Children's Home run by Proactive Care (Manchester) Limited in Wigan

Inspection report for children's home: 2669033 1 Registered provider: Proactive Care (Manchester) Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in April 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of inspection, two children were living in the home. They spoke to the inspector about their experiences of living there.

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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: 13 December 2023

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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: 2669033 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2023 Full Good 05/10/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2669033 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like living in the home. They feel safe, happy and settled. Staff are child-centred and provide loving and nurturing care to the children. One child said, ‘The home is good, and I like all the staff.’ Children are making progress in all areas of their life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their education. Both children had low attendance in school before they lived in the home. They now routinely attend education and their learning has significantly improved. One child has completed end of year exams and has a place at college to start a course of her choice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between staff and children are overwhelmingly positive. Staff talk about the children with warmth and enthusiasm. Children feel comfortable talking to staff and they feel heard. Their wishes and views are sought daily.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff have developed positive relationships with children’s family members and communicate with them regularly. One parent said, ‘They’re fantastic. They go above and beyond. I can’t fault them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy good health. Staff understand children’s healthcare needs and encourage children to take part in activities to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Children are provided with nutritious home-made meals which they help to plan.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is comfortable and homely. Children have spacious and well-furnished bedrooms that are highly personalised. Photos are on display in the home of the children having fun. Children have developed a strong sense of belonging.

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

Children feel safe and secure living in the home. Their risks and vulnerabilities are well understood and their risk plans are individualised and detailed. Clear advice and guidance are provided for staff so they know how to respond should risks arise. However, one child’s statutory documents were not all on their on file.

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

Children receive regular help and guidance to make positive decisions. Staff use creative ways to engage children to help them learn and develop. Children are supported to take age-appropriate risks and to learn skills in preparation for becoming more independent.

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

One child has gone missing from the home more often recently. Staff are working proactively with the child and with other agencies to understand and manage the risks, to keep the child safe. However, staff do not have access to all the information from the child’s independent return home interviews. This reduces opportunities for the team to Inspection report for children's home: 2669033 4 identify any strategies to support the child or any learning to improve practice in the home. Door alarms are routinely used on the children’s bedroom doors at night. The management team has a rationale for this, however, it is not captured in any documents and it is not reviewed regularly. This potentially limits children’s privacy and movement around the home.

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

Staff are trained in a therapeutic model that is used in their day-to-day practice for the benefit of children. Staff are consistent in their approach to children and appropriate boundaries are in place. One child said they thought the rules and expectations in the home were fair. Positive behaviour is routinely encouraged and rewarded. This is something that children respond well to.

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

Staff and children have support from an in-house therapist. Children are offered individual input to help them understand and manage their feelings and behaviours safely. Staff regularly reflect on their practice with the therapist during team meetings.

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

Safer recruitment practices are in place to ensure that only adults who are safe to work with children are employed in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a suitably experienced manager. She is supported by a highly motivated and committed senior manager. Managers and staff have high expectations and aspirations for themselves and the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff love working in the home and feel fully supported by the manager. The manager is held in high regard by staff. One staff member described her as ‘approachable, knowledgeable and supportive’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is stable and there has been no need for the home to use agency workers. This has provided the children with consistent care from people who know them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a wide range of training and development that equips them with the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the children in their care. Staff value the training on offer and describe it as useful.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with regular opportunities to discuss and reflect on their practice, either as and when needed or during supervision and team meetings. Children’s progress and ideas for new ways of working are regularly discussed at team meetings to help develop and improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the home. She has monitoring systems in place and is developing these to gain a better understanding of the effectiveness of practice in the home. Generally, documents are updated regularly. However, one contained out-of-date Inspection report for children's home: 2669033 5 information about the current staff team, and rotas do not accurately record the actual hours worked by staff.

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that if documents are not provided in a timely manner by children’s placing authorities this is escalated.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 6 October 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and 6 October 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2669033 6 retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the staff duty roster records the actual hours worked.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they have a workforce plan which provides details of staff currently working at the home in the staffing structure. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that any decisions made to use door alarms are informed by a rigorous assessment of the child’s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that information from any independent return home interview is gathered, recorded and taken account of. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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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: 2669033 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Proactive Care (Manchester) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Proactive Care Limited, Houldsworth Business & Arts Centre, Houldsworth Street, Stockport SK5 6DA

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Inspector

Zillah Brooks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2669033 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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