Children's home run by Meadows Care Limited in Rochdale

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people sustain exceptional progress as a result of the highly individualised, therapeutically informed care that staff provide.  Staff are skilled in developing positive relationships with young people whom they really care about. This provides young people with a strong sense of permanence and security.  The registered manager is an inspirational leader. He is ambitious for young people and, together with his staff team, is influential in positively changing young people’s lives. As one parent commented: ‘I am emotional about him leaving you as you have been the best thing for him.’  Staff develop effective relationships with professional stakeholders and parents, which ensures that young people benefit from well-coordinated and consistent care.  Staff work collaboratively with therapists to provide research-informed practice.  Staff ensure that young people become increasingly safe. They are proactive

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

in addressing internet safety to allow young people to take age-appropriate risks.  Young people make significant progress in attending and achieving in education, which is sustained over time.  The registered manager and staff ensure that young people benefit from carefully planned transitions both into and from the home. This promotes the best possible outcomes.  There are areas for continuing improvement. Staff are carefully selected and vetted. However, there are shortfalls in the robustness of how this is recorded and evaluated, and on occasion staff do not recognise when a young person is making a complaint or allegation. The registered manager has begun to address these issues, which have not adversely impacted on young people.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  The registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment safeguards children and minimises risk to children. In particular, they must ensure that there is evaluation of gaps in applicant's CVs and that there is consistency in ensuring that appropriate records are maintained for agency staff. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  Children must be listened to and enabled to report any allegations at the earliest opportunity. Staff should report any allegation of abuse immediately to a senior manager in the home. In particular, staff should understand when young people are making an allegation or complaint about staff. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, page 44,

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide care for two children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home forms part of a large social care company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

10/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

05/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Outstanding

Staff are exceptionally skilled at developing secure and positive relationships with young people. This enables young people to develop a sense of permanence reflected in their highly successful placements of three and four years in the home. Staff really know young people well and listen carefully to them. They are responsive to young people’s views and wishes, which they ascertain through daily interaction and spending time with them, and in young people’s meetings. Their young people’s individualised care results in significant outcomes. As one social worker said: ‘… The staff have shown an outstanding level of professionalism and commitment. Their therapeutically informed practice has been instrumental in meeting my young person’s highly complex needs and helping him progress to the point where he can safely move in to foster care, in line with the care plan.’ Staff promote contact with family and friends when that is safe and in young

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Outstanding

people’s best interests. They ensure that they make good use of their delegated authority to enable young people to stay over with friends and to go on holidays with staff. This includes those young people who live a long way from home. Staff go the extra mile to maintain their family relationships, which effectively promotes their sense of permanence and security. Research positively informs staff’s practice. They understand the impact that abuse and neglect have on young people and their ability to develop attachments. Staff work collaboratively with therapists, who attend team meetings, to provide consistent responses, which most effectively reinforce the therapeutic intervention and which promote exceptional progress for young people. One young person actively seeks to maintain his important therapeutic programme when he moves on to independent living, reflecting his understanding of its value. One therapist said:

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Outstanding

‘…The level of care and compassion demonstrated by the team is outstanding. This has been consistent over a number of visits and it is clear that the team puts a great deal of thought into the care of the young people.’ Another therapist described how ‘staff take on board advice’ and another, who is preparing to work with the team, commented: ‘I was blown away with you [the registered manager] and your team this morning. You have developed a fab team and I’m looking forward to working with you all.’ Young people make exceptional progress within their education. They attend consistently and achieve measurable progress. For example, young people achieve their examinations and complete their college courses. Staff develop positive relationships with schools and colleges to ensure that young people benefit from consistent responses. Staff effectively support young people in school or college if needed and maintain excellent communication with teachers. This results in

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Outstanding

improved outcomes for young people. As a teacher said: ‘ …They are in daily communication with us and supportive when needed to come into school. Our young person has grown into a more reflective young person with a lot of potential. This has been due to his strong team supporting him and helping him make the right decisions.’ Young people engage in varied social and recreational activities, such as youth clubs, football, cinema and bowling. They enjoy activities in the home too, such as gaming and also designing games and building computers, as some young people develop exceptional skills in this area. Staff ensure that young people develop the practical skills and emotional resilience to prepare them for the transitions to their next placement or to prepare them to manage their lives as adults. Young people learn how to budget, use public transport, cook and even how to drive. Staff are robust in their challenges to placing authorities, regarding young people’s

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Outstanding

plans, and consistent in ensuring that young people’s wishes and feelings are at the centre of their practice. Both young people benefit from having an independent advocate. They both recognise the significant impact that staff make to young people’s outcomes. One commented: ‘It is my view that staff and management have actively promoted the voice of the child in relation to my young person and have done so professionally and enthusiastically.’ Another said: ‘I continue to be impressed with their principles and practices, advocating for looked after children in their care.’

