Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children’s home: SC008269 1 SC008269

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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

A large private provider operates this home. The home is registered to provide care for up to 3 children who have experienced childhood instability, resulting in trauma and associated complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2024. He holds the relevant level 5 qualification.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children are living at the home, who were present and spoken to. One child has left the home since the last inspection.

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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

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: SC008269 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/03/2025 Full Good 21/03/2024 Full Good 14/03/2023 Full Good 17/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC008269 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences of living in the home are varied. While children have made some positive progress, inconsistencies in staff practice have limited children’s day-to-day experiences and the overall quality of care they receive. Leaders have reflected on this and have taken steps to learn from the shortfalls.

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improvement to be good

Children are not always helped to understand and explore their emotions and views when significant incidents affect them. In addition, there are missed opportunities to support children to understand actions taken in response to their views and experiences. This limits their ability to process what has happened, rebuild trust and feel safe.

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improvement to be good

Children receive support from specialist health services when required. Staff monitor any changes in children’s physical and emotional health and respond appropriately to ensure children’s health needs are met. For example, when new concerns emerged about a child, the registered manager worked in partnership with other agencies to ensure these emerging needs were assessed and understood so that the most appropriate support could be identified.

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improvement to be good

Children benefit from tailored educational support. Partnership working with educational professionals ensures a joined-up approach to understanding and meeting children’s needs. The registered manager actively engages with educational professionals to advocate for children so they can progress educationally. As a result, all children have made progress in education, and one child has re-engaged in education after a challenging period.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to have fun, enjoy themselves and experience new things. Children have opportunities to go on holiday. They participate in clubs and activities in line with their interests, such as football, gaming and go karting. This helps children to explore their interests and develop their confidence and self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

A new practice model helps children be more involved in their care planning. Staff are building confidence to engage children in meaningful conversations about their needs, goals and preferences. As a result, children are beginning to take a more active role in their care planning, including planning for their future and developing their independence.

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improvement to be good

Children live in a warm and welcoming environment. The home is personalised to the children’s preferences. This theme runs right through the home. For example, photos are displayed throughout and a gaming room supports children’s interests. Children’s bedrooms are decorated in line with their preference and communal areas have a warm and homely feel to them. This supports children to feel valued. Inspection report for children’s home: SC008269 4

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improvement to be good

Staff know the children well and help children to understand risk. However, on occasions, staff have lacked the confidence and skills needed to manage incidents effectively. Physical intervention has not always been used as a last resort or proportionately. This has led to several investigations into staff practice. Although learning has been identified, and additional training implemented, this has not helped to prevent serious incidents from occurring. The use of restraint is not always well documented and there are missed opportunities to reflect and learn from restraint practice.

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improvement to be good

When children make allegations, these are not always referred to the local authority designated officer in a timely manner. This limits prompt oversight by safeguarding agencies when children may be at risk. Potential allegations are not always identified or explored with sufficient professional curiosity. This means that potentially unsafe practice is not rigorously explored to ensure children’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Managers do not ensure that they notify Ofsted of all significant incidents involving children without delay. This prevents Ofsted from having effective and timely oversight of what action staff take to keep children safe. Completing the formal notification process would have supported additional checks by the registered manager and timely consultation with the designated officer in the local authority.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to develop knowledge and understanding around relevant risks, including how to keep themselves safe online. Clear boundaries are in place around children’s use of the internet and gaming to promote healthy routines. Staff help children to understand the reasons for these boundaries. This supports them to develop an understanding of healthy boundaries for the future, and a growing awareness of how to keep themselves safe.

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improvement to be good

One child has been supported with measured risk taking in line with their independence, wishes and feelings. Clear boundaries, appropriate supervision and partnership working with safeguarding agencies has enabled them to maintain an important relationship, ensuring risks are understood and managed without being restrictive.

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

The registered manager wants the best for children and understands their progress and challenges well. Staff are positive about the support they receive, and social workers have commented on the positive relationship between the manager and children. However, his oversight of children’s care is inconsistent and there have been missed opportunities to identify shortfalls promptly. The manager understands some of the shortfalls identified and has begun to make improvements.

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

Senior leaders and the independent visitor have not consistently identified emerging shortfalls in staff practice. This has limited the registered manager’s ability to drive Inspection report for children’s home: SC008269 5 forward improvement and maintain quality of care. Monitoring processes lack depth, curiosity and appropriate professional challenge. As a result, opportunities to strengthen practice, identify shortfalls and support staff development are missed.

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

Although staff receive regular supervision, this lacks reflection. As a result, staff are not supported to critically consider their practice or the needs of the children they support. Staff have access to mandatory training and training tailored to children’s individual needs. Despite this, learning is not consistently translated into practice that is underpinned by a trauma-informed approach.

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

The registered manager does not consistently advocate for children. When decisions have been made by external professionals that may not be consistent with children’s best interests, there has been a lack of challenge. This has reduced the registered manager’s capacity to ensure that children’s welfare remains central to decision-making.

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

Despite the shortfalls identified, feedback from professionals is positive. They highlight strong communication, positive relationships between staff and children, and good communication skills. Staff were also positive about the support that they receive from the registered manager. Inspection report for children’s home: SC008269 6

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have the skills to respond to children’s actions effectively, understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities and ensure that there is no delay in following child protection procedures. 15 April 2026

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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

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 15 April 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC008269 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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

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)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff are provided with sufficient support, training to acquire the skills to meet children’s needs, that there are effective systems to evaluate children’s quality of care and that monitoring systems are effective in identifying where staff practice should improve.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

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Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)) 15 April 2026

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

engage with them; and 15 April 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC008269 8 take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are supported to explore complex experiences and make sense of their feelings, and that any actions taken reflect and respond to the children’s views, wishes and feelings.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. 15 April 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC008269 9 A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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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: SC008269 10

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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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Inspector

Natasha Skinner, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC008269 11 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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