Children's Home run by Meadows Care Limited in Oldham

Unique reference number SC066072 Inspection date 17/12/2013 Inspector Helen Walker Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 07/02/2013 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 adequate .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people who come to live at the home make adequate progress overall. The staff are aware of their individual needs and actively promote their access to education and health services. Staff encourage young people to eat healthily and take regular exercise. Young people's education is tailored to meet their needs but progress in this area is limited when some choose to disengage from education.

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Overall effectiveness

Parents and most professionals report that they consider young people are well cared for. Staff have a clear understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities. They work hard to minimise the likelihood of young people going missing from home, although this does happen on occasions. One young person said it was 'okay' living in this home. Some young people are reluctant to engage with staff and consequently do not benefit from being able to establish positive relationships with them.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are well supported with their leaving care plans. Staff are successful in assisting young people to move on to independent living and continue with their education. A parent commented on the professionalism of the staff and the significant support their child received whilst at the home. A social worker commented on the 'excellent' level of communication with staff in keeping them informed about a young people's progress.

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Overall effectiveness

One requirement and three recommendations have been made as a result of this inspection. These relate to the notification of significant events to Ofsted, the supervision of staff and young people's education and sanctions.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that if any of the events listed in column 1 of the table in Schedule 5 takes place, the registered person shall without delay notify the persons indicated in respect of the event in column 2 of the table. (Regulation 30)(1) 31/12/2013

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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

 improve the quality of support and advice provided for staff through regular supervision, in particular by ensuring that when physical intervention is used it is discussed in supervision with the staff involved (NMS 19.4)  ensure sanctions for poor behaviour are not punitive but restorative in nature so that children are effectively helped to recognise the impact of their behaviour on others (NMS 3.14 and Children Act 1989, Guidance and Regulations, Volume 5: Children’s Homes, paragraph 2.89)  ensure that young people are supported to regularly attend school, college or alternative provision (NMS 8.3)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for young people are adequate .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Those young people who are currently living at the home have only been there for a relatively short period of time. They are failing to engage and take advantage of the various learning and educational opportunities available to them. This is despite the efforts of the staff to motivate and encourage them. For example, young people often refuse to participate in education which means positive outcomes for them are limited.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people of leaving care age benefit from staff who successfully support them to move from the home to suitable adult accommodation. Young people gain confidence and skills appropriate to their age and understanding. For example, they are able to carry out routine household tasks, prepare meals and maintain college placements after leaving the home. A parent commented that their child had lived at the home for two and a half years during which time the home had made ‘a remarkable and positive difference’ to their child's life and that their child had 'blossomed to find their real self.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are supported by staff to maintain regular contact with their family and friends. This enables young people to develop and keep links with those who are important to them. Staff work very well with professionals to assist young people to gain an understanding of their life history and background so that they develop a sense of identity.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Staff encourage young people to try different activities as part of a more structured approach to their leisure time. Some young people are unwilling to do that. This has led to young people spending time away from the home with staff being unaware of their whereabouts. Staff continue to work to try to engage them in organised activities in order to promote their positive social development.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are encouraged and supported by staff to lead a healthy lifestyle. They receive advice and information about a range of health issues, such as the dangers of smoking and using drugs or alcohol. The fact that they have regular contact with a range of health professionals ensures that their routine health care needs are addressed which has a positive impact on their physical and emotional wellbeing.

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Quality of care

Staff are proactive in trying to develop positive relationships with young people. However, for some young people this is not something they readily engage with. There is regular and on-going contact with professionals with a background in psychology who visit the home and help staff develop strategies to manage young people's behaviour appropriately. A parent said they consider their child is reasonably well looked after and receives 'quite good care; they (the staff) keep me informed about what is going on.'

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Quality of care

Other young people expressed concern about the consistency of their care at the home. A young person said 'the company could try to move staff around less; sometimes just when I get settled with a new team they move them. I know this can’t always be avoided but I'd appreciate it if they tried.' More recently the provider has made changes designed to increase the stability of care provided by creating a regular staff team.

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Quality of care

Young people have access to staff and other people who are independent of the home. This gives them the opportunity to talk to a range of people about any issues that may be of concern to them. A young person commented that 'staff are very understanding and respect all views; they try to treat each young person the same but sometimes this falls down because of individual needs.' This shows that some young people consider they are disadvantaged because other young people are more demanding.

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Quality of care

Care plans are produced and regularly monitored by the manager and staff. These help to ensure that the individual care needs of each young person are known and that appropriate objectives are set to try and meet their needs. Young people's individual needs and preferences, for example in terms of diet or observance of religious festivals, are addressed.

