Children's Home run by The Together Trust in Stockport

Inspection report for children's home: SC025745 1 SC025745

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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 service is run and managed by a charitable organisation. It provides a short-breaks service for up to five children who may have learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 21 children were accessing the service and three children were staying at the service overnight. Some children were being assessed for suitability to start accessing the service.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2022. She is suitably qualified and experienced.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspector spoke to and spent time observing all three children during 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: 30 January 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: SC025745 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/01/2024 Full Good 09/02/2023 Full Good 08/12/2021 Full Good 19/08/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC025745 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop trusting and positive relationships with the staff team. This is because staff provide nurturing support and care for children. The staff team communicates regularly with children’s families who are involved in decision-making, including any changes to their child’s plan. Parents were all positive about their children’s experiences during their stays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Planning for children coming to stay at the service is individualised and taken at the child’s and family’s pace. Children visit the service regularly to spend time with staff and other children to ensure that they are comfortable with the service before they stay overnight. The manager uses a risk assessment to determine the suitability of children accessing the service. However, for one child the manager has not demonstrated a clear summary of the rationale for the child accessing the service and how this would be managed. Equally, there was no placing authority plan on file clarifying the purpose of the child’s stay at the service and the support that they may require.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made good progress which is supporting their time at the home. Children have developed in confidence; their communication skills have developed, and their mobility has improved. Staff help children to prepare for their futures and to develop their independence skills, such as preparing basic meals, shopping and self-care skills. Social workers reported on the positive opportunities for children who have accessed the service. Children access various fun activities in line with their hobbies to provide them with positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

External agencies are accessed when children require more support with their health needs, such as dieticians, sleep clinics, and speech and language therapists. Children’s health conditions are understood by the staff team. Staff receive training so that they know when children require additional support or medical intervention, specifically for children with epilepsy and children on feeding plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to share their views, wishes and feelings using their preferred communication style, such as using Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS), social stories and Makaton. Staff understand children’s individual communication styles and they actively support children to be confident in their communication. There are a variety of forums in place for children to share their views and feelings. Complaints processes are also displayed clearly in picture form on notice boards throughout the service, so that children know how to raise any concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children are preparing to move on from the service, the staff team provides individualised levels of support to ensure that this move is positive. The team makes plans that are child-centred and provide families with clear guidance and support. Its members work hard to reduce the child’s and family’s anxieties. Inspection report for children's home: SC025745 4 Some areas of the premises need redecoration to bring them up to the standard of other, more homely areas in the service. The manager has a plan to develop and refurbish specific areas of the service.

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

Children are kept safe and secure during their stays at the service. Staff understand their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children and to monitor their well-being. Children’s risk assessments provide staff with clear actions to keep children safe. The staff team communicates regularly with placing authorities and external agencies to share information and to report any concerns associated with the children’s safety or well- being.

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

Since the last inspection, children are kind to one another and there have not been any incidents of bullying. Children receive support to respect each other’s space, belongings and privacy. Positive recognition is a priority to promote children’s self-esteem. Children are rewarded for the positive choices they make, through individualised and effective rewards systems.

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

Restraint is used only as a last resort, to prevent children from harming themselves or others. When necessary, the manager explores lessons learned following the use of restraint and works closely with the positive behaviour support team to review any changes that can be made to support children when they become unsettled.

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

Children do not go missing from the home. They are appropriately supervised and supported due to their vulnerabilities. Through individual support sessions, staff educate children about how to make safe choices, such as crossing the road safely and stranger danger.

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

Leaders and managers understand safe allegation management processes. Following an allegation, they acted promptly to explore the concerns and to notify the relevant safeguarding professionals. Leaders and managers have introduced safeguarding matters as a standing agenda item at staff supervision sessions. During these sessions, managers have discussed with each staff member how to report an allegation and clarified the whistle-blowing policies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a positive role model. She has a good understanding of children, their progress and their needs. She advocates on behalf of children to improve their individual outcomes. The management team works collaboratively and invests in the staff team. The manager recognises the service’s strengths and areas for development. She is receptive to feedback and learning opportunities and welcomes staff suggestions about how the service could improve. Inspection report for children's home: SC025745 5 There are sufficient staff in place, including waking night staff, to provide the appropriate level of individualised care to children. Any bank staff working in the service have well-developed, consistent relationships with children. When agency staff are used, they work alongside core staff members to ensure that children have staff who are familiar to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The senior leadership team engages staff in regular, purposeful and reflective practice- related supervision. Staff new to their role are provided with a detailed induction, additional formal support and guidance throughout their probationary period. Staff appraisals are carried out annually. They include organisational, team and personal focused targets to support their professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff attend regular team meetings. During these meetings, key information and risks for each child are discussed. This ensures that staff are consistent in their approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good oversight of staff training. More face-to-face training has been introduced to support staff in their work with children, such as autism and communication training. New staff are scheduled to undertake some training. The manager monitors the training programme to ensure that members of the staff team are skilled and knowledgeable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s oversight of records and systems in the home has improved. Detailed monitoring enables the manager to track the individual support sessions that children take part in and identifies whether additional work is required. The manager has developed an escalation process record to ensure that all children have up-to-date education, health and care plans in place. This has improved the overall support and care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s development plan includes a focus on improvements required to ensure that children receive a good experience with positive outcomes during their short-break stay. However, the independent visitor does not regularly obtain parents’, professionals’ and staff’s views about the impact of the service on children’s lives. This does not demonstrate effective scrutiny of the service by the independent visitor. This shortfall was a recommendation at the last inspection and has been escalated to a requirement as this is a priority. Inspection report for children's home: SC025745 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

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

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home provides a nurturing, supportive and homely environment that meets the needs of the children. Specifically, some areas of the premises are looking worn and in need of redecoration to bring them up to the standard of other, more homely areas. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that they only accept placements for children when they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. Specifically, the manager should provide a rationale for children accessing the service and how this will be managed within children’s individual impact risk assessments prior to them accessing the service. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the

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Recommendations

quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that they challenge (under regulation 5(c)) any placing authority who asks them to accept a child in the absence of a complete and current relevant plan. It is essential that leaders and managers understand what will be required of them before they accept responsibility for a child’s placement. Specifically, the manager should ensure that all children have an up-to-date placing authority plan on file, detailing the purpose of the child accessing the service and the support they require. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5) Inspection report for children's home: SC025745 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: SC025745 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Together Trust Centre, Schools Hill, Cheadle, Cheshire SK8 1JE

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Caroline Whittaker-Axon

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Inspector

Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC025745 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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