Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Today

Inspection report for children’s home: SC005042 1 SC005042

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Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today

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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 by a private company. It provides care for children with social and emotional difficulties. The children’s home can care for up to eight children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2022. She holds a level 5 diploma in leadership for health and social care and children and young people’s services. At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

This home is located on the same site as a school, which is registered with Ofsted separately and was not inspected on this occasion.

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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: 27 February 2024

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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: SC005042 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/11/2022 Full Good 08/02/2022 Full Good 17/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC005042 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have moved from the home. These moves were planned, and children enjoyed an activity of their choice to mark the occasion and their achievements before they left. For example, one child enjoyed a shopping trip and a barbecue. Children form positive relationships with staff and keep in touch when they leave.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend the school that is part of the same organisation and located on the same site as the home. Children’s school attendance improves, and as a result, children make progress with their learning. When there are barriers to children’s learning, staff work well with professionals to review and make changes to children’s plans and support them appropriately.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend routine health appointments. One child continues to receive support from the organisation’s therapist, who visits the home weekly. Staff provide children with good support to promote their health and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A range of activities in the home and community are available for children to enjoy. One child is part of a local basketball team and recently overcame their nerves and played their first competitive game. All the children enjoy outdoor activities, such as fishing and golf.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager works well with professionals. Children are supported to keep in touch with people who are important to them. One child is spending more time with their family, and as a result, their plan is now to return to live with their parent.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, the home is well maintained, nicely furnished and decorated. Children’s bedrooms are personalised. There are plans in place for some children’s bedroom windows to be replaced as children have said they are drafty and not easy to open or close.

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

Clear written plans for each child provide staff with guidance to respond effectively to children’s behaviours and needs. Since the last inspection, there has been a reduction in challenging incidents. There have been no missing-from-home incidents and no occasions when staff have needed to use physical intervention to keep a child safe from harm.

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

Children benefit from positive relationships with managers and staff. Relationships between children have improved, and children are helped to reflect on how their behaviours can impact on others. There have been two occasions when a child has Inspection report for children’s home: SC005042 4 used offensive language towards other children. Staff responded well and helped the child to reflect and learn.

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

On one occasion, a child intentionally harmed themselves. Staff responded well, provided support to the child and sought guidance from medical professionals.

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

Staff and managers show professional curiosity. On one occasion, a child showed a staff member a minor injury that occurred while they had been playing with a member of staff. The member of staff reported it to the manager, who in turn shared information with relevant professionals. The manager investigated this incident to reassure themselves that no intentional harm had been caused. This enabled the team to reflect and develop practice to reduce recurrence.

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

Staff celebrate children’s achievements using praise and rewards systems. On some occasions, consequences are used to help children recognise when their behaviour is unacceptable. However, consequences are not always well considered by staff and do not align with children’s plans. For example, staff have taken away activity opportunities for a child who chooses to spend a lot of time in his bedroom. This consequence is not appropriate for this child given that staff are trying to encourage him to spend time out of his bedroom.

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

The registered manager has safely recruited one new member of staff. Effective staff recruitment systems reduce the risk of children being cared for by unsuitable individuals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is child-focused and committed to the children who live in the home. She has a good understanding of the service’s strengths and areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most staff hold a relevant qualification, and others are working towards achieving this. All staff have completed training and have developed the knowledge and skills to support them in their role and enable them to meet the individual needs of the children they care for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and have their performance appraised annually. Supervision, in addition to weekly team meetings, allows staff the opportunity to reflect on children’s progress and experiences and ensures that children’s plans are kept under review as needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is implementing an improved monitoring system, which is a positive development to help ensure that there is a thorough response and review of serious incidents that occur. Feedback from children, staff and people connected to children is used by the manager to evaluate the effectiveness of the care children are provided with. Inspection report for children’s home: SC005042 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand factors that affect children’s motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. Staff should encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive behaviour strategies in line with the child’s relevant plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.13)

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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: SC005042 6

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today

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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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Inspector

Helen Dunn, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC005042 7 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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