Children's home run by Stockport Supported Accommodation Service in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home: SC039070 1 SC039070 Registered provider: Stockport Supported Accommodation Service

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home. Both children were spoken to by inspectors.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager was not present in the home due to long-term sickness. An acting manager has been working in the home since November 2024 and supported the inspection.

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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

Date of last inspection: 27 February 2024

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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: SC039070 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2024 Full Good 14/03/2023 Full Good 14/02/2022 Full Good 16/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC039070 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive warm, nurturing care from staff who are focused on developing strong, positive relationships with them. Children say that they receive support from staff who listen to their wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions both into and out of the home have been carefully considered. Where these moves have not been planned, children’s needs have been at the forefront, with clear emphasis on support and relationship-building. For one child who moved from the home due to a significant incident, staff were proactive in visiting the child at their new home and maintaining positive communication. As a result, the child was made to feel that they were valued and that staff continued to care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have faced barriers in accessing education. Although both children in the home are not currently accessing full-time learning, there are clear plans in place to promote this. Staff have been strong advocates for children to ensure that their views and wishes regarding their education are understood and shared with professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are regularly sought in a variety of ways. Children engage with staff in direct work sessions which are child-focused and relevant to children’s current and emerging needs. Staff can identify where children may need additional support and provide encouragement so that children are able to express their worries. Children say they are confident that staff will act in their best interests and that they can identify adults in the home that they can trust.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have dealt with any incidents between children in the home. When there have been incidents of bullying, these have been addressed well and appropriate actions have been taken to resolve conflict and encourage positive relationship-building, where this is appropriate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children maintain relationships with family members and others who are important to them. Children receive nurture and support from staff when they face challenges with these relationships.

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

Staff have a good knowledge of safeguarding procedures, which means that they know what to do when concerns arise. Risk assessments capture all known risks for children and are regularly updated to reflect any changing need and areas for support.

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

Clear protocols are in place in the event of a child being missing from home. These are followed consistently by staff and ensure that children return to the home as safely as possible. Children are offered the opportunity to speak to an independent person on their return. This enables staff to develop their understanding of the reasons why Inspection report for children’s home: SC039070 4 children have been missing and complete work to address any issues. As a result, incidents of going missing from home are reducing.

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

Managers complete assessments prior to children moving in that consider all known risks alongside the needs of other children living in the home. When children display additional behaviours which significantly impact other children and staff, the team has worked hard to develop alternative strategies to support emerging needs. However, the manager has been able to identify when the home can no longer meet the needs of children and has taken actions to support transitions while maintaining a child-focused approach.

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

The home has clear boundaries and routines in place to help children understand acceptable behaviours. This provides children with safe care. Praise and rewards are used regularly to promote positive behaviour. When consequences are used, they are reviewed by the manager, which ensures they are effective and restorative.

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

Staff have the skills to de-escalate situations effectively, with physical intervention only used as a last resort to safeguard children. The manager ensures that the effectiveness of any incident of restraint is reviewed and seeks children’s views to identify any alternative approaches. However, there are some gaps in the recording of incidents, which means there is not always a complete overview regarding areas of further support and the actions taken to address these.

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

Significant incidents are recorded, and staff have responded quickly to ensure that children’s safety is promoted. The manager has regularly reviewed incidents and identified action plans to promote children’s well-being. However, actions are not consistently followed through by the staff team in a timely manner. This is a missed opportunity to gain children’s understanding of the impact of incidents and how these may have resulted in changes in staff’s approach to their care and risk management. Additionally, there are some delays to incidents being reported to Ofsted, which impacts the regulator’s oversight of the provider and the care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has not been present in the home for several months due to illness. An experienced acting manager has been overseeing the home since November 2024, and a deputy manager has recently transferred to the home. Several staff members have transferred to a newly registered home within the local authority, which means the home has experienced a period of transition. Children say that they continue to have good relationships with the core staff team, which has remained consistent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from staff is overwhelmingly positive regarding the support offered by the manager and senior leaders. Staff reflected on the number of changes in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC039070 5 However, they say that the home is now experiencing a period of stability and there is a positive culture within the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision which is reflective and evaluative. The manager provides constructive challenge to address shortfalls in staff’s practice. Staff say that this directly supports their professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows children well and has a sound understanding of their needs. The manager has identified the impact of family relationships for one child and has been proactive in advocating the child’s views to ensure that these are heard and considered in multi-agency discussions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are regular and well attended. Sessions are inclusive and encourage staff to provide their views and reflect on their experiences. The needs of children are discussed to ensure that staff are fully informed to provide consistent care. The manager has identified some of the shortfalls in staff recordings and action plans have been developed to improve this within the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a range of mandatory training and subject-specific training that directly relates to the needs of the children. There continues to be some refresher training outstanding for staff. However, this has been identified and sessions booked to ensure staff knowledge remains up to date, although these are yet to be attended.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has updated the home’s statement of purpose to reflect changes regarding staffing. However, this has not been shared with the regulator in a timely manner. Inspection report for children’s home: SC039070 6

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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 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.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, identified key-work sessions should be completed following incidents both to educate children and ascertain their views and wishes regarding risk management and behaviour support. 18 March 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when the statement of purpose has been reviewed, a copy is shared with the regulatory body. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)  The registered person should ensure that all staff are up to date with their training, including the completion of refresher training within recommended timescales. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children’s home: SC039070 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: SC039070 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Fred Perry House, 10 Edward Street, Stockport SK1 3XE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Elizabeth Vetcher

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Inspectors

Carrie Mayes, Social Care Inspector Michelle Bacon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC039070 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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