Children's Home run by Emerge Care and Therapeutic Solutions Limited in Cheshire East

Inspection report for children's home: 2751128 1 Registered provider: Emerge Care and Therapeutic Solutions Ltd

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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 provides care for up six children who may be experiencing emotional and/or social difficulties. The home is owned by a private company.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left in April 2024 and an acting manager is in post and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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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

Date of last inspection: Not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2751128 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress from their starting points. This is because the committed staff team develops trusting relationships with children, which enable children to develop and progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their bespoke education and training. This promotes improved outcomes. As a result, children are developing skills and knowledge necessary for adulthood. One professional said, ‘[Name of child] has made significant progress in her self-esteem and confidence and, with support, has accessed work experience and voluntary work.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s health. Children are registered with local health services and receive any specialist support relevant to their needs. As a result, children are in good health and are thriving.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s day-to-day needs are being met. Staff are proactive and creative to support children to develop. However, the work is not firmly captured, and management oversight is not robust. Therefore, children’s experiences and memories are lost.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are empathetic and work hard to ensure that the children’s wishes and views are acknowledged and promoted. This enables the children to build trusting relationships. One child said, ‘I feel that staff will stop what they are doing and listen. I can’t think of anything I want to change.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are developing their independence skills through a variety of tasks. One child is currently preparing for independence. The child is learning to live semi-independently while living in the home. This means the child can safely increase their confidence and skills with the support from staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to see their families and those that are important to them, in line with their individual plans. Staff understand that seeing family members can sometimes be difficult for children. Staff support children and enable them to talk through their feelings and emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff celebrate children’s achievements. Staff use helpful therapeutic input from an in- house clinician to find the right ways to support children. Staff care for children in a nurturing and kind way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers have not always thoroughly considered children’s individual needs and vulnerabilities before they come to live in this home. Poor initial planning led to one child moving out of the home because staff could not meet their needs. Inspection report for children's home: 2751128 3

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

Safeguarding arrangements are effective and enable children to become increasingly safe.

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

Staff know what to do when children go missing from home. Staff follow children’s missing-from-home plans and make sure that other professionals are kept up to date. Children always have the chance to speak to an independent person when they come home. Children are unlikely to continue to go missing from home.

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

Leaders and managers take allegations seriously and complete thorough investigations. Children are kept informed throughout the process, including receiving written confirmation of the outcome. Children feel listened to and valued.

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

The manager completes thorough background checks before any adult comes to work in the home. Although one member of staff has been dismissed due to poor conduct, there was no indication of risk before they were employed. Managers do all they can to make sure that children are only cared for by safe adults.

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

Leaders and managers complete a regular review of the safety of the local area. Children are protected from any local risks.

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

The physical home environment is generally safe and well maintained. The manager has commissioned a specialist assessment of an external fire escape and followed all suggested actions. However, the fire escape continues to represent a fall risk for children.

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

Staff know each child’s risks and follow their support plans. However, the quality of records is inconsistent. Staff do not always have clear information about how to keep children safe.

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

Children are always spoken to after serious incidents. However, there is little evidence that what they say is used to inform future planning. Children are not always helped to have a say in how they are cared for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has clear aspirations of what he wants to achieve, and the staff share the same vision. However, management oversight needs to be monitored and reviewed regularly to ensure that children’s experiences are captured.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable and consistent staff team that has a range of experiences and feels valued by their manager. Staff are motivated and strive to offer high-quality care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with a wide range of training, support and learning opportunities. This means they have the knowledge and skills to support the individual needs of children. Inspection report for children's home: 2751128 4 Staff meetings and clinical support help staff to reflect and develop their practice. This provides the children with continuity of care. One professional said, ‘The communication and support they give each other is incredible. It is a relatively new team. They communicate and support each other really well.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they receive regular supervision. Supervision records show that the manager enables staff to reflect on their practice, strengths, areas for improvement, the children and the running of the home. However, there is a shortfall in that these are not recorded in a timely manner, as stated in the home’s statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals is positive about the care that the children receive and the progress that they are making. One professional said, ‘The change in [name of child] is significant. Their self-esteem has grown massively.’ Inspection report for children's home: 2751128 5

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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 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 premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must take steps to address the risk to children of falling from the external fire escape. 10 August 2024

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must make sure that planning for children moving into the home is personalised to the needs of each child. Also, the registered person must make sure that referral information is approached with professional curiosity, so that as much information is known about a child’s needs before they come to live in the home. 10 August 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2751128 6 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(a)(f)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must make sure that they have good oversight of children’s records and that any concerns, errors or inconsistencies are addressed quickly.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must make sure that children’s risk management plans are all of consistent quality.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff supervision takes place as set out in the home’s statement of purpose and is recorded in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make sure that children’s views are used to inform how their care is planned. 10 August 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2751128 7

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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: 2751128 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Emerge Care and Therapeutic Solutions Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5 Rockside, Mow Cop, Stoke-on-Trent ST7 4PG

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Inspectors

Angeline Clarke, Social Care Inspector Nicola Shaw, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2751128 9 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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