Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: SC005066 1 SC005066 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 operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to two children who have had adverse childhood experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2022 and holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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: 5 February 2020

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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: SC005066 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/02/2020 Full Good 12/02/2019 Full Good 31/01/2018 Full Good 06/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC005066 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home provides short-term care for children. Children move in at short notice, due to them experiencing crises in their lives, or while a permanent home can be found for them. While their progress is often limited, due to the short timescale of their stays in the home, small achievable goals are set and attained.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager carefully considers the needs of children moving into the home. Considerable time is spent gaining a full understanding of the risks and vulnerabilities of the children, ensuring that the home is sufficiently equipped to meet their needs. This is intended to maximise stability and safety for the children and avoid disruption to their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do well in this home. They have positive experiences and make good progress during their short stays. Children benefit from a good standard of care from staff who meet their needs. They develop strong relationships with staff, based on a foundation of open and honest communication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop their independence skills by encouraging them to help with daily tasks, such as cooking and keeping their bedrooms clean and tidy. These tasks help children to build independence skills and prepare them for adult life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with opportunities to take part in a range of activities. Children enjoy horse riding, bowling and swimming. As a result, children feel part of the community and grow in confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have successfully supported children with their educational needs. For example, staff worked very closely with one child’s school to tailor the support for their education. As a result, the child continued to make progress.

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

Staff keep children safe, through prioritising their safety and welfare. The registered manager and staff understand children’s known risks and behaviours and are skilled at quickly building positive and trusting relationships with them, which helps keep them safe.

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

There have been no episodes of children going missing since the last inspection. There are missing-from-home protocols in place and staff understand what action they would need to take if a child went missing from the home.

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

There have been no incidents of restraint since the last inspection. This is because staff know the children well and are able to de-escalate situations when required. Staff promote and reinforce positive behaviour by using praise and rewards. Inspection report for children's home: SC005066 4 The manager and staff understand the importance of online safety. They ensure that there are parental controls on children’s devices and, as a result, children can only access age-appropriate websites. The manager has developed a guide for children to support them to understand safe internet use. As a result, children are kept safe online.

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

Staff spend time with children helping them understand risk and raising their awareness of topics of concern. This positive work supports children to learn how to keep themselves safe.

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

Children live in a home that is safe and secure. There are effective health and safety systems in place. Regular fire drills ensure that children know how to evacuate the building quickly and safely in an emergency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified manager, who has been in post since February 2022. The staff speak highly of the manager and say he is incredibly supportive and helpful.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective monitoring systems in place. His oversight helps him to quickly identify any shortfalls and areas for development. This approach helps the children to receive a good quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is staffed by a team who have the required training, skills and qualifications to support the children’s individual needs. This ensures that children receive the best care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work well with the wider team around the child. Feedback from one external professional was positive, recognising the benefits of their child spending time at the home. The professional said, ‘This placement has had a positive impact on [name of child].’

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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: SC005066 5

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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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Inspector

Jas Nahar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC005066 6 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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