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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC008607 1 SC008607 Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home offers care for up to 2 children who may have social and emotional difficulties or learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Two children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. One child spoke with the inspector.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in 2001.

p.1

Inspection dates: 17 and 18 June 2026

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people, taking into account good

p.1

Inspection dates: 17 and 18 June 2026

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

Inspection dates: 17 and 18 June 2026

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

Inspection dates: 17 and 18 June 2026

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

Inspection dates: 17 and 18 June 2026

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC008607 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/04/2025 Full Good 28/05/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/09/2023 Full Good 24/05/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC008607 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Children are welcomed into the home and experience nurturing, individualised care from the staff team. Most children build positive relationships with staff that help them develop a sense of security and make progress. For some children, this has not been the case, and they have left the home as their needs could not be met and staff could not keep them safe.

p.3

Summary of findings

The registered manager is child-centred in his approach. He has developed a positive culture in the home, with a stable and committed staff team. Leaders and managers have not used the monitoring systems in place to address effectively the requirements made at the last inspection.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 2 children have moved on from the home in line with their care plans. One child was able to move to foster care and the second child returned to the care of their family. For these children, the care they experienced in the home enabled them to move on in a positive manner.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two other children have left the home in an unplanned way as staff were unable to meet their needs. For these children, staff could not safeguard them from the risks they faced in their home communities and the pull of these harmful relationships.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The 2 children now living in the home are making good progress from their starting points. The children were both admitted in an emergency. The registered manager completed a thorough assessment of the children’s needs before accepting them into the home, taking into consideration the timescales around their admissions. As a result, the children live together harmoniously, and staff can meet the individual needs of both children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child told the inspector, ‘The staff are all really nice, even [the registered manager], he is a big softy.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to take part in activities and develop new interests. Since coming to live at the home, one child has started horse-riding lessons and joined a local gymnastics club. Staff go on regular walks with children and give them opportunities to lead active lives.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to personalise their rooms and staff ensure that children have the resources they need, which reflect the age and personalities of each child. For the most part, the home provides children with a pleasant family environment. The small Inspection report for children’s home: SC008607 4 back yard of the home needs improvement so that children have a welcoming and attractive space in which to spend time.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s primary healthcare needs are met through appointments with local services as needed. For one child with a lifelong physical health condition, staff work closely with the child’s specialist nurse to ensure that the child’s needs are met. Staff are proactive in seeking medical advice where required to keep the child safe.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to maintain relationships with their families and other important people in their lives. This helps children to have a sense of belonging and understanding of their history and their identity. Staff are alert to the emotional impact of this family time on children. Where these arrangements are not meeting children’s needs, the registered manager is a strong advocate for children. He works with children’s social workers to ensure that these relationships are managed in way that is positive for each child.

p.4

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

Thorough written risk assessments and strategies for the promotion of positive behaviours guide staff in their care of the children. Staff individualise their care of the children in line with their ages and levels of independence and understanding. This helps children to take age-appropriate risks and develop their independence in line with their care plans.

p.4

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

Children’s bedrooms have door alarms, which are routinely in use. This practice has been agreed with children’s placing authorities. There is no written assessment providing evidence of why these alarms are needed and their use is not subject to review. This means that children may be subject to this additional monitoring of their movements when this is no longer necessary.

p.4

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

Staff spend regular one-to-one time with children to help them understand their lives and manage their feelings and emotions. Children have lots of opportunities to reflect on their strengths and develop positive ways to manage their responses to difficult situations.

p.4

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

When staff have to physically hold children, this is appropriate and proportionate to ensure the safety of the child and the staff team. Records of physical interventions are thorough. They provide a good understanding of the rationale for this practice. Children’s views are sought after these interventions in a child-centred manner. The manager provides a reflective and evaluative oversight of each incident. This supports learning and helps to safeguard children.

p.4

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

When children go missing from the home, staff act promptly, following the child’s missing-from-home plans. Staff are proactive in their responses, making efforts to locate children. Information is shared with the police, local authority and other key parties in a timely manner. This helps to provide a coordinated response to bring children home Inspection report for children’s home: SC008607 5 safely. Where staff have been unable to keep children safe in the community, the manager has escalated these concerns with the children’s local authorities to look at alternative care plans for these children.

p.4

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

Safer recruitment practices are in place to ensure that all necessary information has been gathered about new staff to safeguard children. Where concerns are raised about staff practice, the manager acts swiftly to review these concerns and learn from these incidents.

p.5

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

The registered manager has led the home since it was registered over 20 years ago. He brings a wealth of experience to this role. The manager is supported by a senior member of his staff team who is training to take over the manager’s role. This early succession planning is helping to ensure a smooth transition for children and staff when the registered manager moves on from the home.

p.5

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

The manager has established systems in place to monitor practice in the home. Despite this, he has not ensured that requirements made at the last inspection in relation to his supervision, and the quality of care review, have been addressed.

p.5

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

The manager is still not receiving individual practice-related supervision from the responsible individual or any other nominated person. The issues raised in the last inspection in relation to the review of the quality of care report have not been addressed. Parts of the reports are duplicated from one report to the next. Staff views are not sought and there is no clear action planning resulting from the review. As a result of these shortfalls, both requirements are restated in this inspection.

p.5

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

Staff receive regular supervision. Records of these meetings are brief. They do not demonstrate that supervision is being used to reflect on staff practice and the progress and experience of children. Staff have annual appraisals of their performance. These appraisals are not individualised. They are not being used to evaluate the contribution each member of staff has made to children’s care or address the development needs of staff.

p.5

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

For the most part, staff receive the training they require to understand and meet the needs of the children in their care. Staff have not yet been provided with training in relation to intrafamilial sexual harm. This training would support their understanding and care of children currently living in the home.

p.5

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

Staff enjoy working in the home and value the support they receive from the manager and their colleagues. Staff new to the home have a comprehensive induction and experience a well-paced introduction to their new role and responsibilities. Regular team meetings are held, which provide staff with opportunities to reflect on the progress of children and what staff need to do to support children effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: SC008607 6 The manager is a strong advocate for the children in his care. He is child-centred in his practice. Where children’s needs are not being met, he challenges other professionals to obtain the right services and support for children to help them move forward with their lives. Inspection report for children’s home: SC008607 7

p.5

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.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.7

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the registered manager receives regular individual supervision of their practice; that staff supervision records demonstrate reflection on the progress and experience of children; and annual appraisals are of sufficient quality to support the individual development needs of each member of staff.

p.7

Requirement Due date

A requirement was made in relation to the supervision of the registered manager at the last inspection and this is restated. 1 September 2026

p.7

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.

p.7

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—

p.7

Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

p.7

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; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. 1 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC008607 8 After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

p.7

Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (5))

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the review of care report includes sufficient evaluation and analysis of the quality of care which is updated in each report; that the views of staff are included; and that there is a specific and time-bound action plan resulting from the review.

p.8

Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

p.8

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff receive the training they need to meet the individual needs of children in a timely manner before, or as soon as possible after, children’s admission. In particular, all staff should receive training in relation to intrafamilial sexual harm. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that there are risk assessments in place for the use of door alarms on children’s bedrooms and that these are subject to regular review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that improvements are made to the back yard of the home to make this is a welcoming and attractive space for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph

p.8

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: SC008607 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor, Lansdowne House, 85 Buxton Road, Stockport, Cheshire SK2 6LR

p.9

Children’s home details

Responsible individuals: Sean Fitzpatrick Ellen Fitzpatrick

p.9

Inspector

Dawn Parton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC008607 10 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.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10