Children's Home run by Meadows Care Limited in Rochdale

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people living in this home benefit from being cared for by staff who demonstrate commitment to meeting their individual needs and keeping them safe. As a result young people are making progress relative to their individual circumstances and their starting points at the time of admission.   All young people have educational provision and their attendance is very good. They have made considerable progress since their starting points and have made improvements in their educational achievements.  Staff work closely with schools to ensure the complex needs of young people are met. This includes ensuring that additional support and structured work is available for young people within the home. The home has a fully resourced education room which is used for tutoring, homework and individual project work.  Young people take part in a wide range of social activities. This includes attendance at sporting clubs, going to the gym, trips to the cinema, outings and

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The children's home provision is good because:

holidays. This promotes the inclusion of young people in the local and wider community. It also has had a significant impact on their confidence and self- esteem.   Clear and appropriate boundary setting and established routines, such as getting up in the morning, mealtimes and bedtimes, help young people feel safe, secure and valued. A key feature of the home is the positive relationship young people have with staff. These relationships have played a central role in helping young people to become more confident and self-assured.  Young people confirm they feel safe in the home. This view is supported by professionals who express no safeguarding concerns. The staff team understand their responsibility to protect young people from harm. They work effectively with social care services and the police to ensure young people receive optimum safety and protection.  The manager and deputy manager work very well together and understand the

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The children's home provision is good because:

strengths of the home. They are open and honest about the areas for development and have a clear plan in place to address them.  The staff team report feeling well supported by their managers. They feel respected and listened to and are able to make suggestions about how to improve the care they provide to young people. They receive regular training and supervision and present as able, reflective and competent in all areas of work.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must ensure that staff seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; specifically in relation to life story work. (Quality Standard 5(b)) 26 June 2015

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Requirement Due date

This quality standard requires the registered person to ensure that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. This specifically relates to providing admission to children whose needs have been carefully considered and the impact on children living in the home is evaluated and carefully risk assessed. (Quality Standard 12 (2)(b)) 26 June 2015

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. This specifically relates to having robust systems in place to assess and evaluate the progress made by children and young people since the start of their placement. (Quality Standard 13.2 (1)(h)) 26 June 2015

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Recommendations

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

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately run children’s home that provides care and accommodation for up to two young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

13/01/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.5

good

The ethos of the home is that young people are at the centre of all that they do. Young people are able to make and sustain good attachments with staff and this demonstrates they trust those responsible for their care. One young person commented ‘Staff are really friendly and I can talk to them about anything. I would not change a thing about here, I’d definitely mark it as 11 out of 10!’

p.6

good

Young people make good progress across all areas of their development. They present as relaxed and happy, and have grown considerably in confidence. Young people confirm they feel fully involved in decision-making about them and articulate their views with maturity. For example, young people participate fully in their Looked After Children (LAC) Reviews and are able to express themselves with confidence. This was confirmed by a social worker who stated ‘it was great to see (name) participate in his review. He came with a list of questions and asked for clarity about the timescales for recommendations. He was fully supported by staff and was able to really put across his views with confidence’. This demonstrates that young people have a voice, feel confident and have greater control over their care.

p.6

good

Young people enjoy good attendance at their educational provision and clearly value the opportunities available to them. They have made considerable progress from their starting points. Young people are now more engaged in their learning and their attitudes towards education have significantly improved. Staff place a great value on education and work closely with schools to ensure young people are able to progress. Daily communication with teachers ensures that important information is shared. This means that any potential barriers to education are identified and immediately addressed.

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good

Good links with community groups means that young people can enjoy a range of activities and opportunities. Young people are passionate about sport and are supported to participate. Staff take an active interest to learn about young people’s hobbies to ensure they have every opportunity to try new things and develop their individual interests and talents. This has had a considerable impact on young people as they become more confident in making friends and developing their individual characters and talents. Evidence gathered at this inspection highlights that young people enjoy good health and are provided with excellent opportunities to develop skills that will help them maintain their health into adulthood. For example, young people have undertaken project work on the substance misuse and the dangers of smoking. Likewise, young people have access to specialist services that provide sessions and additional information to inform their future decisions. This will undoubtedly help

p.6

good

them maintain a good standard of health into adulthood.

p.7

good

Young people’s placement plans provide a good picture of all their personal needs and these are effectively put into practice to ensure their specific needs are met on a day to day basis. Care planning and daily practice by staff recognise young people’s individuality, backgrounds, interests and views. Cultural background, race, sexuality and identity are positively addressed through discussions and daily living arrangements. Young people are encouraged to keep memorabilia such as photographs, achievements and certificates. This will help then to maintain positive memories of their time in the home. However, young people have not had the opportunity to formally explore and make sense of who they are, where they came from and what they would like to do in the future through life story work. This hinders their ability to develop an understanding of their identity and family background.

