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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1271135 1 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

The home is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to six children with emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, four children were living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 22 October 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1271135 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/10/2024 Full Good 22/08/2023 Full Good 03/11/2022 Full Good 18/08/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1271135 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

Children experience inconsistent progress while living in this home, which affects their overall development and outcomes. Since the last inspection, there have been changes to the staffing and manager in the home. This has meant that children are not consistently cared for by a stable staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

Children currently living in the home have formed positive relationships with some staff members. Those spoken to said that they like living in this home and could identify a staff member that they could talk to if they were worried or concerned.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

The responsible individual and staff demonstrate an understanding of the children and their individual needs and risks. However, the children’s care plans lack specific guidance on how staff should support progress across all aspects of children’s lives. Additionally, the absence of managerial oversight within these plans means there is no clear evaluation of progress from each child’s starting point.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

Children’s progress in education is inconsistent as does not support them all to achieve their full potential. However, the responsible individual has taken action to advocate for educational provisions that align with each child’s individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

Staff actively support children to maintain important relationships with their families and other significant individuals. They demonstrate sensitivity to the unique complexities that family time may present for each child and show flexibility in responding to the needs of children and families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

Some areas of the home remain in need of redecoration and repair. However, the responsible individual is actively addressing these issues to improve the living environment. At the time of this inspection, redecoration work was underway.

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improvement to be good

The quality of children’s risk assessments is inconsistent, with some lacking key information. While one child’s assessment clearly outlines their vulnerabilities and specific strategies for managing incidents, this level of detail is not reflected across all plans. Records show that staff engage children in conversations about safety, including the risks linked to substance misuse. However, previous managers do not routinely review this information to evaluate the effectiveness of risk management strategies.

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improvement to be good

Records show that staff generally adhere to the model of care described in the home’s statement of purpose. At times, this supports staff in managing incidents when children are in crisis. The responsible individual has reviewed some of these incidents, which has Inspection report for children’s home: 1271135 4 helped to identify gaps in safeguarding and care practices. However, it remains unclear how these findings are communicated to staff or used to inform improvements in care practice.

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improvement to be good

Leaders follow safeguarding processes when children make allegations against staff. This includes sharing information with the local authority designated officer and other relevant professionals. However, shortfalls were identified regarding one allegation made by a child in line with the safeguarding procedures in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There has been no registered manager in post since January 2025. An interim manager is currently in post. However, she has not applied to register with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Management systems and oversight within the home remain inconsistent. Senior leaders recognise these shortcomings and are taking steps to address them. However, planned improvements to enhance the manager’s oversight have not yet been put into practice, limiting the effectiveness of current leadership arrangement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders are supporting the interim manager to strengthen her oversight of the home. However, the manager has not undertaken a thorough analysis or evaluation of the care provided by staff. As a result, valuable opportunities to enhance outcomes for children are being missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Not all staff receive regular supervision. Records from some staff’s supervision do not demonstrate how actions are progressed. This does not support staff development or their ability to continually improve the quality of care they provide for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home’s statement of purpose is not sent to Ofsted in line with regulation. This means that Ofsted do not have up-to-date information about the staff who work in the home and their training and qualifications.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The responsible individual has played a prominent role in managing the home, with staff and parents reporting noticeable improvements in the home and care of children under her leadership. This is supported by recordings and evaluations within children’s records and care plans that have recently improved. However, the systems introduced to drive improvement are not fully embedded into everyday practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 1271135 5

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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

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that there is oversight of the care staff provide for children. Leaders and managers must ensure that action is taken to address gaps in staff knowledge and understanding. 22 December 2025

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and 22 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 1271135 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 33 (1) (4)(b)) 22 December 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 22 December 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children’s records are reviewed and kept up to date. 22 December 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 Inspection report for children’s home: 1271135 7 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: 1271135 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

Catherine Fargin, Regulatory Inspection Manager Debbie Dawson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1271135 9 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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