Children's Home run by Meadows Care Limited in Rochdale

Unique reference number SC390577 Inspector Ceri Evans Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Meadows Care Limited Registered person address Egerton House Wardle Road ROCHDALE Lancashire OL12 9EN Responsible individual Niel David Shelmerdine Registered manager Catherine Veronica Donnelly Date of last inspection 27/08/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 13/01/2015

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Previous inspection good Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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This inspection

The home was last inspected in August 2014. It received an overall effectiveness judgement of good. The four recommendations made at the last inspection have been met. These relate to monitoring the quality of records, replacing broken or damaged furniture, conducting a review no more than 72 hours after an emergency admission and ensuring that a robust plan is in place to support young people’s education.

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This inspection

As a result of this inspection three new good practice recommendations have been set to improve the service.

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This inspection

Procedures for admissions are generally robust. Young people are welcomed into the home and procedures are in place to ensure that new admissions are suitably matched. The manager obtains as much information as possible in order to ensure that young people’s individual needs can be met. New placements are fully assessed and careful consideration is given to the impact on other young people in the home. This reduces the risk of a new admission having a negative impact on other young people’s outcomes. Placement reviews are now routinely carried out within the necessary timescales following admission. This ensures that young people’s care is formally reviewed and actions agreed from the onset of placement.

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This inspection

Despite the change to group dynamics with new placements being made, young people continue to be well protected and supported by a strong and stable team who provide consistent boundaries and clear routines. Although young people may not agree with these boundaries, they understand the reasons why they are necessary and adhere to them. There have been very few sanctions and no physical restraints since the last inspection. This demonstrates the positive impact of behaviour management strategies that exist within the home. 3 of 6 Young people benefit from being cared for by staff who are vigilant and responsive to their vulnerabilities and take required measures to keep them safe. Missing from care incidents are effectively responded to in line with policies and protocols. This ensures that young people return home safe and well in the shortest amount of time. The minor recording issue identified at the last inspection in relation to missing

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This inspection

from care logs has been addressed and is now fully embedded in practice. Records now provide a clear audit trail of incidents and the actions taken by staff. This demonstrates the home is able to learn from shortfalls in order to improve practice.

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This inspection

Records and risk assessments take full account of young people’s triggers and clearly highlight strategies on how to manage known risks. Placement plans are reviewed and updated in response to incidents and robust communication within the team ensures that everyone is made aware of presenting issues and concerns. In general, risk assessments are written to a high standard andare clear, legible and robust. This means that staff know how to respond incidents and are attuned to any changes in behaviour that may indicate heightened levels of anxiety in young people.

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This inspection

Staff value education and actively promote young people’s attendance at school, college or alternative provision. However, despite staff encouragement and good relationships with teachers, not all young people express an interest in engaging in their education. This means that some young people’s potential is not maximised and they miss out on the opportunity to improve their life chances through formal education. Young people are encouraged to practice good self-care and independence skills. They are encouraged to help out with food preparation, cooking, laundry and shopping. This enables young people to develop the necessary skills for independence, and as a result they can feel more confident in their abilities. The Registered Manager and Deputy Manager work very well together and share the same child-centred goals. They are enthusiastic, motivated and have high expectations of the team. They ensure that the team are well supported through

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This inspection

frequent team meetings, training and supervision. This ensures that staff have the necessary skills and abilities to fulfil their role to a high standard.

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This inspection

Regulation 33 visits are regularly carried out by an independent person and the reports include consultation with the young people on their views about their care. However, the reports do not routinely examine missing from home episodes and how the home implements behaviour management practices. This means that there is no clear overview of the care provided in the home in order to routinely enhance practice.

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This inspection

The home is physically safe and appropriately secure. Young people are protected from harm through effective health and safety checks. The home’s risk assessments are reviewed on a regular basis. However updates are not consistently recorded. Nevertheless, areas of potential risk are quickly identified and acted upon in a timely manner. For example, the home recently installed a door alarm to alert staff that 4 of 6 visitors have entered the building. These measures further enhance the security of the building and create a safer environment for young people. All outstanding repairs and maintenance work in the home have been completed. Young people’s bedrooms have been re-decorated and new furniture has been fitted. This means the home is comfortable and homely place for young people to live. 5 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

This is privately run children's home provides care and accommodation for up to two young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A school, registered with the Department for Education, operates on site.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/08/2014 Full good 17/03/2014 Interim good progress 26/06/2013 Full good 22/01/2013 Interim satisfactory progress

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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

 Risk assessment of the home environment are carried out to identify potential sources of harm to the children are recorded in writing and regularly reviewed. This specifically relates to updating the home risk assessment in relation any changes implemented. (NMS 10.8)  Children are helped by staff to achieve their educational or training goals. Staff work with a child's education provider to maximise each child's achievement and to minimise any underachievement. (NMS 8.4)  ensure that visits under Regulation 33 include checks and evaluation of the home's approach to behaviour management and missing from home strategies. (Volume 5, statutory guidance 3.12) Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Recommendations

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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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Information 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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Information 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 framework of inspection for children's homes.

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