p.7

good

The making of placements and the assessment in relation to the impact of admission has not been robustly managed. The assessments do not fully consider how the home plans to manage the group dynamic and there is no evidence to show how the admission of young people may impact on the risky behaviours of others in the home. This weakens the effectiveness of the home’s matching process and the ability to make well informed decisions about admissions.

p.7

good

The home is a spacious property which provides young people with sufficient privacy or they can spend time together in the communal rooms. The house has a ‘homely’ feel and is decorated to a high standard. This means the home has a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere for young people.

p.7

good

This home provides an environment where young people feel safe and are safe. They can easily identify a number of staff who they feel comfortable to speak with should they have any worries or concerns. Good daily routines, clear structure and consistent behaviour management strategies promote more socially acceptable behaviours in young people.

p.7

good

Young people benefit from clear behaviour management strategies. Staff utilise the positive relationship they have with young people to help them understand the consequences and impact of their behaviour. The use of restorative approaches encouraged them to reflect and consider different ways of managing their thoughts and feelings. Young people are also taking increasing responsibility for making the safer choices. This is demonstrated in the fact that they no longer place themselves at risk by going missing. This reduces the risk of sexual exploitation and risk taking behaviour, such as criminality and substance misuse.

p.8

good

Effective and meaningful partnerships between the home, police and other safeguarding professionals promote young people’s safety and welfare. Staff are good at recognising young people’s vulnerabilities, and their potential to engage in risky behaviours is effectively managed. Staff are consistently clear about what action they would take in response to any arising concerns. This means that staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities and give the safety and well-being of young people the highest priority at all times .

p.8

good

Professionals express satisfaction at the quality of care provided to young people. One social worker stated ‘I can not praise the home enough. I have found them to be very professional, open and honest and work effectively as part of a multi- disciplinary team. They maintain regular contact and are quick to respond to concerns or issues. I have also observed that young people call the house their home, which is an indication that they feel happy, settled and safe.’

p.8

good

Staff continue to undertake regular training to ensure that they fully understand their responsibilities in relation to child protection. They are vigilant for any signs which could suggest that a young person is at risk and are clear in relation to what action they would take. Staff spoken with during the inspection demonstrated a good understanding of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and what action to take in the event of a concern. Good quality, and informative project work has been undertaken with young people to ensure they understand CSE and how to keep themselves safe online. This further demonstrates that young people’s safety and protection is given the highest priority at all times.

p.8

good

The home provides a safe environment for young people to live in. A range of health and safety checks are completed to assess whether there are any hazards which could pose a risk to young people. Young people and staff take part in regular fire drills to ensure they know how to safely evacuate the home in case of an emergency. These measures help ensure that young people continue to live in a safe environment.

p.8

Good

Young people benefit from living in an effectively managed home. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2012. She has the relevant management qualifications to undertake the role and has worked in social care for many years. Staff spoken with during the inspection report high levels of satisfaction at the management support they receive.

p.9

Good

Three good practice recommendations made at the last inspection have been met. Risk assessment of the home environment is monitored and regularly updated. Specific education incentives have been implemented to maximise achievement and monitoring reports provide more detail of the home’s approach to behaviour management. This demonstrates the manager’s ability to learn from inspection to improve the service.

p.9

Good

Both the manager and the deputy manager work well together and have good leadership qualities. They are committed to the young people in their care and have good oversight of the care practices within the home. The manager is readily accessible to staff and young people for consultation, advice and support. The manager has a ‘hands on’ approach which enables her to evaluate the competency and skill set of staff and quickly address practice issues should they arise. This ensures that the best interests of young people are at the very heart of the home.

p.9

Good

Staff receive regular and effective supervision, which they feel enables them to reflect upon their practice and recognise their own strengths and weaknesses. Staff also feel the team are mutually supportive and have the ability to reflect and learn from incidents. They use team meetings well to review their practice and evaluate how to help young people achieve.

p.9

Good

The Manager ensures that the staffing levels are sufficient in the home and adapts the rota in order to meet the individual needs of the young people. For example, the manager identified the benefit of having more male care workers. A successful plan was implemented which has created a more balanced gender mix within the staff team.

p.9

Good

The home has a development plan in place which is being effectively implemented. The plan reflects the service and has realistic objectives for the coming year. The Statement of Purpose has been reviewed since the last inspection. The Statement of Purpose details the ethos, aims and objectives of the home which are clearly embedded in practice. This ensures young people, parents and stakeholders know what services and support they can expect to receive.

p.10

Good

Young people’s records are well organised and clearly reflect the needs of young people and how staff are meeting them. There is a clear picture from records of how young people are doing in their education including their achievements and attainment. However, evaluating progress across other outcome areas lack clarity. This misses the opportunity to clearly and evidence and monitor the progress made by young people from the start of their placement.

p.10

Good

The home’s notification system is robust. Leaders and managers fully co-operate with external professionals such as the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), the police and health professionals. The manager also ensures that Ofsted are kept informed of serious incident relating to the safety and wellbeing of young people. This enables the regulator to effectively carry out its safeguarding responsibilities to ensure that young people are protected from harm.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, 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,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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