and in the local community. They have access to role-play equipment, which enables them to develop skills through play. Children enjoy weekly swimming lessons and are encouraged by staff to join clubs such as cubs, dance and boxing. This provides opportunities for children to meet friends, have fun and develop new skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy positive and nurturing relationships with staff. Children are supported by staff to keep in touch with people who are important to them. The manager advocates on behalf of children when they request changes to their plans. This helps children to feel valued and supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Age-appropriate independence is encouraged. This helps children to develop self- care skills and good routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has recently been redecorated, and bathrooms have been modernised. Children have new bedroom furniture, and they choose their own soft furnishings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff do not always have access to current information about children from the local authority. There has been a delay in the managers requesting this. At the time of the inspection, the manager supporting the home could not find notes taken by staff from children’s care planning reviews. This means that staff do not have current information about some children’s care and health plans.

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

The manager and staff understand children’s risks. There are effective systems in place to keep children safe. For example, staff use child-friendly resources to help children develop an understanding of different risks and strategies on how to keep themselves safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 4 The manager works well with external professionals when a child shares concerns about a member of staff. Action is taken to keep children safe when an investigation is being completed. The manager keeps clear records on how investigation outcomes are reached. The manager supports children and staff to restore their relationship following an investigation outcome. This reassures children when staff return to work.

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

Staff support children to manage their relationships with each other. Staff help children to reflect on behaviours and the impact these can have on themselves and others. As a result of these discussions, children develop strategies that help them to manage relationships that they find challenging. There has been a reduction in conflicts between children who live in the home.

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

Staff use restraint on occasion to keep children and others safe. Records of restraint incidents are clear and include discussions with staff and children. This enables the manager to have good oversight of the intervention and identify any other support needed to help the child. A restorative approach to managing children’s behaviours is in place. Staff use consequences and rewards that are appropriate to the children’s behaviours, age and understanding.

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

Children develop skills to keep themselves safe. The manager and staff use a therapeutic reflective approach that includes resources and activities to help children identify and manage risk. This practice contributes to children’s behaviours improving. One child proudly told the inspectors that he knows how to keep safe on the internet because he is taught this all the time.

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

There have been no complaints made during this inspection period. Children feel confident to raise concerns with staff and their social workers. Children know they will be listened to, and this helps them to feel valued and safe.

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

The manager and staff respond well when there are concerns about a child’s safety. For example, it is rare that children go missing from home. However, when children are not where they are expected to be, staff respond well. They search for children and share their concerns with relevant professionals. When they are found, staff ensure that children’s emotional needs are met, and they are provided with an opportunity to speak with an independent person. The outcome of these discussions is not clearly recorded, and so information may be missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

In the absence of the registered manager, an experienced and qualified manager is supporting the home. Two new staff have joined the team. Managers have effective recruitment systems in place to reduce the risk of children being cared for by unsuitable adults. Changes to the staff team are managed sensitively, so children benefit from receiving care from people they know well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff are suitably trained to provide individualised care to the children. Team meetings are held regularly, which provide staff with the Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 5 opportunity to review and share ideas on ways to support children’s progress. The manager uses these meetings to develop practice and embed her vision for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and an annual appraisal. This provides a safe space to reflect on their practice, discuss safeguarding concerns and review their development. A workforce development plan is in place, which sets out the manager’s plan to upskill the staff team to ensure that children are receiving the best-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular meetings with children are held. This ensures that they can talk about the things that matter to them, and they can be actively involved in making decisions about their care and day-to-day routines.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses a range of review and monitoring systems to maintain oversight of the home. The information helps to develop areas in the home, such as staff practice or areas that will improve outcomes for the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 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, 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers and staff not having care planning documents, including local authority care plans, health plans and care planning review minutes. Staff should keep records of meetings they attend where care planning decisions are made. 16 August 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: SC005048 7

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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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 Dunn, Social Care Inspector Nateisha Cardoza-Evans, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 8 regulates and inspects 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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