Children's Home run by Partners in Care Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Inspection report for children's home: SC035049 1 SC035049 Registered provider: Partners in Care Limited

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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 two children who may have social and emotional 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 July 2022.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC035049 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/04/2022 Full Good 26/01/2022 Full Inadequate 22/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC035049 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care planning for children is good. Children’s plans identify the specific targets for each child and the support that they require to achieve them. Regular direct-work sessions are carried out. The children actively engage in these sessions and, as a result, they are making good progress in reaching their individual goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Educational attendance and attainment are improved. Staff support children to engage in bespoke educational programmes, training and work-based placements. This enhances their workability and future life chances. Children have aspirations for their future and engage well with the external agencies supporting them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s physical and emotional health are suitably managed. Children are registered with healthcare professionals and are supported to attend all routine appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff successfully encourage children to take part in community and individual activities. Children have joined the local football team, youth club and running club. Children enjoy spending time in the home’s sensory room. This provides a quiet space for them to relax and do arts and crafts and play board games.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children maintaining relationships that are important to them. Staff support children to have regular visits with the important people in their lives. Where necessary, the staff provide support to ensure that children enjoy quality time with their loved ones.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Consultation with children takes place regularly, through children’s meetings and direct- work sessions. Children engage in these sessions and offer their own views and suggestions. Where appropriate, staff respond to suggestions and make necessary changes. The children’s input can be seen in the decor children have chosen for their bedrooms and the home’s living areas, as well as in activities and menu choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop independence skills. Pathway plans and individual targets identify the tasks for children to achieve, such as using appliances, budgeting and travelling independently. Direct-work sessions support children to make progress and further develop their skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The property is warm and welcoming. The living room and kitchen have been refurbished and further work is ongoing. Children’s bedrooms are decorated in a style of their choice. However, one child’s bedroom does not have window coverings to protect their privacy. In addition, a set of bedroom drawers was damaged and required repairing or replacing. Inspection report for children's home: SC035049 4

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

When safeguarding concerns arise, staff follow the correct procedures. There is effective communication with relevant key professionals. Children have clear safety plans in place with actions for staff to follow.

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

Children rarely go missing. There has been one missing-from-home episode in the last 12 months. Staff follow the missing-from-home protocol and are proactive in searching for the child. The staff work well with other professionals to ensure that the relevant agencies are kept informed. Staff carry out key-worker sessions with children, focusing on the risks and dangers when they are missing.

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

Complaints made by children are swiftly addressed. A full chronology of the outcome and how the issue has been resolved is provided to the child. When an allegation is made, the registered manager ensures that the appropriate agencies are informed, in accordance with the home’s safeguarding policy.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the children’s needs and the steps to follow to keep them safe. Incidents are recorded and reviewed by the registered manager. Children’s views are sought and actions are clear. Incidents are followed up by the key worker and debriefs focus on keeping children safe. However, some case records are not written in a child-friendly manner. This is unhelpful to children should they wish to access their records.

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

There has been one incident requiring a search of a child’s bedroom. Records reflect the reason for the search. However, the record does not include what items were removed or where they were stored for safe-keeping.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff team work closely together to create an environment where the children are safe, valued, respected and accepted. The children receive informed and consistent good-quality care. This is evident in the progress and achievements the children make.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Half the staff team have successfully completed a relevant childcare qualification. They receive consistent and targeted training, including clinical input, to assist them in how they support the children. They also undertake a range of online learning to help to broaden their knowledge and skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager leads from the front. She provides regular formal and informal supervision and guides the staff to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the children to live in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a consistent staff team. Staff say that they are happy in their roles and that they receive a high level of consistent support and guidance from the registered manager. Inspection report for children's home: SC035049 5 The registered manager has systems in place to monitor the quality of care provided to the children. However, when paper records were transferred to an electronic system, inaccuracies in the records were identified. These shortfalls were highlighted during the inspection but had not been identified by the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent report does not consistently provide a detailed analysis of the care provided to the children living in the home. Shortfalls identified during the inspection have also not been identified. This means the independent visitor cannot accurately evaluate whether children are safeguarded effectively. Inspection report for children's home: SC035049 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s bedrooms have adequate window coverings to protect their privacy, and address swiftly any damage to furniture. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.3)  The registered person should ensure that when a room search has been conducted, a record is held of where the removed items are stored. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)  The registered person should work with the independent visitor to ensure that their report consistently provides a detailed analysis of the service provided. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23)  The registered person should ensure that there are no discrepancies in children’s records and that they are kept up to date and signed by the staff and children.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should ensure that records are written in a way that is helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC035049 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Partners in Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 The Calls, Leeds LS2 7JU

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Inspector

Maria McGranaghan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC035049 8 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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