Children's home run by Meadows Care Limited in Rochdale

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Most young people are making progress from their individual starting points due to the well-planned care they receive from staff in the home. Both young people attend full time education provision, which means that young people are supported and encouraged to meet their educational potential. Staff are good at identifying young people’s unique strengths and talents and work hard to encourage young people to develop these. For example, one young person plays golf weekly as staff have identified he is a particularly talented player. This helps young people to develop their own strengths and will increase their confidence and self-esteem.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Two young people have left the home since the last inspection and two young people have moved into the home. Staff manage admissions well; they settle young people into the home by making them feel welcome and putting them at ease. One young person reported that, ‘Staff have been nice to me; they gave me food and told me about home, this made me feel good.’ When young people move on from the home, staff remain in touch to maintain relationships, which provides consistency for young people during this transition.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff ensure that young people are registered with health and any specialist services promptly on their admission to the home. This ensures that young people can quickly access services they need, such as the early-break service for cannabis use to support them making more healthy choices in their lives. Young people access and engage positively with the in-house therapist, which supports young people to address their individual difficulties. The manager completes thorough impact assessments prior to young people coming to live in the home, but these assessments do not always include an evaluation of whether the young people will be able to successfully live together. One young person who had lived in the home for a significant period left the placement in an emergency due to the impact a new admission had on her behaviour. A social worker for another young person reported that, ‘The match with him and the other young person in placement isn’t working for X. My

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

observation is that perhaps if the match of the two young people were better, then some good work could be done with X .’ This demonstrates that peer matching requires more consideration in future admissions to ensure positive outcomes for young people in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager does not ensure that young people have the required documents on file, such as delegated authority or local authority care plans. This means that staff have insufficient information to fully plan a young person’s care and it is not clear whose consent needs to be obtained for medical consent in an emergency situation, which could have an impact on treatment for the young person if an emergency situation arises.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff promote positive behaviour by using a clear reward system that young people understand, and they utilise a restorative approach to negative behaviour, which helps young people to understand the consequences of their actions. Young people have an input into their behaviour management plans by suggesting their own methods, such as time out, which they feel may work to calm them down, and staff utilise these methods when necessary. Consequently, young people learn to manage their own behaviour better due to the clear and consistent boundaries in place.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been two allegations of staff malpractice since the last inspection. Staff do not always refer to the designated officer promptly when allegations are made. For example, for one allegation, there was a delay in referring to the designated officer (DO) and another was not discussed with the DO at all. This does not protect young people or staff who have allegations made about them. The manager has taken action to ensure that the requirement made at the last inspection, about investigation records, is met. Any allegations investigated are now recorded with a clear record of steps taken and the outcome.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff work effectively with professionals, such as the police and social workers, to reduce risk-taking behaviour for young people, such as missing behaviour. A social worker reported that, ‘(Unit manager) has been very proactive in communicating with me; she has ensured I am informed of any incidents.’ Staff are proactive when young people go missing, following them and reporting them missing to the police. They spend time with young people in key-work sessions trying to understand the reasons for this behaviour to try to prevent further occurrences. This has been effective for one young person whose missing behaviour has decreased since living in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, a new manager is in place who is registered and suitably experienced and qualified for the role. She is a proactive manager who has a good understanding of what areas she needs to develop in the home. Staffing has been problematic since the last inspection, but the manager has ensured that there is now a stable team in place who have the necessary skills and experience to meet the young people’s needs. The manager has arranged for the home to be redecorated since the last inspection and is currently in the process of helping young people personalise their bedrooms.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has good monitoring systems in place to monitor staff practice. For example, she has systems in place to keep track of the level of physical restraint and staff practice in respect of this. She has ensured that the requirement made at the last inspection has been met, and has fully accepted the shortfalls identified in this inspection, showing the ability to reflect and learn to improve practice in the home. The manager is passionate about developing her staff team with training and has a programme of training to deliver to staff in team meetings. This ensures that staff have the most up-to-date knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the young people they care for.

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Information about this children’s home

This is one of a number of children’s homes operated by a private company. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The organisation also has a therapy department as well as a school, which young people can access if appropriate.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 25/10/2016 Full Good 22/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/10/2015 Full Good 30/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

5. Engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met In meeting the quality standards: (c) if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5) 28/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard In order to ensure the care planning standard is met the registered provider must ensure that: 1(a) children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14) 28/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

36: Children’s case records The registered person must maintain records for each child which: (a) include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to a child. (Regulation 36) 28/04/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Ensure that the relevant officer or teams within the local authority are informed promptly of any allegations that come to an employer’s attention. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.18)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection, 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

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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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

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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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