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Good

Staff support young people to become increasingly safe. They have an excellent understanding of young people’s risk-taking behaviours and consequently develop robust plans, which ensure that young people are protected from harm and develop improved responses to regulate their behaviour. This progress is recognised by a young person’s independent reviewing officer: ‘There have been fewer concerns for his safety, no recent reports of dangerous behaviour or self- injurious behaviour.’ Staff understand the risks that the internet may pose to young people and support them to take age-appropriate risks in line with their age and stage of development. Staff are particularly alert to the risks associated with sexual exploitation online. Young people can identify a trusted adult to talk to, and staff support the involvement of independent advocates so that young people are best able to influence their plans. Positive behaviour is consistently promoted. Staff provide clear boundaries and

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Good

work effectively with each other and therapists to support young people to manage any conflict effectively. Staff successfully use restorative practice when necessary. Staff develop positive relationships with local police officers who drop in to the home, ensuring that young people develop a good understanding of their role. Young people develop a strong sense of belonging, and the strength of their relationships with staff is evident in that there have been no incidents of missing or the need to use restraint since the last inspection. The recognition of allegations and complaints management is not always sufficiently robust as, on occasion, staff do not recognise that a complaint or allegation has been made. Once this is identified, it is investigated comprehensively and the registered manager has an effective relationship with the designated officer. The registered manager takes immediate action to address any shortfalls in

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Good

staff’s knowledge in team meetings and supervision. Staff are carefully selected and vetted. However, there are shortfalls in the robustness of how this is recorded and evaluated. For example, when gaps in applicants’ CVs are noted, the decision to employ them is not consistently risk assessed, and agency profiles are not always available in the home. These shortfalls have had no impact on young people.

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Outstanding

The home is managed by a suitably experienced and skilled permanent registered manager who has been in post for two years. He is currently completing his level 5 diploma in leadership and management in residential childcare. He is ambitious for the young people in his care and ensures that staff share his vision to provide high-quality aspirational care. He is tenacious in his determination to achieve the best possible outcomes for the young people in his care and influential in them positively changing their lives. As a result, young people make exceptional progress from their starting points to achieve transitions to independence or to a foster family. The registered manager consistently prioritises the needs of each young person. He ensures that they are cared for by a consistent core staff team, which has a detailed understanding of young people’s needs and behaviours. He and his committed staff team endeavour to protect young people from staffing shortfalls in

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Outstanding

the organisation. This is not always possible, and young people express their disquiet when changes of staffing are necessary. However, it does not adversely impact on their progress, demonstrating young people’s improved emotional resilience. The registered manager ensures that the home is achieving its objectives, as detailed in the statement of purpose. Staff understand how attachment theory informs their practice and support young people to develop positive, healthy relationships and improved self-regulation. The registered manager regularly monitors the quality of care provided. He actively seeks out feedback from young people, their parents and stakeholders. He recognises areas for improvements and takes immediate and robust action to address any potential shortfalls. He has addressed the recommendation raised at the last inspection, demonstrating his ability to learn from the inspection process.

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Outstanding

He ensures that there is proper investigation into young people’s complaints. He learns from complaints and serious events so that he continually improves the experiences and care of young people. The registered manager and staff build highly effective relationships with parents and social workers to secure positive outcomes for young people, such as successful transitions to foster care. An independent reviewing officer commented: ‘My young person made very good progress whilst in placement, and I believe that the staff team contributed to this greatly. He made good relationships with staff and clearly trusted them. They provided a safe environment. He clearly felt valued and was enabled to receive therapeutic support. They had a clear view of his best interest and worked hard to promote this. Staff were very supportive of the transition, ensured he had support, listened to his concerns and were very

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Outstanding

successful in promoting the transition.’ The registered manager challenges placing authorities when their plans are not in young people’s best interests, for example supporting young people who wish to remain in placement until they are 18 years old. He makes child-centred decisions about young people who come to live in the home, giving priority to the stability of group living. He ensures that he and his staff team are able to provide the very best individualised care for the newly admitted young person by organising specific training and refreshing staff’s skills. The registered manager ensures that all significant events are notified to Ofsted, which allows the regulator to monitor patterns and trends in the home. Case records reflect young people’s experiences. Staff ensure that they are individualised and demonstrate that young people are actively involved in their own care, for example, in reflecting on their behaviour and in providing feedback

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Outstanding

for staff appraisals. A young person commented that his member of staff ‘…is very nice. She is there to help me with anything and she cares about me and the other young person in the home.’ This reflects the strong sense of security that staff provide for young people.

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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 children looked after 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 that 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 that 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 whom 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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