Children's Home run by The Together Trust in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home: SC025739 1 SC025739 Registered provider: The Together Trust

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is run and managed by a charitable organisation. It is registered to provide care for four children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since September 2009.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Two children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 21 November 2023

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC025739 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/11/2023 Full Good 21/03/2023 Full Good 15/03/2022 Full Outstanding 10/09/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC025739 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well and have developed trusting relationships with them. Children are provided with warmth, nurturance and guidance. As a result, children are making progress from their starting points, which helps them to feel safe and loved.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to understand their individual health needs in line with their development. Children are up to date with health assessments and have access to local services. Incentive charts are used, and goals are set, to promote children’s health and build routines.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team strongly advocates for the children. Children views are captured and support forward planning. Where possible, children are encouraged and supported to attend meetings that are about them. Children are actively encouraged to have advocates so that their views are captured in care planning.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who did not attend school are now engaged with education. The home has good communication with schools and the children are supported in creative ways to enhance their learning. Improved outcomes are promoted through positive learning and social interaction with peers.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is welcoming and nurturing, and children’s bedrooms are personalised. However, children’s safety is compromised by unsafe play equipment, for example the trampoline’s safety net was damaged, leaving a pole insecure.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have warm relationships with staff which are filled with laughter. Children’s achievements are celebrated, and skills are learned through daily interactions with staff. The children’s friends are welcome at their home. This provides stability and a sense of belonging for children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children exhibit emotional distress, staff respond sensitively, guided by the in- house therapeutic model and enhanced by the clinical psychologist’s input. Children and staff speak openly and with honesty, which allows situations to be resolved in a short timescale and for the children to develop positive ways to manage their emotions.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has demonstrated dedication and determination towards the children in her care. She has made tough decisions with the individual and overall needs of the children in mind. Consequently, when challenging decisions to end placements have been necessary, they have been carried out with sensitivity and compassion.

p.3

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

Children’s individual needs and vulnerabilities are well understood by staff. Risk management plans are personal and regularly reviewed, focusing on areas that are Inspection report for children’s home: SC025739 4 central to the children. When children go missing from the home, staff work closely with involved agencies, identifying actions that increase the safety of children.

p.3

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

Staff use a balanced approach in determining risks in line with children’s developmental stages. This includes time away from the home without having restrictions on spending time with friends in the local area and travelling on public transport independently. This enables the children’s confidence to develop and the opportunity for them to take balanced risks.

p.4

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

The staff team sets clear and consistent boundaries aided by the home’s therapeutic approach. The children are respectful and demonstrate learning by being able to apologise and wanting to reconcile. This promotes the children’s safety and ability to compromise.

p.4

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

Incidents of children being physically held are rare and are used as a last resort to keep children safe. Records are detailed and evaluated by management. When this happens, children are given an explanation and are spoken to afterwards, allowing them to understand and build positive relationships.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is led by a committed and highly experienced manager who is forward-thinking and provides inspirational leadership. She displays a clear ambition for each child and is passionate about the quality of care that is provided to children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feel supported and valued by management. They are motivated because management lead by example. Staff say that the manager creates a culture where it is pivotal to reflect and develop their practice to ensure that the children’s individual needs remain central . As a result of this, children’s lived experiences are enriched.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team is skilled with a wealth of experience. Staff appointed more recently bring their experiences from other settings, which adds value and enthusiasm to the whole staff team. The team cares deeply for the children. One staff member said, ‘Staff will cover shifts. We don’t like to use agency, it’s not good for the kids.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager, and the assistant manager, have a vision of the level of the care they want the children to receive. The manager makes child-focused decisions in relation to children coming to live in the home and will seek consultation from the clinical lead if necessary. Detailed assessments are undertaken of the impact of any admission of a new child on those children already in the home. The progression and stability of children already in the home are given priority.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a stable and consistent staff team that has a wealth of experiences. Staff feel valued and supported, supervisions are regular and new staff receive a comprehensive and well-planned induction to the home. Safer recruitment is in place, and when concerns have arisen these have been acted on in a timely manner to prioritise the children’s safety. Inspection report for children’s home: SC025739 5 Regular team meetings take place. These are valued meetings and provide staff with an open forum, giving opportunities for constructive reflection of practice. The manager has been influential in strengthening and developing practice and approaches. Staff are subsequently equipped to meet the diverse and emerging needs of children. Clinical supervision is utilised to ensure that children’s experiences remain central.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Professionals speak highly of the care afforded to the children and staff’s motivation to offer good-quality care. One professional said, ‘Nothing has phased them, in terms of any of [name of child]’s behaviour.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC025739 6

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when children have access to outdoor play equipment, this is safe for children to use, and when damaged, this should be disposed of in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

p.6

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: SC025739 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Together Trust Centre, Schools Hill, Cheadle SK8 1JE

p.7

Inspectors

Angeline Clarke, Social Care Inspector Amanda Ellis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC025739 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8