Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Wakefield

Inspection report for children’s home: 1270568 1 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

This home is owned and managed by a private organisation. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. Two children were living in the home at the time of the inspection, and one of the children was spoken with.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is currently not in work. Another manager is covering their post, and they were registered with Ofsted in January 2024, respectively.

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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: 1270568 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/07/2024 Full Good 07/11/2023 Full Good 13/09/2022 Full Good 02/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1270568 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress in all areas of their development. They benefit from being cared for by a staff team that know them well. Staff are child-centred and nurturing. These factors help children to develop secure and positive relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is promoted well by the staff. When barriers to learning occur, staff work closely with education professionals. This helps to ensure that children are supported to participate in an alternative education plan and develop aspirations for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the health needs of the children and support them to attend routine health appointments. Children eat a balanced diet and have opportunities to do physical activities to promote a healthier lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy doing a range of activities and hobbies. Children’s photograph albums show them enjoying life and making happy memories of their time in the home. These include activities both in the home and the local community. These opportunities provide the children with enjoyable experiences that also enhance their social skills and help develop their confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to keep in touch with their friends and family. Staff reach out to those who are important to the children to enable these links to be maintained.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop life skills. Staff encourage and teach children how to cook, budget and maintain a clean and hazard free home. This helps equip children with the knowledge and skills that they need for living independently.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the children’s individual needs and vulnerabilities. They fully understand the processes that need to be followed to protect children. This is because staff carry out a range of training courses in relation to the protection and safeguarding of children. This ensures that children are better protected from harm.

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

On occasion, children have left the home without permission. Staff actively search for children and work closely with the children’s family members, the police and the placing authorities. The action taken by staff helps children to return quickly and safely to the home. When risks to children have changed and staff can no longer keep children safe, leaders and managers work closely with local authorities to ensure that alternative care arrangements are made. Inspection report for children’s home: 1270568 4 Staff have regular discussions with children to help them to learn how to keep themselves safe. Discussion topics include online safety, and the dangers associated with going missing and substance misuse. These on-going conversations help children to take age-appropriate responsibility for their own safety, but to also recognise that staff will support them to keep safe.

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

Staff use positive incentives and restorative practice to promote socially acceptable behaviour in children. However, when staff use financial penalties, the records are unclear. The recorded information is confusing and does not help establish whether the measures used are fair and proportionate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered managers are supported in their roles by a team of experienced staff who are child focused. The managers know the strengths of the service and have ideas to develop the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is appropriately staffed. Staffing stability positively effects the quality of care experienced by children. Staff say that they enjoy their work and feel that they are a ‘strong team’ because of the support that they receive from their managers and colleagues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers provide staff with relevant training and support to ensure that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to care for the children effectively. Managers are assured that staff have the skills that they need to provide good-quality care and support for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff actively take part in regular team meetings and supervision sessions. The reflective approach used in these sessions offer staff the space to discuss their practice, the needs of the children and their own well-being. This means that staff have the right support to enable them to improve their practice and this helps them to promote the well-being of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are good monitoring systems in place to help the managers track children’s progress. Staff work closely with social workers and professionals. The positive relationships between services ensure that communication is effective, and children receive the help that they need to make good progress. Inspection report for children’s home: 1270568 5

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Statutory requirement

This section sets out the actions that the registered persons 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 persons must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child.

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Requirement Due date

The following measures may not be used to discipline any child—

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Requirement Due date

imposing a financial penalty, other than a requirement for the payment of a reasonable sum (which may be by instalments) by way of reparation. (Regulation 19 (1) (2)(f)) 27 June 2025

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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: 1270568 6

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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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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Monique Bristol-Colbridge and Alex Mason

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Inspector

Evelyn Chafota, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1270568 7 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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