Children's home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home: SC008270 1 SC008270 Registered provider: Partnership of Care Today

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care for up to 2 children who have had adverse childhood experiences that led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living in the home at the time of the inspection. The inspector spoke with both children.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably experienced and holds a level 5 leadership and management qualification.

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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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC008270 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/03/2025 Full Outstanding 30/01/2024 Full Good 04/01/2023 Full Good 09/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC008270 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into and out of the home are managed sensitively. Before moving in, they are given opportunities to meet with staff and have overnight stays. This helps children to feel more comfortable and enables them to get to know the staff who will be caring for them. When children move out, staff remain in contact, offering continued support as they settle into their new homes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide regular opportunities for children to develop their independence skills. They use fun quizzes that help assess and build children’s understanding. One child now confidently uses public transport and has gained skills in cooking and doing laundry and ironing. Staff recognise and praise these achievements, which encourages the children to continue developing these skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a wide range of meaningful activities that support their interests and personal development. For example, one child has recently been supported to join a local football club and go fishing. Another child regularly attends police cadets, which provides structure, routine and opportunities to have fun. These experiences help children to build their confidence and build new positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of building positive relationships with children. Interactions between staff and children are warm and nurturing, with shared laughter. Staff take time to engage children in games and shared activities, creating relaxed and enjoyable moments together. Children speak positively about their experiences living in the home. One child said, ‘Staff are lovely, they keep me safe.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is making good progress in education. The child is applying for college courses with support from staff and is clear about their future aspirations. Another child faces barriers to accessing education. The manager works with the virtual school and social worker to address this issue. However, staff have not always engaged the child in education. As a result, there is a lack of structure to the child’s day. This does not support the child to maintain consistent daily routines, in preparation for returning to school.

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

Staff understand children’s risks and vulnerabilities. They talk to children about them and help to educate them on how to keep safe. Staff arranged for the local police community support officer to speak to one child about online safety and positive friendships. This good support enables children to learn about risks and helps them to make safer choices.

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

Staff maintain detailed risk management plans. These include children’s views on how they want to be supported when they are upset. Children feel listened to and assured Inspection report for children’s home: SC008270 4 that staff respond to their individual needs. As a result, staff quickly de-escalate behaviours and incidents rarely occur in the home.

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

Since the last inspection there have been 2 missing-from-home incidents. Staff responded effectively to search for the child, followed agreed plans and worked closely with the local police to ensure the child’s safe return. They talked to the child to help them understand the risk and reasons for going missing and to help reduce the likelihood of this happening again.

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

Staff speak confidently about their safeguarding responsibilities and have a clear understanding of whistleblowing procedures. The manager is in the home and has day ‑ to ‑ day oversight of staff practice. This helps to keep children safe.

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

Safer recruitment procedures are consistently followed. All necessary checks are completed before staff work with children. Recruitment checks demonstrate that the manager takes appropriate steps to ensure that the staff are suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager speaks confidently about the children and knows them well. She is ambitious for both the children and the staff team, setting clear expectations that promote good-quality care. Her child-focused leadership motivates staff and helps create a culture where children’s progress and wellbeing are at the centre of their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working in the home and feel supported by the manager and each other. Furthermore, partnership working with external agencies is a strength of the home. Staff maintain effective relationships with a wide range of professionals, such as education staff, social workers and independent reviewing officers. Professionals spoke positively about the care children receive and said there is good communication.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended by staff. These meetings provide a useful space for staff to reflect on practice and share information. The manager also sets learning tasks for the team. For example, staff research the impact of substance misuse on children and present their findings to each other. This approach supports staff to build their knowledge and develop greater professional curiosity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training is tailored to meet the specific needs of the children. In addition, the induction process for new staff is used effectively to check staff’s understanding of key areas of practice, including safeguarding. This helps ensure that staff are confident and well prepared to meet children’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has systems in place to review the quality of care children receive. However, there are shortfalls in the cleanliness of children’s bedrooms, as staff do not always support children to keep their bedrooms clean and tidy, which means the environment is not as well maintained as it could be. Inspection report for children’s home: SC008270 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure children placed in the home participate in education when they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that children are provided with a welcoming and homely domestic environment. (‘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: SC008270 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: 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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Inspector

Kirsty Truesdale, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC008270 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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