Lower Roach End Farm

Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 1 SC005048 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

A private company owns this home. It provides care for children with social and/or 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 January 2024 and holds a level 5 qualification in health and social care leadership and management. She also has managerial oversight of two other children’s homes in the area which are registered with Ofsted and have registered managers in place.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is in a remote area. The organisation has an independent school on the same site which has a separate Ofsted registration and was not inspected during this visit.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/07/2023 Full Good 22/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/09/2021 Full Good 20/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Six children live in the home and attend the independent school which is on the same site. They are making good progress in school with their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has reviewed the children’s welcome information. It now provides helpful information about the home and is interactive. This helps children to learn about their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good support from staff, which helps them to develop a sense of belonging. This helps children to develop positive and secure relationships with staff who care for them. Children grow in confidence and their self-esteem improves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are sought and listened to. Children are consulted with about decisions that affect their lives. On one occasion, when there were delays in progressing a child’s care plan, the manager arranged for the child to speak with an advocate. This good practice empowers children and enables them to have their voices heard. Children are provided with opportunities to raise concerns and make suggestions on how they want to be cared for. There have been no complaints from children since the last inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to access and enjoy a range of activities at home and within the community. For example, they attend regular swimming lessons and are learning life- saving skills. Children learn independence skills in line with their age and stage of development. Children’s achievements are recognised and celebrated and this supports their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are registered with health services and attend routine health appointments. Staff encourage children to eat a balanced diet and engage in regular exercise. They have good daily routines in place that help them to manage their personal care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The organisation’s therapist provides staff with advice and guidance to support children’s emotional needs. In addition, some children access therapeutic support to promote their well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has been redecorated and the wooden floor on the ground floor has been restored. In addition, new furniture makes the living areas welcoming and comfortable for children. Children’s bedrooms are thoughtfully designed and personalised. Children are learning to invest in their home, and as a result, there has been a reduction in damage being caused.

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

Children feel safe. They trust the manager and staff who care for them. Since the last inspection, there have been no incidents of children going missing from home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 4 Managers and staff support children to develop skills that enable them to keep themselves safe. For example, staff are proactive in speaking with children about topics such as online safety, bullying and discrimination. Age restrictions are installed on electronic devices and children’s use of the internet is appropriately monitored by staff.

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

Positive behaviours are promoted by managers and staff, who use praise and rewards to recognise children’s achievements. Staff are trained to manage challenging behaviours that children present. They de-escalate situations and only use physical intervention when needed to keep children and others safe. However, staff face some challenges in managing children’s relationships with each other. Difficult dynamics between children sometimes lead to conflict. Occasionally, children are not supervised well enough to pre- empt and prevent these conflicts.

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

New staff are safely recruited. This helps to ensure that suitable adults are employed to care for children.

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

When children raise concerns about staff practice, the manager promptly shares all information with relevant professionals and people who are important to children. Concerns are taken seriously and investigated in agreement with the local authority designated officer and the child’s social worker. Outcomes of investigations are understood and sensitively shared with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a suitably qualified and experienced manager who has high expectations and is ambitious for children. The manager shows strong leadership and staff morale has improved. The team members work together well to support each other and develop their practice. This enables them to provide care to children that is trauma-informed and considerate of their lived experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear vision for the home, which is well understood by staff and who are embracing the home’s development plan. Reflective practice is encouraged. This means that managers, staff and children are supported to learn from experiences and make changes that will enable children to make continued progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are effective working relationships between the manager and people who are important to children. Staff are empowered to provide care that is in line with children’s care plans, hopes, wishes and dreams. Children are supported to return to live with family or move to foster care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective monitoring systems are implemented and help the manager to understand children’s experiences. They enable her to identify and action areas identified for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by managers. They receive good-quality supervision and an annual appraisal. Regular team meetings provide staff with the opportunity to review Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 5 children’s experiences and develop positive strategies that help children to achieve their potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most staff hold a relevant qualification or are working towards this. They attend training that supports them to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. When training specific to the individual needs of children is identified, this is arranged and completed by staff. This ensures that staff have the knowledge and skills to meet the individual needs of children who live in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should set out how staff are supported to meet the child’s needs. Regulations 13(2)(d) and (e) require children’s homes to employ a sufficient number of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced persons in the home. This is specific to there being sufficient staff to manage the complex peer group dynamics and behaviours displayed by children who live together and attend the same school in an effective manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.37)

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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: SC005048 7

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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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Inspectors

Helen Dunn, Social Care Inspector Kirsty Truesdale, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 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 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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Inspectors

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