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Quality of care

Young people comment that they are aware of their placement plans but not fully involved in them. However, the home has good consultation processes in place. This enables staff to ascertain young people's views both about their plans and the quality of care provided by the home. As a result the young people are given the opportunity say what they think and feel and contribute to how they are looked after. Young people are able to personalise their own rooms which clearly reflect their individuality.

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Quality of care

Staff work effectively in partnership with a range of agencies such as health, education and safeguarding. A social worker said staff 'clearly have a good relationship with local services.' Staff actively support young people to attend education and encourage them to participate in learning. Teachers comment positively on the staff’s commitment to engage young people in education even though this is not always successful. Young people are encouraged and supported to be involved in the overall running of the home.

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Quality of care

The home is a detached, spacious and comfortably furnished property. It is located in a private residential area and overlooks open fields. The decoration and overall maintenance of the home are good.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are trained in safe care and child protection. They have a good understanding of the home's safeguarding procedures. This means that they know how to identify the signs and symptoms of abuse, including child sexual exploitation, and how to report and manage concerns in order to keep young people safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people say they feel safe at the home and their parents think that it is a safe place for their children to live. Effective links and protocols are in place with a range of external agencies. This helps to reduce and manage risk and promote young people's safety and welfare.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Risk assessments and placement plans help staff to manage young people's behaviours positively. Some young people put themselves at risk by going missing from home. Additionally, some young people spend time away from the home without letting staff know where they are or where they are going. Staff follow the local police protocol for missing from home episodes and work well in partnership with the different safeguarding agencies. Staff also work with young people to help them understand the dangers associated with absenting themselves. Safeguarding professionals confirm the home and organisation work well with child protection agencies.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Behaviour is generally managed well. Where young people complain of bullying this is promptly addressed. However, consequences for inappropriate behaviours are not always properly applied. For example, young people have been 'fined' a nominal amount for smoking in their bedrooms. This not an effective technique for managing behaviour and is contrary to regulations as it does not constitute reparation. The manager confirms this consequence is no longer being used. The need for physical restraint is limited. The use and recording of restraints is monitored by the manager. Having established a number of restraints were unnecessary for the type of behaviour displayed, the manager took immediate action and arranged further staff training to ensure that restraint is used only as and when necessary and then only as a last resort.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff work closely with health professionals to assist them to manage young people's behaviour appropriately. Despite this young people’s highly challenging behaviour can mean their progress in developing social skills is slow.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Appropriate arrangements are in place to help ensure that staff recruited to work with young people are suitable and safe. The house is well maintained with arrangements to monitor health and safety matters.

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Leadership and management

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

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Leadership and management

There are suitable management arrangements in place at the home with an experienced Registered Manager in post. Young people comment on the different number of staff who care for them and say that they prefer to have a consistent staff team. The provider has made arrangements to have a regular staff team at the home so that young people benefit from continuity of care.

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Leadership and management

Staff say they feel supported in their roles and receive regular supervision. The manager identified that on some occasions the use of physical intervention was unnecessary and confirmed that the issue had been discussed with staff in supervision. However, that is not evidenced by supervision records which, because they fail to provide sufficient detail, do not reflect the fact that staff have been suitably debriefed about the use of physical intervention and its impact on young people.

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Leadership and management

The manager ensures there is consultation with young people, parents and placing authorities about the care provided by the home. Their feedback is positive. However, although the results of surveys carried out by Ofsted involving staff, young people and professionals are generally positive there are some areas of minor dissent about the level of care provided. The manager has a good overview of how the home is running and ensures this is in accordance with the home's Statement of Purpose. The home's records are maintained in good order and the manager has a range of monitoring systems to help improve outcomes for young people.

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Leadership and management

Recording is of a good standard and files are well organised, giving young people a clear picture of their experience during their time at the home. A range of other documentation helps to demonstrate the home's compliance with the Children's Homes Regulations. Notifications about for example a significant incident resulting in the police coming to the home are generally sent to Ofsted as required. On one occasion this has not been carried out. This limits the ability of the regulator to monitor and assess the home's response to serious incidents and ensure that young people are safe.

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Leadership and management

The one requirement made at the last inspection has been met. A record kept in the home gives details of those working in the home and the number of staff working on each shift. This means clear and informative records are kept to identify any shortfall in staffing arrangements to enable adequate staffing of the home.

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Leadership and management

As part of the home's monitoring process, the provider ensures there are monthly independent visits to the home. The visitor consults with the young people and obtains their views about the home and their care. The independent visitor’s reports reflect the care given and highlight areas of concern. Those reports ensure that the provider is aware of how well the home is operating and meeting the needs of young people.

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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 and the evaluation schedule for the inspection of children's homes.

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