Children's home run by Social Care Services Limited in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home: SC400355 1 SC400355 Registered provider: Social Care Services 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 owned by a private provider. It provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living in the home at the time of the inspection. Both children shared their experience of living in the home with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 14 November 2017.

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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: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC400355 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/06/2023 Full Good 09/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/03/2022 Full Good 16/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC400355 3

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improvement to be good

The experiences of children living in the home are varied. Children do make progress in some aspects of their lives However, shortfalls in leadership and management mean that children are not consistently provided with a warm and nurturing environment in which to thrive.

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improvement to be good

Children have begun to form positive relationships with some members of staff. One child has begun to explore their identity since living in the home, supported by staff. This ensures that children are happy and confident to be themselves.

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improvement to be good

Both children have made progress in education since living in the home. Managers and staff understand the importance of children engaging in formal education. This means that children are equipped with the essential skills that they need.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that children enjoy positive experiences outside of the home. The children have recently enjoyed a holiday together. This ensures that they are building relationships with one another and having fun.

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improvement to be good

Managers and staff do not always consistently communicate expectations of behaviour to children. Staff do not always ensure that children understand why there are specific rules in the home. This means that children are sometimes confused or frustrated when boundaries are put in place.

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improvement to be good

Some areas of the home need maintenance and cleaning. One child’s bedroom has a wooden bar across the window. This does not provide the children with a homely place to live. Issues with the condition of the home have been raised at a previous inspection.

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improvement to be good

Children are safeguarded effectively by staff. When children go missing from home, staff are proactive in going to look for them. As a result, children return home safely, and the number of missing-from-home incidents for both children has reduced.

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improvement to be good

Staff have completed training specific to the individual vulnerabilities of the children. This ensures that staff have the necessary skills to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Managers do not ensure that children’s risk plans provide detailed guidance for staff to follow. Children’s risk plans are not regularly reviewed and updated. The impact of a child moving into the home on the other children is not always fully evaluated. This means that staff are unclear on their responsibilities to keep children safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC400355 4 Leaders and managers have not ensured that investigations into staff conduct are robust. When one child raised a complaint about the conduct of staff, managers did not address the issue effectively. As a result, one child’s relationships with some staff members have been affected.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently hold important conversations with children to support their understanding of risks. One child has risks relating to internet safety, but this has not been addressed sufficiently. This is a missed opportunity for staff to support children to keep themselves safe.

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

The manager has significant experience of working in residential care. Staff say that they feel supported by him. However, one child said that they would like him to spend more time in the home with them, and for their views to be consistently heard.

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

Managers hold regular team meetings, which are well attended by staff. Managers ensure that staff supervisions are held frequently and are reflective. This ensures that staff are provided with opportunities to develop their practice.

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

There is a consistent staff team in place. There has not been any use of agency staff since the last inspection. This ensures that children are cared for by people who are familiar to them.

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

Managers have begun to implement monitoring systems to identify patterns and trends. However, there are shortfalls in management oversight of staff practice. This limits the improvement of practice to help staff meet the needs of the children.

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

The independent person has not consistently viewed all areas of the home on visits. Reports completed by the independent person are not submitted to Ofsted consistently. This does not ensure that the regulator has oversight and review of the care being provided to children.

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

Managers have not always submitted notifications of serious incidents to Ofsted when required or within the required timeframe. This limits the external evaluation of the response by managers and staff to ensure that children are safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC400355 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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 work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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 provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

and feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2) (a)(b)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there are systems of monitoring in place to identify and address shortfalls 18 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC400355 6 in staff practice quickly and effectively. Complaints from children must be taken into account and acted on effectively.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff are working together effectively and that strategies they use are consistent.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the home is maintained to a high standard of cleanliness, repairs are completed in a timely manner, and that the wooden bar is removed from the window in a child’s bedroom.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the previous inspection and is restated. 18 October 2024

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe; 18 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC400355 7 have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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;

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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)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children's risk plans provide staff with clear guidance to keep children safe. Risk plans must be regularly reviewed for their effectiveness and updated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there is a clear evaluation of the impact on children living in the home when a child moves in.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff hold conversations with children specific to their individual risks. The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a) (2)(a)(i)(viii)(ix)) 18 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC400355 8 The registered person must ensure that staff responses to children are consistently trauma informed, and relationships between children and staff are repaired when required. The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4) (e)) 18 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

HMCI. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(b) (7)(a)) 18 October 2024

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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: SC400355 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Social Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Social Care Services Group, 31 Shaw Road, Stockport SK4 4AG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Annabella Foulkes

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Inspector

Sarah Gilbert, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC400355 10 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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