Children's home run by Care Today (Childrens Services) Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2615395 1 Registered provider: Care Today (Childrens Services) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home is registered to provide care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2024. He is also the registered manager of another home owned by the provider.

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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: 2615395 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/03/2024 Full Good 11/05/2022 Full Good 20/04/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2615395 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children live in the home. One child has moved into the home since the last inspection. Both children spoke to the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are making good progress because of the positive relationships that they have with staff. Staff speak positively and fondly about the children and treat them with dignity and respect. Children’s identity needs are managed with sensitivity, and children are growing in confidence, which assists them in taking an active role in making decisions about things that impact their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are receiving education and are supported with education plans that seek to address specific barriers to learning. One child’s timetable includes tutoring at home as well as attendance at school. Plans are in place for professionals to coordinate additional educational support for this child through alternative provision.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

However, for the other child, the placing local authority education, health and care plan was not reviewed in line with statutory timescales, meaning that the child was unable to access their first choice of subject at college. The manager has escalated concerns appropriately. Despite this delay, the child is accessing education through the Prince’s Trust and a private provider. An education professional working with the child said, ‘We have really seen [name of child] grow with his skill, attendance and reliability.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to take part in a range of activities based on their individual interests. One child enjoyed going to watch a football match at Wembley stadium, and the other child enjoys having their nails done and going with staff to shop for makeup products and accessories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s time with their family and friends is promoted by the staff team. One child has recently celebrated their birthday and invited several friends to the home for a birthday celebration. Staff are creative in planning activities to support children and their families to have quality time together. This helps children to maintain relationships that are important to them and ensures that children remain safe during this time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff spend time with children discussing a range of topics that have significance in their lives, such as safety in the community, managing endings to relationships, preparing for independence, personal hygiene and healthy eating. These discussions help children learn positive behaviours and routines that will prepare them for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager supports children’s rights, including to advocacy, and arranges for children to speak to an independent person outside of the home about matters Inspection report for children’s home: 2615395 4 relating to their future. This forward planning is crucial for children when decisions are being made about their care, as it ensures that when children leave the home, they do so with continued support.

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

Individual risk assessments address the known vulnerabilities for each child and set out what action staff should take in the event of a serious incident. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed by the manager to ensure that safety is continually being considered.

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

Physical intervention has not been necessary. Staff understand children’s past experiences and respond with appropriate boundary setting from which the child can learn. When children feel frustrated and upset, staff encourage them to talk about this to help them find an appropriate solution.

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

One child has benefited from the additional support of an intervention worker within the organisation. The child has engaged well with regular, planned sessions, exploring cause and effect scenarios. This has enabled the child to understand how lived experiences impact on behaviour and how to make positive changes to help keep themselves safe.

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

When children are missing from home, staff know how to respond and take the necessary actions to locate children promptly and report them missing to the appropriate agencies. Other serious incidents, such as self-harm and matters that may have arisen in the community, are handled with sensitivity and care. Staff take time to debrief children to understand their thoughts and feelings and consider where additional support may be required.

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

Children’s medication is stored in the staff office in a locked cabinet. However, on one occasion, a member of staff did not administer the medication in accordance with policy, leaving the medicine cabinet unlocked. This meant children living in the home could have had access to the medication without staff knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced manager who is held in high regard by his staff team. He is supported by an experienced senior member of staff, and together they have good knowledge of the home’s strengths and weaknesses.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Report writing and recording in some documents is not always clear, and at times is duplicated and omits analysis. On one occasion, there was a lack of oversight from the staff team in relation to the signing in and out of a visitor to the home. A requirement has been raised to this effect. Inspection report for children’s home: 2615395 5 The home has undergone some changes since the last inspection. The back garden has been being modernised and is now a pleasant space for children to relax in. During the inspection, new lounge furniture was being delivered, and one child was looking forward to an armchair arriving, which they helped choose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The responsible individual and the manager are working alongside the development team to consider plans to improve the staff sleep area. These plans are in their infancy, and a meeting with the development team is scheduled.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable workforce in place, and staff talk positively about how the manager supports them. They confirm that they receive regular, purposeful supervision that is accurately recorded. Staff said the manager is always available, and they do not have to wait for supervision to raise a query or ask for advice. One member of staff said the manager ‘will work tirelessly to fight the corner for our residents and to lead and develop us as a staff team’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager encourages staff participation. There is effective communication during handovers and team meetings, and the manager obtains staff feedback regularly on a range of matters affecting the home. This boosts team morale and encourages a positive team work ethic.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff team have developed positive working relationships with partner agencies and services in the local community. The manager knows the risks that are present in the local community and surrounding areas and has recently updated risk assessments to include this information. The manager ensures that staff are aware of local risks and puts measures in place to help minimise risks for children living in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2615395 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 registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that all medication is stored, administered and always appropriately supervised by staff. 19 December

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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. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The provider must ensure there is a record of all visitors to the home and to the children, including the names of the visitors and the reason for the visit. 19 December

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5) Inspection report for children’s home: 2615395 7

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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: 2615395 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care Today (Childrens Services) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor Lansdowne House, 85 Buxton Road, Stockport SK2 6LR

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Liam Fitzpatrick

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Inspector

Michelle Greenhalgh, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2615395 9 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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