Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home: SC008271 1 SC008271 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 large private provider operates this home. The home offers care for up to two children who have experienced childhood instability, resulting in trauma and associated complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager holds a level 5 leadership and management qualification in health and social care and was registered by Ofsted in April 2024.

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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: SC008271 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/08/2023 Full Good 21/06/2022 Full Good 05/01/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC008271 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were two children living in the home at the time of the inspection. The children were present and inspectors spoke with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and children share positive relationships. Staff ensure that they provide support which is in line with children’s individual needs. In addition, staff prioritise seeking children’s views, and children are encouraged to contribute to their own care planning. Children shared positive feedback about the home. They feel listened to and valued, which is essential for their sense of self-worth.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend school regularly. Staff work well with education professionals to support children to overcome any barriers to learning. Feedback received from education professionals was very positive. One professional said that staff had ‘done some amazing work with [Name of Child]’ and that ‘they are having a positive impact on their life’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise children’s starting points, work with them to reach their goals and to celebrate their achievements. For example, staff have helped one child to learn to ride a bike since moving into the home. This individualised support helps children to achieve important milestones in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with opportunities to take part in a range of activities. One child attends girl guides and takes part in regular camping trips away from the home. Another child has weekly swimming lessons and attends jujitsu classes. Furthermore, staff ensure that children spend time with their friends. These networks help children to feel part of the community and grow in confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff meet children’s health needs well. They ensure that children attend health appointments and receive support which is specific to their needs. Medication is stored and administered safely. However, the records used to record the administration of medication require improvement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, the home is maintained to a good standard. Children’s bedrooms are individualised and suitably furnished. In contrast, staff use alarms on children’s bedroom doors throughout the day and night. Consequently, children remain under surveillance at times when it is not necessary during the day. While the registered manager took action to address the issue, this has the potential to restrict children’s privacy.

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

Children said that they ‘feel safe’ and ‘like living in the home’. Staff help children to understand risk by holding regular ‘key’ sessions. As a result, significant incidents with children are rare and children understand the boundaries in place in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC008271 4 Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding thresholds and what they should do when children raise concerns. On the one occasion that an allegation has been raised by a child, leaders responded appropriately. They notified the relevant professionals and took action to safeguard the child. In addition, they ensured that the child was spoken to independently and was provided with an outcome to the investigation. These actions reassured the child that their views were listened to and acted on.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. There have been no incidents involving the two children currently living in the home. When a previous child living at the home had gone missing, staff responded well and followed the child’s protocols effectively. They worked with the police to search for the child and return them to the home safely.

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

Incidents requiring physical restraint with children are uncommon. There have been two incidents since the last inspection. Both restraints were proportionate and necessary to keep children and staff safe. Leaders ensure that staff and children are spoken to after incidents and that further reflection takes place at team meetings. However, records do not always provide clear information and are sometimes difficult to understand.

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

Overall, staff adopt a positive approach to supporting children. They use praise, rewards and incentives to encourage children to be respectful and engage positively with each other. However, some negative consequences used are not restorative in nature and are not always relevant to the child’s actions or behaviour. In addition, the registered manager does not consistently review the effectiveness of the consequences used.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a qualified registered manager. She is well supported by the home’s assistant manager. Together, they are child focused and represent children’s wishes and feelings effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is sufficiently staffed to meet the needs of the children. All staff are either qualified or working towards the qualification within the regulatory timescale. As a result, a consistent staff team provides continuous care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with a range of training, which is relevant to the children’s needs. Furthermore, workshops are delivered in team meetings and staff are encouraged to develop their skills by completing additional courses. Staff receive regular supervision and appraisal. Consequently, staff are equipped with the skills they need to perform their role well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager recognises that her oversight and review systems are an area for development. For example, the current systems in place have failed to fully identify shortfalls or make improvements to the quality of staff recording in several records. This lack of oversight has the potential to impact on the quality of care that children receive. Inspection report for children’s home: SC008271 5 The registered manager works effectively with children’s parents and professionals. Professionals are positive about the care and support children receive and the communication they have with the registered manager and staff. They see that children make progress from their starting points. Inspection report for children’s home: SC008271 6

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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 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; and

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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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders should ensure that they have clear monitoring and review systems in place to identify shortfalls, improve practice and understand the impact these can have on children’s progress and experiences. 6 November 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 6 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC008271 7 within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35(1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that they review the home’s approach to managing children’s behaviour and that consequences used are proportionate to the behaviour displayed. Furthermore, the registered person should ensure that the effectiveness of each measure and consequence issued to children is reviewed.

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Recommendation

 The registered person must ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children. In particular, the use of door alarms on children’s bedroom doors should be used for safeguarding purposes and be as least intrusive as possible. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9).

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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: SC008271 8

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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

Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Hayley Booth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC008271 9 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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