Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Today

Inspection report for children's home: SC008268 1 SC008268 Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A large private provider operates this home. The home is registered to provide care for up to two children who have experienced childhood instability, resulting in trauma and associated complex behaviours.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

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

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 25 January 2023

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC008268 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/01/2023 Full Good 16/08/2021 Full Good 19/02/2020 Full Inadequate 09/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC008268 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, three children have lived in the home, and two children have moved out. Children’s experiences of moving into the home are positive. The registered manager advocates for children well to ensure that the arrangements for children to move on from the home are individualised.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote education. One child was supported to attend a college specific to their career aspirations, and they achieved a qualification in car mechanics. When there are barriers to children accessing education, the registered manager appropriately challenges education providers. Staff use naturally occurring situations to help children with their learning.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children register with local health services and receive support from staff to attend routine health checks. Staff encourage children to develop routines that support them to maintain good personal hygiene. On occasion, incentive systems are used to motivate children to manage their personal hygiene well.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff work well with professionals to manage arrangements between children and people who are important to them. As a result, one child increased the amount of time they spent with family members, including overnight stays. Staff are curious when children’s participation in family time arrangements changes. As a result, staff quickly identified that one child was keeping in touch with people important to them outside of the planned arrangements.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to spend time with friends who are positive influences. Staff are proactive in planning for friends to visit the home or join children on activities organised by staff. This helps children to maintain friendships and develop their social skills.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities with staff. This practice helps children to build positive and trusting relationships with staff who care for them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is maintained well. The decor and furnishings make the environment a welcoming and inviting space to spend time.

p.3

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

Staff understand children’s risks and behaviours well. The registered manager ensures that there are detailed plans in place that provide strategies for reducing and managing risks. Following incidents, the registered manager ensures that children and staff can reflect, and any learning is used to inform the child’s plans. For example, a child advised staff of the route they took when missing from home. Inspection report for children's home: SC008268 4 Staff used this knowledge the next time the child went missing from home and was able to locate the child and return them home.

p.3

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

Missing-from-home incidents are rare. However, since a new child moved into the home, this has slightly increased. The registered manager and staff have a good understanding of the external influences that are motivating these incidents. They are proactive and take immediate action to ensure that the child is returned home safely, working closely with all partner agencies. The child is encouraged to talk about their experience when missing from home, and staff help the child to understand the risks associated with the behaviour.

p.4

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

Physical intervention has been used on rare occasions. Staff used techniques that they are trained in. These were effective in reducing risk. Staff keep clear records of incidents and a detailed description of the hold. However, the agreed techniques are not consistently included in the child’s plan.

p.4

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

One new staff member has joined the organisation. The registered manager ensures that safe recruitment practices are completed. This reduces the risk of children being cared for by unsuitable individuals.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is new to working in this home. The team speaks positively about the support and leadership of the registered manager. The staff are developing an understanding of the registered manager’s ethos and vision for the home and approaches to use when supporting children with complex needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager’s performance has not been appraised since the last inspection. However, he has ensured that all staff receive regular supervision, and their performance is appraised as part of their probation period or annually. These meetings, alongside with regular team meetings, provide staff with the opportunity to reflect on the experiences of children who live in the home. This practice ensures that children receive consistent care from a stable staff team.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff have formed positive relationships with external agencies that support children. They have received positive feedback from neighbours and members of the community local to the home. This contributes to children’s positive experiences.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager uses monitoring systems to assess the quality of care that children receive. Reflective practice is promoted, and learning is used to develop practice to ensure that children’s experience and progress remain a priority.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that all staff receive training to support them to fulfil the expectations of their role and meet the individual needs of children who live in the home. Inspection report for children's home: SC008268 5

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. In particular, the registered manager should have their performance appraised at least once annually. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)  The registered person should ensure that when considering whether restraint is warranted, staff in the children’s home need to take into account the age and understanding of the child, the size of the child, the relevance of any disability, health problem or medication to the behaviour in question, and the action that might be taken as a result. They should also consider the relative risks of not

p.5

Recommendations

intervening, the child’s previously sought views on strategies that they considered might de-escalate or calm a situation, if appropriate, the method of restraint that would be appropriate in the specific circumstances and the impact of the restraint on the carer’s future relationship with the child. In particular, children’s plans should provide staff with guidance on the use of physical intervention that is individual to the child. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.55)

p.5

Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: SC008268 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor, Lansdowne House, 85 Buxton Road, Stockport, Cheshire SK2 6LR

p.6

Inspector

Helen Dunn, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC008268 7 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7