Children's Home run by The Together Trust in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home: SC025745 1 SC025745 Registered provider: The Together Trust Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated 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 this inspection, 21 children were accessing the service, and six children were staying at the home overnight. Some children were being assessed for their 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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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: 28 January 2025

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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

28/01/2025 Full Good 30/01/2024 Full Good 09/02/2023 Full Good 08/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC025745 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector spoke to and spent time observing all six children during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are familiar with and feel comfortable in their environment. They have access to a range of resources, including an outdoor sensory garden, an indoor sensory light room and other specialised equipment. These facilities provide children with meaningful opportunities to meet their individual needs and support their development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff plan children’s stays effectively. Staff demonstrate a strong understanding of each child’s individual needs, preferences and routines. This enables them to provide tailored support that helps children feel settled and enjoy their time at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to understand and give informed consent. Staff use forms to help children learn about their rights and choices. During their time at the home, children are encouraged to engage in decision-making and are given age-appropriate opportunities to understand what consent means in different contexts.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and provides a comfortable, sociable environment for children. Children have ample space to play games, share meals with friends and relax. While some areas of the home have been redecorated, children’s bedrooms still require attention, and some flooring is damaged. These issues detract from the overall quality of the environment and should be addressed to ensure that the home remains welcoming and well maintained.

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

Children develop trusting relationships with staff, and positive interactions were observed between children and staff. This demonstrates that children feel safe and settled while at the home. Staff were observed using skilled techniques to communicate effectively with nonverbal children.

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

Recruitment procedures and practices are safe and effective. All staff are checked and vetted before starting to work at the home. These checks ensure that only suitable adults are employed to work with children at the home.

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

Staff receive a good standard of training that equips them to meet children’s individual needs. Training is relevant and regularly updated, ensuring that staff have the knowledge and skills required to provide safe, effective and nurturing care. This contributes to consistency in staff practice and promotes positive outcomes for children.

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

Restraint records are in place. However, staff members involved in incidents have occasionally carried out debriefs. Although this is rare and done with the intention of Inspection report for children’s home: SC025745 4 supporting the child, it reduces the level of independent scrutiny and limits opportunities for objective reflection and learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from receiving care from a stable and consistent staff team. This continuity enables children to build and maintain trusting relationships with the adults who support them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager carries out a six-monthly review of the quality of care. This review evaluates the home’s strengths and areas for development, drawing on feedback from children, staff and other stakeholders. It helps to drive continuous improvement and ensures that the home remains focused on achieving positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff value the support they receive through regular supervision and appraisals. These sessions provide opportunities for reflection, professional development and guidance. Staff say they feel listened to and well supported in their roles, which contributes to a positive team culture and consistent care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents report that the home provides a safe and nurturing environment for their children. Leaders and managers make efforts to accommodate parental requests for overnight stays. However, due to the nature of the service and the specific needs of the children, it is not always possible to fulfil these requests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The recording and oversight of documentation are inconsistent. Staff sometimes fail to fully complete, sign or date paperwork, compromising the accuracy and accountability of records. Inspection report for children’s home: SC025745 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 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

if the child dies before attaining the age of 18, for 15 years from the date of the child’s death;

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Requirement Due date

in cases not falling within sub-paragraph (a), for 75 years from the child’s date of birth;

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Requirement Due date

securely in the children’s home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there; and

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Requirement Due date

in a secure place after the child has ceased to be accommodated in the home. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all children’s records are up to date, signed by the author and reviewed regularly to evidence progress and compliance.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, risk assessments must be reviewed to ensure that they contain the most up-to-date information about children’s needs. 1 December 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when any form of physical intervention is used, the children involved are offered the opportunity to have a debrief with Inspection report for children’s home: SC025745 6 someone who was not directly involved in the intervention. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)  The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets children’s needs. Any damage or repairs should be addressed without delay. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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 7

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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

James Meeks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC025745 8 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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