Children's home run by Care Today (Childrens Services) Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2615395 1 Registered provider: Care Today (Children’s Services) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and managed. The home provides care and support for up to two children who may have emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2020.

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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: 2615395 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/05/2022 Full Good 20/04/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2615395 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into the home, the staff team provides effective support that enables children to settle in quickly. When children move on from the home, they do so with a robust plan in place that equips them to manage their lives with continued support from a range of professionals and people with whom they are familiar.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are consulted about decisions relating to their care. Their views are sought in a number of ways so that their wishes and feelings regarding the things that matter most to them are represented. Staff respond sensitively and empathetically to their needs, assisting them to form a positive sense of self.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met. Staff ensure that routine checks and scheduled hospital appointments are followed up and attended. This ensures that the ongoing health needs of all children are appropriately met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Learning is encouraged by the staff team. Children are supported with an education plan that meets their specific needs around learning. Staff have developed effective working relationships with education professionals. One education professional said, ‘The home has gone above and beyond for [name of child]. They communicate regularly in relation to the child’s specific needs.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to engage in activities, events and groups to promote their identity needs, and there they have the opportunity to socialise with others and build positive peer relationships. When children do not feel confident to participate, the staff team considers alternatives that may be more suitable.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy good relationships with staff. Observations of interactions between a child and various members of staff demonstrate that the child is comfortable in their surroundings and with the staff who care for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager works effectively with a range of other professionals to progress plans for individual children to prevent delay and to ensure that each child’s specific needs are being met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with their friends and families. Children enjoy time with the people who are most important to them. One parent said that the staff team has been flexible when making arrangements for them to see their child.

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

Children can identify a trusted adult that they can speak to and share their worries and concerns with. Staff know the children well and reinforce positive behaviour Inspection report for children’s home: 2615395 4 and acceptable boundaries by spending time with them and having meaningful discussions.

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

Staff understand the risks associated with the child and are confident in managing difficult situations that may arise around self-harm. As such, these incidents have significantly reduced. Emerging risks are quickly identified to ensure that children are appropriately safeguarded.

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

Staff understand safeguarding, and they are clear and confident in safeguarding procedures should they need to report any safeguarding concerns. Regular communication between staff and professionals involved in the child’s plan means that there is effective safety planning in place.

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

Plans around the child’s specific needs have been carefully thought out and have involved staff being part of discussions with professionals in making decisions about children’s emerging needs.

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

Since the last inspection, the use of physical intervention has not occurred. Staff use effective strategies to defuse and manage difficult situations that sometimes happen. However, staff continue to have regular training, so if the need for physical intervention arises, they are trained to carry out this intervention in a way that is safe for the child.

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

Incidents of children going missing from the home are rare. When children have been missing from the home, staff take immediate action to report the child as missing. However, plans do not fully reflect the actions that staff are expected to take to locate a child who is missing from the home.

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

The staff team has good working relationships with parents. When significant incidents have occurred, timely attempts have been made to contact the child’s parents to keep them informed.

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

Children know how to make a complaint. The children’s guide has been recently updated with relevant information for children to access, including how to make a complaint. When a child has made a complaint, this has been managed quickly by the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by experienced leaders and managers. The leadership team has undergone some recent changes. The registered manager has stepped back from being in day-to-day charge of the home, and an interim manager has been appointed and has applied to register with Ofsted. These changes have had no impact on the staff team or on the care of children. Staff feel supported and listened to and say that managers are available to them when they require support or advice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2615395 5 Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. The use of internal monitoring systems is effective and enables the management team to track practice and performance and take action when required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have effective working relationships with partner agencies and community leaders. The manager knows the risks present in the locality and how to minimise these for children in the home. Children have a supportive network of professionals in the community who work together to keep them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers carefully consider new children coming to live at the home and match their specific needs to the child already living in the home. The manager talks to the child and staff when considering a new child moving in, which ensures that their views are listened to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular supervision and annual appraisals. They use these processes to encourage professional development, monitor practice and performance. Training and development are effective and focused on ensuring that staff can meet the specific needs of the children who live at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have a consistent approach to caring for children. There is effective communication during handovers and team meetings, and staff members respect each other. This helps children learn from positive role models who care for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When incidents do occur, leaders and managers do not always ensure that there is consistency in the recording of these incidents as set out in the home’s statement of purpose, particularly in relation to the home’s policy around reflective practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2615395 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities throughout the night when a child goes missing from the home. Staff should take reasonable steps to locate the child to ensure their safe return home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)  The registered person should ensure that recording is consistent and that reflections take place following all incidents. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)

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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: 2615395 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care Today (Children’s Services) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Care Today Children’s Services, 2nd Floor, Lansdowne House, 85 Buxton Road, Stockport SK2 6LR

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Liam Fitzpatrick

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Inspector

Michelle Greenhalgh, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2615395 8 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 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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