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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC008607 1 SC008607 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 operated by a private organisation. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it provides care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties and who may have learning difficulties .

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 19 September 2023

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC008607 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/09/2023 Full Good 24/05/2022 Full Good 24/08/2021 Full Good 20/06/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC008607 3

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improvement to be good

In accordance with the social care common inspection framework, an inadequate judgement in leadership and management means that the judgement in children’s experiences and progress and help and protection can be no higher than requires improvement to be good. The failings in leadership and management have impacted the judgements in children’s experiences and progress and how well they are helped and protected.

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improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home. Since the last Inspection, one child has moved out of this home, and two children have been welcomed into the home and have settled in well.

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improvement to be good

Assessments that consider the needs of the children do not consider the existing dynamics in the home and the needs of the children who already live there. This has led to children being placed at the home without their needs being fully assessed. This does not ensure that children can live together safely.

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improvement to be good

The children’s written plans are individualised. However, it is not clear what work staff are completing to help children achieve their targets. For example, there is limited meaningful intervention for one child who requires support with his mental health. This lack of appropriate support can have a negative impact on the child’s well-being.

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improvement to be good

Children attend educational settings that are appropriate to their needs and abilities. Staff work in partnership with education departments and other relevant professionals to ensure that children have every opportunity to reach their full potential.

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improvement to be good

Children are registered with all primary healthcare specialists. They attend their routine health appointments with good support and encouragement from staff. Medication is stored and administered safely by trained and competent staff.

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improvement to be good

Overall, the home is decorated and maintained to a good standard. Children have an input into the home’s decor and their bedrooms are personalised in line with their interests.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to maintain relationships with people who are important to them. For example, children regularly spend time with their families and friends. Furthermore, staff work with children and their families to overcome any barriers or problems. This approach helps children to stay connected and reconnect with people who are important in their lives. Inspection report for children’s home: SC008607 4

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improvement to be good

Risk management plans are in place and have been reviewed. However, they do not reflect children’s known risks. For example, there is no risk assessment pertaining to a child who regularly goes missing or no risk assessment in place for a child who smokes in their bedroom. These shortfalls mean that staff are not informed of all children’s risks and how to manage and reduce them.

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improvement to be good

Individual work with some children around their risky behaviours is not always leading to positive change in their overall safety. Staff do not always support children to recognise the consequences of their behaviours. These are missed opportunities to help children understand how they can keep themselves safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff are trained in the appropriate use of needing to physically hold children, but only ever use this as a last resort, preferring to use de-escalation techniques. The written records confirm that there have been no incidents of holding children since the last inspection.

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improvement to be good

The manager ensures that staff comply with locally agreed protocols for children who go missing from care. When children do go missing, staff liaise with the police and complete detailed records of actions taken and appropriate individuals contacted. When a child returns from being missing from the home, the staff make sure that the child can speak to an independent person. This provides information that may help in protecting them from going missing again.

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improvement to be good

Staff carry out regular health and safety checks and follow a range of safety procedures to protect children from potential hazards. These include fire drills to make sure that children know what to do in the case of an emergency.

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improvement to be good

Children are protected by the organisation’s effective recruitment practices. Staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed. These procedures promote the safety of children by preventing unsuitable adults from working with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager’s oversight of recording and reporting is not effective. He has not identified shortfalls in children’s records nor identified that staff do not always record issues of concern. For example, on one occasion two children left the home late one evening and got into a vehicle that was unknown to anyone at the home. This means that some information is not fully shared with all staff to enable them to act on this promptly. This does not promote children’s welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not received regular supervision. This leaves the manager without a regular opportunity to have his practice reviewed and appraised. Staff supervision records lack detail. Their supervision is not reflective or child focused and does not Inspection report for children’s home: SC008607 5 support staff to develop their skills or knowledge. This is a missed opportunity to formalise and review staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not reviewed the review of premises document and, as such, there is a lack of information about known risks within the local area. Out of date information and lack of awareness of risk factors in the community mean that staff do not always understand potential risks to children in the area and how to respond should the need arise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has failed to ensure that there is an accurate roster in place that includes the full names of the staff on duty. As a result, these documents cannot be relied on to identify when staff have been at work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite these shortfalls, the manager has established good working relationships with external professionals, including health and education professionals and placing social workers. This partnership approach means that children are benefiting from the full range of support provided by other professionals. Inspection report for children’s home: SC008607 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on an understanding about acceptable behaviour.

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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

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (1)(b) (2)(a)(v))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that key working with children is relevant and of good quality. 12 July 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

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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that risk assessments are in place for children’s known risks. 12 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 12 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC008607 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that, the manager ensures that care planning information is in place for children and when incidents occur in the home that they are captured in an incident report.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that assessments of children’s needs consider the needs of the child to be admitted against the children already in place. 12 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year.

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Requirement Due date

this specifically relates to ensuring that the manager receives appropriate one to one supervision and that staff receive regular quality supervision. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 12 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The provider must ensure that the full names of all staff and their actual hours worked are recorded on the rota, including the manager. 12 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC008607 8 The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12 (2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2)) 12 July 2024

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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: SC008607 9

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Dr Sean Fitzpatrick

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Inspectors

Dave Carrigan, Social Care Inspector Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC008607 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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