Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Leeds

Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 1 SC437645 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

The home is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There were four children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2022.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

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

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

Date of last inspection: 28 February 2023

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2023 Full Good 10/11/2021 Full Good 15/01/2020 Full Good 23/07/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have natural, warm and trusted relationships with the staff. The children said that staff are fun and always kind. Children have a trusted adult they can confide in, and the staff are responsive to the needs of children. Children at this home feel secure.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The views and opinions of children are valued and respected. Children are listened to by staff, who take time to understand what the children need and respect their views, wishes and feelings. Children have a regular weekly meeting called the ‘private and confidential meeting’. They meet with a key member of staff to reflect on their week. Additionally, weekly children’s meetings are held. Children have the opportunity to chair the meeting and write the minutes. From this meeting, the children are able to take actions or requests to the staff meeting for consideration.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s guide helps the children to understand what happens in the home, and who they can contact if they need support. Children also discuss any complaints, or issues such as bullying, or if they would like an advocate at their weekly meetings. Children are supported to develop skills to gain independence while keeping themselves safe.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress with their education as they are encouraged to attend their educational provision. When necessary, children are helped with their education at home. Staff advocate for children and work with professionals to ensure that the education provided meets the children’s needs. Staff are ambitious for the children in their care.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s successes are celebrated. Children are praised and earn extra rewards for positive behaviour. There are clear and consistent boundaries in place. Children understand which behaviours are not acceptable, and they have the opportunity to reflect on any concerns with staff. This helps to reinforce positive behaviours.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children at this home are healthy as their health and well-being needs are met consistently. Children are supported sensitively with their health needs, and they are encouraged to take any medicines they require. When children need extra help with their physical or mental health, staff make sure this is in place.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities and hobbies. They play for local football and basketball teams, and they enjoy taking part in go-karting activities and going on holiday. One child regularly attends the local ‘Children in Care Council’, where they discuss the care system. They then feed back any information from this meeting to the other children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 4

p.3

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

Children at this home feel safe because the staff are consistent in their care. The children’s risk assessments and care plans are regularly updated. These plans identify the individual risks for the children, and the actions that the staff must take. One child said, ‘I feel safe here, this is the safest house I can think of. I choose to live here.’

p.4

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

Positive behaviour is consistently promoted. Staff are trained and skilled in de- escalation techniques that prevent incidents in the home from increasing in severity. Children do not need staff to physically intervene when they are distressed. One child said that the staff help them to calm down when they need to, and they offer them a drink.

p.4

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

When children go missing from the home, the staff ensure that they look for them and contact the necessary people. Staff follow the children’s missing-from-home protocols that are clear and detailed. The protocols direct staff to the best course of action, which ensures that they are confident in supporting the children to keep safe. The risk of harm to children is reduced because of the actions taken by staff.

p.4

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

The physical environment for children is safe. Health and safety in the home is well managed. The local area risk assessment is reflective of the known risks and there is consultation with relevant people. Children have regular positive and proactive contact with the neighbourhood police team.

p.4

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

The recruitment of staff is clear and organised, and there is managerial oversight of this. Any queries are reviewed and questions are asked as needed. Verification processes take place before staff begin work at the home. This provides assurance that staff are suitable to work with children. All staff complete an induction programme that includes training, support and shadowing opportunities. Staff said this is helpful and helps them to do their job better.

p.4

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

Staff do not undertake regular room searches. When this has occurred, the concerns and records are clear, with evidence of the appropriate steps taken. Children are supported to understand the reason for the search, and given the opportunity to reflect on this.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff meetings are held weekly and are well attended by the staff. The needs of the children are reviewed. Staff focus on the children’s achievements, and the areas where staff can offer additional support. The registered manager reviews and reflects with the team on issues such as significant events, areas of concern and training needs. Regular training and update sessions also occur at meetings.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has oversight of the home, and he completes regular audits to ensure that quality is maintained. There are monthly visits to the home by an Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 5 independent person that are responded to by the registered manager, and enhancements to the home are made when necessary.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from the children’s family members, carers and professionals is very positive about the home. Families and carers said their children are well cared for, happy and safe. Professionals describe regular communication with the home, a relaxed atmosphere and staff who advocate for children’s needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff qualifications, skills and training are up to date, and they reflect the needs of the children in the home. Additional continuing professional development is completed that helps the staff to meet the children’s needs. This has included courses such as adverse childhood experiences, mental health issues and support of the children. Staff are supported to train and develop as managers, and also in areas of interest such as therapeutic work.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of the registered manager and the deputy manager. They speak positively about the team, and they said they work well together and are supportive of each other. Staff say that the registered manager promotes their development, and that there is a clear progression pathway. Staff enjoy coming to work.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is warm, homely and welcoming, with the downstairs decoration and furnishings being in good order. The children’s bedrooms are personalised and to the taste of each child. However, all the bedrooms require some redecoration to cover scuffs and damage, and some items of furniture such as a child’s wardrobe and chair require replacing. The registered manager was aware of this and arranging for this to take place.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is supportive of the staff and keen for them to develop and progress in their career. Supervision sessions are completed with staff, and staff say that these are helpful to them. However, not all of these sessions are documented, and some documents, such as appraisals, do not reflect the full conversation which takes place.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When significant incidents occur in the home, these are well managed by the staff, and there is management oversight and review. However, the manager has not notified Ofsted of all serious incidents that have required the involvement of the police. This prevents Ofsted from being assured that the appropriate action is being taken by all safeguarding agencies. Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.6

Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

p.6

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) 31 May 2024

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be a homely, domestic environment. In particular, the registered person should redecorate and repair areas of wear and tear in the children’s bedrooms, and ensure damaged bedroom furniture is replaced. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the content and outcomes of supervision sessions are kept, and ensure that both the person giving the supervision and the staff have a copy of the record. In particular, the registered person should ensure that all supervisions and appraisals that take place are documented and reflect the discussions that take place and the management oversight of this. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the

p.6

Recommendations

quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)

p.6

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: SC437645 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspector

Jo Cansfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

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.8

Inspector

http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 9

p.8