Children's Home run by Brookfield Care (NW) Limited in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home: 2752709 1 Registered provider: Brookfield Care (NW) Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private organisation. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties and may have a learning disability.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2752709 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/07/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2752709 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is beautifully decorated and contemporary with a homely feel. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms to reflect their individual choices. This helps create a sense of ownership and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to move on from the home in a planned and child-focused way. Staff take the time to understand children’s wishes about where they want to live and work to help them achieve this. Children are well supported to prepare for their move. Staff purchase items for their new home and help them to move in. This reduces children’s anxieties about moving on to independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s individual support needs are well known. Staff are aware of children’s communication style and adapt their approach to ensure that their care is delivered in a way that children can understand and engage with. For one child who has autism, staff have prepared a visual step-by-step guide to help them complete tasks such as tidying their bedroom.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to manage their health and well-being. They are registered with primary healthcare services such as the GP and dentist. Staff also ensure that children have access to specialised health services specific to their needs. They engage in age-appropriate discussions with children about their sexual health and help them consider measures that they can use to keep themselves safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to share their views about the care and support that they receive. Their preferences are respected and acted on where possible. When their requests compromise their well-being, staff explain to children why their needs cannot be met. This acknowledgment ensures that children feel listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with their family. Family members are welcomed into the home, and information about their children’s care and progress is shared with them where appropriate. Staff maintain positive relationships with family members, which supports care continuity and children’s emotional stability. The parent of one child spoke positively about the care their child receives and the staff’s welcoming presentation when they visit the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged and supported to attend their education provision. Staff consistently work with schools and other education providers to understand children’s academic goals and ensure that the right support is in place to help them achieve. The social worker for one child said about the staff team, ‘They are really good advocates around [name of the child’s] education.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are not always supported to move sensitively into the home. The registered manager and senior staff members visited the child twice before they moved in, but did not introduce themselves in their professional role or provide information about Inspection report for children’s home: 2752709 4 the home. This led to the child moving into the home without preparation and an understanding of who would be caring for them.

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

Staff understand children’s associated risks. They follow agreed strategies documented in children’s risk management plans and respond appropriately when incidents occur.

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

Missing-from-home incident records demonstrate that staff are committed to keeping children safe. They travel long distances to locate them and facilitate their safe return.

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

Leaders and managers place a strong emphasis on multi-agency working. They work with professionals to identify and put in place appropriate safeguarding strategies and respond quickly to new and emerging risks to protect children from harm. This joint approach ensures that decision-making is well informed and strengthens the ability of the staff team to respond to children’s risks.

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

Room searches are completed to safeguard children. Records document the reason for the search and what is found. This ensures that the process is proportionate and focused on promoting children’s safety and well-being.

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

Staff recognise that children’s lived experiences can influence how they perceive and respond to risks. They use this to inform direct work that helps children recognise unsafe situations and make safer choices. Staff ensure that key safety topics, such as healthy relationships and exploitation, are regularly revisited to reinforce important messages to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She presents as someone who is passionate about providing a high standard of care to children and ensures that they have the right support that enables them to make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that staff have the skills, knowledge and resources to conduct their roles effectively. Staff benefit from regular supervision and access to ongoing training that enables them to reflect on and improve their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended. They are used as a forum for shared learning and to ensure that practice is consistent. The in-house therapist attends the meetings and gives her professional insight. This includes guiding staff on what direct work should be completed with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are effective systems in place to monitor the quality of care children receive. The registered manager and senior staff members are actively involved in monitoring the service quality to ensure that children consistently receive good care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2752709 5 Management oversight is good. Incidents are routinely reviewed and evaluated to ensure that staff practice prioritises children’s welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a strong understanding of the children and their identified needs. She appropriately challenges external partners when their practice does not support positive outcomes for children. Consequently, a child who was previously excluded from attending a college trip was invited to attend following the registered manager’s appeal.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has not ensured that the quality of care review includes feedback from children about their care. In addition, there is not a workforce plan in place. Inspection report for children’s home: 2752709 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(b) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that children are supported to move into the home in a child-focused and sensitive way. 16 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children; and

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)) 16 September Inspection report for children’s home: 2752709 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that there is a workforce plan in place. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: 2752709 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Brookfield Care (NW) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 139 Bramhall Moor Lane, Hazel Grove, Stockport SK7 5AQ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michelle Kershaw

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Inspector

Chibuzo Otache, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2752709 9 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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Inspector

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