Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children’s home: SC356318 1 SC356318 Registered provider: The Partnership Of Care Today

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A large national provider of children’s services operates this home. The home provides care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC356318 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/03/2024 Full Good 14/02/2023 Full Good 25/01/2022 Full Good 15/01/2020 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC356318 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home. Since the last inspection, one child has moved in, and one child has moved out. The children were involved in planning their moves, and their wishes and feelings were considered to ensure the moves were the right ones for them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide a safe and loving environment for children. The home is decorated to a high standard, and children’s bedrooms are personalised. Throughout the home, there are photos of the child and things that are important to them. This helps increase the feelings of comfort and security for the child.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children build positive and trusting relationships with staff, who provide quality care and support in all areas of their lives. Staff’s ability to meet children’s health needs and advocate for them during medical appointments and reviews is strong. When one child’s prescribed medication was not having the desired impact, staff successfully advocated for this to be changed. This helped ensure the child’s health needs are being effectively met.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the importance of education. The child living at the home is attending education, and staff have built positive relationships with school staff. Staff attend regular meetings, which supports the child’s progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children maintaining family and friend relationships and support this in line with children’s wishes. This has supported family time to be positive and safe for children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child enjoys activities with staff and peers. This has enabled them to build relationships with staff and make new friends. Being able to participate in a range of activities has also helped the child’s emotional and social development.

p.3

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

The home provides a safe and stable environment for children. Staffing is consistent, and this promotes positive relationships with children. The child who currently lives at the home said that they felt safe and well cared for.

p.3

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

There are good-quality risk assessments in place. These are reviewed regularly to ensure that strategies for staff to manage risks remain up to date and effective. Staff are clear on the risks to children and have a consistent approach on how to support them. There has been a clear reduction of risk and unwanted behaviours for the child who lives at the home due to the care and support they have received. As a result, the child feels safe and secure. Inspection report for children’s home: SC356318 4 There have been no missing-from-home incidents since the last inspection. The home has protocols in place that are regularly reviewed so that staff remain prepared should there be any incidents in the future.

p.3

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

There have been some self-harm incidents since the last inspection. These have been responded to in a caring and empathetic way, and children have been supported with any medical needs. Staff have responded in line with children’s risk assessments and updated these plans to embed learning. Children have felt supported and safe.

p.4

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

Significant incidents are low in this home and have been reduced for one child. However, two incidents were not recorded accurately by staff or the registered manager. The registered manager also did not evaluate the effectiveness of actions taken by staff and the impact on the children involved. This fails to ensure that due consideration is given as to how incidents are managed and learning is taken.

p.4

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

Since the last inspection, two members of staff have left, and one member of staff has joined the team. Managers have robust recruitment systems in place. This reduces the risk of children being cared for by unsafe adults.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is committed to the children receiving the best possible care.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are positive about working in the home. They feel well supported by the registered manager and deputy manager. Staff can be open and honest if they have any worries or concerns and know that they will be dealt with. They have regular supervision sessions that are reflective, and their development is encouraged.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are a strength in the home. Children’s plans are discussed regularly, and staff undertake presentations on recent learning or training they have attended to further the development of the team. This improves staff’s knowledge and the care that children are receiving.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and the registered manager have excellent relationships with partner agencies. Feedback from one child’s school was that staff are helpful and supportive. These positive relationships and effective partnership working have helped the child through difficult periods, with good communication having been fundamental to this.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager generally has good oversight and monitoring of the care being provided. This ensures consistent and safe care for the children. Children’s wishes and feelings are gained in multiple ways and these help shape their care planning and the home environment. Staff promote the relationships between children and their independent advocates. This ensures that their voices are heard and supported. Inspection report for children’s home: SC356318 5

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. This relates to measures adopted and time frames used in physical intervention reports that do not clearly explain staff’s actions. Furthermore, it relates to the manager’s recording of the effectiveness of the actions that staff take when managing significant incidents. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.5

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: SC356318 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Partnership Of Care Today

p.6

Children’s home details

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

p.6

Inspectors

Hayley Booth, Social Care Inspector Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC356318 7 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.

p.6

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7