Children's Home run by The Together Trust in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home: SC025745 1 SC025745 Registered provider: The Together Trust Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run and managed by a charitable organisation. It provides a short- breaks service for up to five children who may have learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 22 children were accessing the service and three children were staying at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2022. She is suitably qualified and experienced.

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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: 9 February 2023

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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: SC025745 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/02/2023 Full Good 08/12/2021 Full Good 19/08/2019 Full Good 06/11/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC025745 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have trusting and secure relationships with staff who know them well and prioritise their well-being. Children are treated with dignity and respect, and they experience care that is sensitive to their individual needs and abilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Positive behaviour is promoted, and achievements are celebrated with the children. Staff make sure that children have access to a wide range of activities to meet their sensory needs, hobbies and interests, such as swimming, trampolining, shopping, bowling and going to the park. Due to high staff ratios, children can access a variety of experiences which may otherwise be limited for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make sure that children’s health needs are met. Parents tend to take responsibility for routine appointments. Staff support this when needed and make sure that there are suitable arrangements in place for the safe administration of medication while children are staying at the home. However, some specialist health plans, such as epilepsy plans, are out of date.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to use their preferred communication methods. There is a staff member identified as the communication lead. However, not all staff are trained in communication aids, which limits the effectiveness of their use.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children are new to the home, they are made to feel welcome. This is done with the best possible planning, taking into account the children’s individual circumstances and staff’s skills and training. This means that there is a child-centred approach to deciding if the home and staff team are suitable to meet children’s needs before they commence their stays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who have left the home have done so in a positive and planned way in line with their individual plans. Staff have supported the children with the moves to their new services to make the transitions as comfortable as possible for them. When it has been necessary, children have remained at the home for a short period after they have turned 18. When this happens, their plans are carefully considered and a clear plan is put in place for their transition to an adult placement.

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

Children’s individual risks are detailed in their risk management plans. These are robust documents which are frequently reviewed and updated and give clear guidance to staff and ensure consistent responses to children’s behaviours. Staff understand these documents and put them into practice.

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

Staff respond with clear boundaries about what is acceptable and seek to understand the children’s individual needs and support them to manage their own behaviours and emotions appropriately. Staff support children to understand risks Inspection report for children’s home: SC025745 4 and dangers and to work towards achieving their set targets. However, there is no record of these sessions taking place and no set structure for staff to follow.

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

When it is necessary to physically hold children, incidents are reasonable and proportionate. They are recorded appropriately, and all relevant professionals are notified. The manager reviews each incident, looks at potential triggers and evaluates the effectiveness of the use of any holds. Children are supported following a hold to explore their feelings and their understanding of why a hold may have taken place.

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

There have been no allegations, disclosures or safeguarding concerns since the last inspection. Staff spoken to during the inspection were able to explain the correct processes to follow should they be made aware of any concerns or allegations.

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

Leaders and managers ensure that safer recruitment checks are carried out for new members of staff. When it is necessary to use agency staff, a robust process is in place to ensure that suitable checks are carried out to make sure that everyone is suitably vetted before working with the children.

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

The physical environment for children is safe, secure and protects them from harm or the risk of harm. In addition, the home is warm and welcoming, and any maintenance issues are quickly addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and is supported by an experienced assistant manager. They have robust oversight of the home. They are reflective in their approach and are aware of the home’s strengths and weaknesses and have plans in place to address any issues or areas identified for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers make effective use of internal and external monitoring systems. The registered manager uses the quality of care review report as a useful development tool for the home. External monitoring by the independent visitor could be strengthened by ensuring that feedback is regularly gathered from family members and professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a consistent staff team that is supported by regular bank and agency staff. When bank staff and/or agency staff are used, they work alongside core staff to ensure that children are cared for by staff who know them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive the company’s mandatory training. However, there are shortfalls in the training to meet the children’s individual needs, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, pica and communication aids, including zones of regulation. In addition, staff would benefit from in-depth autism spectrum disorder training alongside their existing online training module.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes sure that staff are supported to take part in regular supervision sessions and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at Inspection report for children’s home: SC025745 5 least once a year. However, supervision sessions are not always practice related or reflective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings and staff development sessions are used to share information with the team, review children’s plans and as an opportunity to drive staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that plans for individual children comprehensively identify their needs. However, there is not always suitable challenge to the placing authority to ensure that children’s education, health and care plans are updated within timescales and that updated copies of these plans are provided to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work in partnership with family members and external professionals, such as social workers and school staff, and attend any meetings to ensure that there is a team around the child to support them to achieve positive outcomes. One parent said, ‘It’s such a lovely place and I’m really lucky that my children get to go there.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC025745 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 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff are trained specifically to meet the children’s individual needs. 18 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being.

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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 has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children’s epilepsy plans are regularly updated and that current plans are available for staff. 18 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— 18 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC025745 7 seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must challenge the placing authority to ensure that children’s education, health and care plans are completed in a timely manner and copies of the plans are provided for the home.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff support children to be aware of and manage their own safety inside and outside the home. Staff should help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. Staff should ensure that a record is kept of when these sessions have taken place. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)  The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home. The independent person should regularly seek the views from family members of children using the service and professionals involved in the child’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that systems are in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including, the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2) Inspection report for children’s home: SC025745 8

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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: SC025745 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Together Trust Centre, Schools Hill, Cheadle SK8 1JE

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Caroline Whittaker-Axon

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Inspector

Katie Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC025745 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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