Children's Home run by Meadows Care Limited in Oldham

Unique reference number SC066072 Inspection date 14/08/2012 Inspector Stella Henderson Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 13/03/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This privately owned home provides care for two young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. This home is also registered as a school.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are provided with good quality care in an environment which is safe and in which they achieve improved outcomes across all aspects of their development. Young people, their parents and placing social workers enjoy positive relationships with management and staff and there are good working relationships with colleagues in other agencies.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from effective management oversight of the home. One action and one recommendation are raised however in order to further improve outcomes for young people in relation to the employment of staff and the recording of their views in key documentation.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure that children communicate their views on all aspects of their care and support (NMS 1.3)  ensure that the overall number, competence and deployment of staff, both as a staff group and on individual shifts, can fulfil the home’s statement of purpose and meet the individual needs of all the children resident at the home. (NMS 17.1)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make good progress during their time at the home. This is recognised by young people themselves, their parents and placing social workers. One young person said that they had 'made a heck of a lot of progress' during their time at the home, and a parent commented that 'going to Meadows Care had been the making' of their child. A placing social worker noted that one young person 'has made significant improvements in attitude, risk taking behaviour and education'.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are safe at the home and they say they feel safe and respected by staff. This helps young people to feel valued and confident. Success in other areas of their lives, particularly education, contributes to improved self-esteem. One parent commented on the 'amazing progress' their child had made, showing their potential and offering the chance 'that might otherwise have been lost'.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy good health and understand the importance of healthy eating, exercise and the hazards of smoking and substance misuse. They report that they are supported in their transition to adulthood and feel confident about taking the next steps to independent living, continuing their education or going into work.

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy constructive and cordial relationships with staff. They are confident that they will be helped and supported with any issues or concerns. Parents have confidence in staff. One parent noted that the manager and staff are 'absolutely the most professional I have come across' and 'I know that any issues are dealt with immediately.'

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Quality of care

Staff, even those newly appointed, have a very good grasp of their responsibilities. This ensures that young people are treated as the unique individuals they are and cared for in line with their placements plans. Staff are adept in their communication with young people, who are consulted on a frequent basis about day-to-day decisions. This gives them plenty of opportunity to discuss any choices and views they may have on living at the home and their plans.

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Quality of care

The quality of service that young people experience is enhanced by effective inter- agency working. This means that young people can successfully access the resources they require to fully address their diverse needs.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe. Young people benefit from a service that has a clear focus on safeguarding. They feel safe at the home and one parent felt that their child was 'totally safe there'. A placing social worker noted that 'all safeguarding issues are addressed appropriately with young people, undertaking risk assessments and involving all professionals, family and the young person every step of the way'.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people choose not to go missing from the home and engagement in activities that expose them to risk is much reduced. They are appropriately supervised and the deployment of staff on each shift emphasises this. Some shift arrangements and the quality of agency staff undermine this otherwise good practice however and does not provide young people with best practice.

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Safeguarding children and young people

A sensible and realistic approach to behaviour management has a significant impact on the young people's behaviour. Young people are consistently given opportunities to make the right choices about their behaviours, relationships and interactions with others. As a result staff have no need to use sanctions or restraints.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good .

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Leadership and management

The registered manager is suitably qualified and manages an additional home within the company. In this home she has strong support from a very competent deputy manager and skilled and committed staff team who are well-regarded by parents and placing social workers. One social worker noted that the team 'are very good at communicating with me' and one parent said that 'the ratio of staff to children has been great - meaning that there is always someone my child can confide in.'

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Leadership and management

Young people are the beneficiaries of good practice in staff training, appraisal and supervision which are targeted on their needs. Staff are focused on improving outcomes for young people across every aspect of their care and there is consistent use of self-evaluation mechanisms. This means that any shortfalls are identified in a timely and effective way and that recommendations made at the last inspection to improve qualifications of staff and access to management systems have been acted upon.

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Leadership and management

Recording is of a very good standard. This affords young people an accurate description of their time at the home and the decisions made about them. Documentation relating to young people does not consistently reflect their views and wishes however which means some of their needs may be overlooked.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

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