Children's Home run by Your Chapter Limited in Tameside

Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 1 Registered provider: Your Chapter Limited 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. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager submitted her application to register with Ofsted in September 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

The home was judged inadequate at the last full inspection on 28 and 29 June 2023. This was due to serious and widespread shortfalls in respect of safeguarding practice and the leadership and management of the home. As a result, three compliance notices were issued under Section 22A of the Care Standards Act. These were in relation to regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, and regulation 23, the medicines standard. Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 2 A monitoring visit took place on 18 August 2023 to monitor and review the action taken by the provider to meet the compliance notices. Ofsted found that the provider had taken sufficient action to meet the compliance notices. Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/06/2023 Full Inadequate 21/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/11/2021 Full Good 15/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 4

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improvement to be good

There are two children currently living in the home. They moved into the home on a planned short-term basis. This is not in line with the care described in the home’s statement of purpose. Children’s records do not evidence how the therapeutic model of care is to be adapted on this basis.

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improvement to be good

Consultations with family and professionals mean that staff get to know children before they move in. Children are invited to visit the home to support them to settle in. This helps alleviate any anxieties they may have. However, plans for children moving into the home do not reflect all known risks.

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improvement to be good

Children have access to therapeutic support and intervention by the in-house clinical team. However, children’s records and plans do not reflect their therapeutic needs and the support that they are engaging with. Plans for children are not developed in partnership with the clinical team. This means that the daily care and support the children receive may not be meeting their therapeutic and emotional needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to enjoy new activities and hobbies. Staff promote healthy lifestyles and engagement with fitness activities. One child recently enjoyed a holiday with staff, where he was able to have his first experience of sea fishing.

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improvement to be good

Children have access to on-site education. Bespoke arrangements are in place for children to engage in education when they have not been accessing school previously. However, there are no clear plans in place to promote engagement with education. This means that staff do not have guidance on how to support children when they are reluctant to attend or engage with education.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to spend time with family and those important to them. Family members are welcomed into the home to spend time with children in their home environment. Parents said that they are informed of their children’s progress and daily experiences.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to complain. The positive relationships they have with staff mean that they can talk to them about concerns or issues they have. Staff provide support and reassurance to children during the investigation of complaints. Children are provided with opportunities to repair relationships with staff when allegations are made.

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improvement to be good

Staff spoken to know the children well. However, children’s records do not include up-to-date information. Risk-assessment documents do not include all known risks. Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 5 Records have not been reviewed following incidents or changes in circumstances. Behaviour-management strategies are not recorded for all known risks. As a result, staff do not have clear guidance for managing behaviour. Furthermore, not all children are consulted in the development of their plans. This means that staff may not be providing support to children at times of crisis or distress in line with children’s wishes.

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improvement to be good

Staff develop strong relationships with children. As a result, children talk to staff about issues relating to their risks and vulnerabilities. When children are new to the home, staff support them to feel safe and settled. As a result, children’s risky behaviours reduce when they come to live in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to access their records in the home. However, plans are not in place to manage this safely. There is no guidance for staff to follow to ensure that children are supported to read their files in a planned and safe way. As a result, one child was given access to highly sensitive information without the consent of the local authority. This could impact negatively on the child’s emotional well-being. Additional therapeutic support is now in place to support the child’s emotional needs.

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improvement to be good

There have been no incidents of children being physically held. However, children have not been consulted on their preferred methods of intervention in the event of an incident occurring.

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improvement to be good

There have been no incidents of children going missing from the home. However, there are clear plans in place for staff to follow in the event of an incident occurring.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to engage in meaningful key-work sessions. This promotes positive behaviour and supports children to make positive decisions. Staff consult with professionals to support their work with children on known risks, for example smoking and vaping. However, records do not reflect strategies for staff to use to manage this within the home.

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good

The manager has submitted her application to register with Ofsted. Recruitment is ongoing for the post of deputy manager. New staff have been recruited and are due to start in the home imminently. The recruitment of new staff to the home is safe. Existing staff cover shortfalls in times of absence or sickness. However, on one occasion, the children were cared for by a lone member of staff due to difficulties in arranging replacement staff at short notice. The manager has now implemented a risk assessment to ensure that safe arrangements are in place moving forward.

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good

Staff spoke highly of the manager and said that they are well supported in their roles. Staff benefit from regular supervision. They said that the manager is always Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 6 available to provide informal support when required. Regular team meetings provide staff with the opportunity to reflect on their practice and discuss plans for children.

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good

Staff are up to date with mandatory training. However, refresher training is required for some staff, where gaps in their knowledge of therapeutic models of care have been identified.

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good

Management oversight in the home has improved since the last inspection. However, changes have been made to the admission process for children moving into the home. This is not consistent with the model of care as outlined in the statement of purpose. Furthermore, there has been a lack of oversight in the reviewing and recording of children’s plans. As a result, children’s records do not include all up-to-date and accurate information.

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good

Monitoring and review systems are in place. Development plans identify shortfalls and include clear plans to address these. Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 7

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children’s records include all known risks and are reviewed and updated to include up-to-date and accurate information. 1 December 2023

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; 1 December 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 8 understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(x))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children’s records include clear plans for supporting and promoting children’s engagement in education.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the care planning for children in the home includes the therapeutic support provided, and that safe systems are in place for children to access records. 1 December 2023

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 1 December 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 9 ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children are consulted in the development of their care plans and records.

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the care provided to children is consistent with that outlined in the home’s statement of purpose, that staff undertake refresher training around therapeutic models of care, and that children’s records are reviewed and updated accordingly. 1 December 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 10

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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: 2519592 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Your Chapter Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hobart House, 3 Oakwater Avenue, Cheadle Royal Business Park, Cheadle SK8 3SR

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Inspector

Claire Hobbs, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 12 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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