Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Today

Inspection report for children’s home: 2557152 1 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 owned and managed by a private provider. The home provides care for up to three children who may experience emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2019.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2557152 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/06/2022 Full Good 11/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2557152 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the needs of the children and work hard to build relationships with them. Staff use these relationships to enable children to reach their potential. Children live in a warm and welcoming environment that they identify as ‘home’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager ensures that children who move into and on from the home experience well-thought-out and planned moves. Staff welcome children to the home sensitively. This ensures that children’s views inform their introductions to the staff and the home. One child who was moving on wrote to staff, saying, ‘You’re all doing a great job so keep it up. I will take all my happy memories with me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the children’s views about the care that they receive. Children’s views are taken seriously and acted on quickly. This creates an environment in which children feel listened to and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health. The registered manager works closely with health professionals to ensure that the health needs of the children are fully understood. Staff support children to attend routine health appointments and welcome health professionals into the home when required. One nurse said, ‘The staff have a wealth of knowledge about the children.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been some instances of delay in identifying suitable education arrangements for children. The registered manager has not appropriately escalated her challenges with relevant professionals. As a result, there has been a delay in some children’s education needs being met. However, when education arrangements are established, children attend and develop ambitions for their own future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff enable children to access a wide range of activities, including singing lessons for one child. This enables children to pursue their own interests and talents. Staff nurture children’s relationships with family and connected persons. Staff invest time to help families and connected persons to understand their child’s needs. As a result, children’s relationships with family members and connected persons improve, which enables children to build support networks for the future.

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

Children’s risks reduce because of the care that they receive. Staff take a conscientious approach to keeping children safe. Children’s plans identify children’s known risks and provide staff with clarity in respect of actions they need to take to keep each child safe.

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

Staff support children to manage their feelings safely. Staff enable children to learn about their own risks and develop skills to keep themselves safe. As a result, children’s unsafe behaviours reduce. Inspection report for children’s home: 2557152 4 Children are encouraged by staff to develop their independence skills in line with their individual abilities. For example, one child enjoys cooking and preparing meals in the home. As a result, children develop self-confidence and their independence skills.

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

Physical intervention is used rarely and only as a last resort to keep children safe. On one occasion, one child who was held by staff was not given the opportunity to share their views about this after the incident. This does not ensure that practice in this area remains safe or appropriate.

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

Children who are missing from home experience coordinated responses from staff. When children return home, they are offered the opportunity to speak to an independent person. This helps staff to understand the reasons why children go missing. However, at night, staff do not continue efforts to locate children or contact children who are missing from home. This does not ensure that children are located quickly or that children understand that their safe return to the home is a priority. This is not reflected in children’s individual plans or in line with the home’s missing- from-care policy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is visible and leads by example. She has a good understanding of the quality of care provided to the children and takes decisive action to address shortfalls in practice. This provides staff with clarity about what is expected of them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has created a culture of high expectations. Staff enjoy working in the home and feel supported. Staff access regular supervisions and team meetings. The manager leads reflective learning with staff in team meetings following significant events. As a result, staff are supported to learn and develop in their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak about the children with genuine warmth and care. The manager and staff work together to understand children’s evolving needs. Staff feel included in the changes made to children’s plans and routines.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has built effective working relationships with other professionals. Feedback from external professionals is overwhelmingly positive. The registered manager shares weekly updates with children’s placing authorities and contributes to decisions made about children’s care planning. Inspection report for children’s home: 2557152 5

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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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 (c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person challenging the placing authority if they consider that a child’s needs are not being met in accordance with the relevant plans. 12 April 2024

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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

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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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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)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that staff take steps to locate children who are missing from home in accordance with an assessment of their individual needs. 12 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2557152 6 This also relates to the registered person ensuring that children who have experienced a physical intervention are offered a debrief, to ensure that practice in this area remains safe.

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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: 2557152 7

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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: Lansdowne House, 85 Buxton Road, Stockport, Cheshire SK2 6LR

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Inspector

Sally Griffiths, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2557152 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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