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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC005045 1 SC005045 Registered provider: The 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

A large private provider operates this home. The home provides 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 November 2014 and holds a level 4 qualification in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living at the home and were spoken to by the inspector.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC005045 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/07/2025 Full Good 30/07/2024 Full Good 26/07/2023 Full Good 23/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC005045 3

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Summary of findings

Children benefit from strong, trusting relationships with staff who help them feel safe, secure and valued. Both children are making good progress from their starting points in their education, health and development.

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Summary of findings

Staff understand children’s risks and promote their safety and wellbeing. Staff speak with children about risks and children have trusted staff they can go to if they have any worries or concerns.

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Summary of findings

Managers provide child-focused leadership. Staff are well trained to meet children’s needs and say they feel well supported in their roles.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are benefiting from a stable home environment and are making good progress from their individual starting points. When children move into the home, this is carefully planned and sensitively managed. This helps children to settle quickly and develop a strong sense of security and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are warm and trusting relationships between staff and children. Children are relaxed and comfortable in the home and confidently seek support and guidance from staff when needed. Staff know the children well and actively support their individual interests and needs. One child said, ‘I like all the staff. I have good relationships with them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain relationships with their families. Staff help to arrange and facilitate family time, including providing transport and supervising when required. As a result, one child has re-established their relationships with family members after a significant period. This has helped them to strengthen their sense of identity. Furthermore, children are supported to spend time with friends in the community, promoting their social networks and emotional wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children are accessing education. Staff actively support and celebrate children’s attendance, engagement and progress. They work effectively with education professionals to review plans and advocate for children. When one child’s education plan changed, staff appropriately escalated concerns and worked with relevant professionals. They helped arrange alternative tutoring, ensuring continuity of learning while a suitable education provision was identified.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well met. Staff support and encourage children to attend routine health appointments and work sensitively with them to overcome any barriers to accessing services. Children benefit from consistent routines and structure, with staff promoting healthy eating, exercise and good sleep routines. Also, staff provide children Inspection report for children’s home: SC005045 4 with advice and guidance on healthy relationships and the risks associated with substance misuse. This helps children to make informed and safer choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities that reflect their individual interests, such as skiing and nature walks. One child is now volunteering at a museum, which is helping to develop their confidence and skills. However, the home’s vehicle is shared between 2 homes. While staff use their own vehicles to minimise disruption, this arrangement limits opportunities for one child to increase their volunteering hours due to the travel involved.

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

Children are settled in the home and benefit from a calm and nurturing environment. Incidents are rare and there has been no use of physical intervention. Staff promote positive behaviour through regular praise and incentives that recognise children’s achievements. When consequences are used, they are restorative in approach and help children to reflect on their behaviour, understand risks and learn from their experiences.

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

Staff take online safety concerns seriously and respond appropriately when risks emerge. They work effectively with relevant professionals to safeguard children and regularly review safety plans to reduce known risks. Children benefit from clear boundaries and regular discussions to help them understand how to stay safe online.

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

Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities and are confident in recognising and reporting concerns. When a concern was raised about staff, the manager responded appropriately and worked closely with the local authority designated officer to keep children safe.

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

Children feel safe living in the home. They benefit from stability, predictable routines and have a strong sense of belonging. As a result, there have been no incidents of children going missing from home.

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

Substance misuse concerns are taken seriously. Children receive advice and guidance about the risks associated with substance misuse and are given information about how to access specialist services. However, on one occasion, when a child was under the influence of substances, staff did not seek medical advice. While this did not have an adverse impact on the child, seeking medical advice would have provided additional assurance that the child’s welfare needs were fully considered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and assistant manager have worked in the home for many years and provide strong, child-focused leadership. They are committed to ensuring that children receive high-quality care and support. Staff feel well supported in their roles and speak positively about this. One staff member said, ‘They [managers] are consistent and have so much experience. They are approachable and listen.’ This helps to create a stable and positive environment for both children and staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC005045 5 Children’s views, wishes and feelings are valued. Regular children’s meetings and individual discussions provide opportunities for children to share their opinions and influence decisions about their day-to-day lives. This helps children to feel listened to and involved in their own care planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended. They provide staff with opportunities to discuss children’s progress, share information and reflect on practice. The manager also delivers additional training on key topics, such as online safety and exploitation. This strengthens staff’s knowledge and helps the manager to identify any areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a wide range of training that is tailored to the individual needs of the children, ensuring they have the skills and knowledge to meet children’s needs effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision with staff takes place regularly. This provides staff with a space to have open conversations about how they are feeling, discuss their personal development and share any worries they may have. This helps to create an open and honest culture.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective monitoring systems in place to help them review the quality of care provided to children. However, Ofsted is not always notified of significant events in line with regulatory requirements. This impacts the regulator’s ability to have timely oversight of incidents and safeguarding matters in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC005045 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. This relates specifically to ensuring medical advice is sought following an incident of substance misuse. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should support staff to be ambitious for every child in the home and enable them to actively support each child to achieve their potential. This

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Recommendations

specifically relates to ensuring that staff have all the resources they need to facilitate children’s chosen activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5)

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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: SC005045 7

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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

Kirsty Truesdale, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC005045 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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