Children's Home run by Brookfield Care (NW) Limited in Stockport

Inspection report for children's home: 2752709 1 Registered provider: Brookfield Care (NW) Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private organisation and is registered to care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties and may have a learning disability.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 5 February 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2752709 2

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improvement to be good

There was one child living at the home at the time of the inspection. The home is decorated to a good standard and offers plenty of space for the child to socialise with others, or enjoy time alone. The child was spoken to as part of the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Two children have moved out since the home opened in February 2024. For one child, this move was not well considered. Consequently, the child’s ending at the home was not positive.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to spend time with people in their lives that are important to them. They are taken to see family irrespective of the distance, which helps children maintain relationships and strengthen their support networks.

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improvement to be good

Children can share their views about their day-to-day care. They make decisions about their meal choices and the social activities they want to take part in. Furthermore, children’s religious beliefs are respected by staff.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to access education. Staff transport children to school, and provide monetary incentives when they are reluctant to attend. In addition, children receive praise and reward for their commitment to education. For example, one child who has recently completed their exams received gifts from leaders, managers and staff to acknowledge their achievement.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to make a complaint. When a complaint is made, the registered manager ensures that this is taken seriously, and children receive a response to their complaint. This demonstrates to children that they are listened to.

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improvement to be good

There is not always sufficient staffing ratios to protect children and staff from harm. For example, on one occasion, an unqualified, new staff member with minimal skills and experience was left for several hours to care for two high-risk children. Discussions with leaders and managers do not demonstrate that they recognise the risks associated with this incident.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments provide staff with clear strategies to follow if there are concerns about children’s welfare. Furthermore, behaviour management strategies are guided by therapeutic input from the home’s therapy team to ensure that there is an effective and sensitive response to children’s needs. The therapist complimented the staff on their good communication with her, and their desire to learn new strategies to support children. Inspection report for children's home: 2752709 3 Despite the child’s risk assessment identifying that a deterioration in their behaviour is linked to unpredictability in the child’s life, leaders and managers did not consider the impact of leaving a child with their parent without knowledge of how long they would be together. This uncertainty placed the child and their family at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment processes are followed by leaders and managers to ensure that children are not being cared for by people who might cause them harm.

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improvement to be good

The child living at the home said they felt safe. The response to children going missing is effective. Staff search for children and work jointly with partners so that they return home quickly. When protocols around children going missing are not followed by staff, this is challenged by the manager to ensure that staff are consistent and proactive in their approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified and experienced manager. Staff say the manager is approachable and available to provide advice and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff report that they feel supported by the manager. Supervision with staff takes place regularly and is used to reflect on staff practice. Frequent team meetings provide another avenue of support for staff. Leaders and managers also use this forum as an opportunity for staff to learn and develop.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that the home is consistently well resourced. Despite the increased risks associated with the children living in the home and staff expressing that there are not enough staff on shift to meet children’s needs, there was a delay in putting additional staff in place. This meant that the home was not always operating in accordance with the home’s statement of purpose, which refers to leaders and managers maintaining a level of staffing that allows them to care safely for children living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Care planning arrangements for children moving out of the home are not child focused. For example, following the child’s notice period ending, managers made a decision for staff to take a child to spend time with their family and refused to collect them, despite the child’s belongings still being at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has various monitoring and review systems to assess the quality of care provided to children. Despite this, shortfalls in children’s records have not always been identified. For example, during the time that one child lived in the home, leaders, managers and staff had not noticed that the child’s placing authority care plan had not been received. Inspection report for children's home: 2752709 4

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that staffing ratios and the resources available to staff are sufficient to reduce the risk of children experiencing harm. 10 September 2024

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Requirement Due date

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

promotes their welfare. 10 September 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2752709 5 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(d)(f))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. Leaders and managers must ensure that children’s placing authority plans are up to date. Leaders and managers must ensure that poor practice is consistently challenged.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(b) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that children are supported to leave the home in a planned and positive way. 10 September 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2752709 6

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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: 2752709 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Brookfield Care (NW) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 139 Bramhall Moor Lane, Hazel Grove, Stockport SK7 5AQ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michelle Kershaw

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Inspector

Chibuzo Otache, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2752709 8 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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