Children's home run by Meadows Care Limited in Rochdale

Inspection report children’s home: 1231812 1 Registered provider: Meadows Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is one of four operated under a contract with a large local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people who may have experienced trauma and/or placement and/or family breakdown.

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Information about this children’s home

The organisation’s clinical psychologist provides a service to staff and young people.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since September 2016.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 23 October 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1231812 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/10/2017 Full Good 21/03/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1231812 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received, and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to a rigorous approach to tracking and reviewing children’s progress against their plans, ensuring staff consistent practice and knowledge, outcomes of consultation with children and review of significant safeguarding incidents and learning from disruptions and placement breakdowns. 28/02/2019

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44 (7)) 31/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— the quality of care provided for children; the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and 31/03/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1231812 4 any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (2)(a)(b)(c)(5)) The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). (Regulation 46 (1))

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Recommendations

 Supervision of staff practice should ensure that individual adults in the home are engaged in the safeguarding culture of the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.14) This is in relation to follow up after disciplinary or practice issues.  Ensure that children’s home staff take reasonable precautions and make informed professional judgements based on the individual child’s needs and developmental-stage about when to allow a child to take a particular risk or follow a particular course of action. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.7) Staff should identify the actual risk to the individual child that their control measures aim to reduce.  Effective care planning and strong working relationships between the staff of the home and the placing authority are essential to the success of

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Recommendations

placements. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.2) This is in relation to staff tracking and reporting progress against key actions and placement aims for children.  Ensure the home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. Children and their parents should be supported to understand the nature of records kept by the home and how to access them. Staff should understand their important role in encouraging the child to reflect on and understand their history, according to their age and understanding. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5) This is in relation to providing meaningful access to electronic records. Inspection report children’s home: 1231812 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Eight young people have lived at this children’s home in the last 12 months. When placements have ended in an unplanned way, staff have tried hard to help young people to move on as positively as possible and have stayed in contact with the young person after they have moved out.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered person has restricted the admissions of new young people during times of crisis or the registered manager’s absence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three young people currently live at the home. They have plans in place for moving into foster care or moving to independent living.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make the most of their trusting relationships with staff. Some young people engage well with direct work with the organisation’s clinical therapist and talk about the issues in their lives that have previously put them at risk. One young person told the inspector, ‘It’s beneficial. I’m more able to talk about my thoughts and feelings and what can make things better.’ However, other young people have not made the same level of progress and have instead disengaged with direct work and the aims of the placement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people attend school or college on a regular basis. Staff help young people to understand the value of education, by keeping good daily routines and helping young people to complete their homework.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s families are local, and staff help young people to maintain their important family links.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Despite there been some challenging child protection issues, including a significant safeguarding incident over the summer, the staff have worked hard to keep young people safe from sexual exploitation and from becoming involved in drugs misuse. When young people have gone missing from the home, the staff have gone to considerable lengths to try to safeguard the young people. This has included encouraging young people to return home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

On one occasion, staff brought in a house rule that led to an escalation in behaviour, which in turn led to a restraint becoming necessary. The managerial review of this incident has failed to identify the wider issue of inconsistences in staff practice.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Since the summer, there have been no sanctions or physical restraint used. A restorative approach has helped to improve young people’s behaviour. One social worker told the inspector, ‘They go above and beyond to support and protect the young people I have worked with.’ Inspection report children’s home: 1231812 6 Risk management processes do not always provide clear management of risk when deciding to use bedroom door alarms.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The experienced registered manager has been absent from the home since September 2018 but is expected to return soon. The registered manager is yet to complete her level 5 diploma in management and leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A temporary manager has been appointed to cover the registered manager’s absence. This has helped to maintain good staff morale. Staff are positive about the support they receive during their induction and through ongoing training that is tailored to young people’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The recent review of the quality of care had plenty of detail. However, it would benefit from more evaluation, especially lessons learned after placement endings or significant incidents. Although staff frequently canvas young people’s views about daily activities and their plans, this consultation is not used to improve the quality of the service or young people’s overall experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff members’ monthly reports to the placing authority do not focus on the key aims of the placement, such as young people’s progress as a result of therapeutic assessments. Consequently, one placing social worker told Ofsted they do not see progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people do not have access to their electronic records. This stops young people from being more involved in the direction of their care plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff acknowledge that the location of the home is not suitable for any young people at risk of sexual exploitation. However, there has been no formal review or clear identification of lessons learned after a significant safeguarding incident.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some staff are not clear about external responsibilities in the wider safeguarding framework, despite receiving training. Others are not always familiar with the important detail of young people’s lives, about their friends, educational progress or who is in their family.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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 Inspection report children’s home: 1231812 7 after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: 1231812 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Meadows Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Egerton House, Wardle Road, Rochdale OL12 9EN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Niel Shelmerdine

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Inspector

Christy Wannop, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1231812 9 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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