Children's home run by Meadows Care Limited in Rochdale

Inspection report children‟s home: SC477939 1 SC477939 Registered provider: Meadows Care Ltd

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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 is one of several children‟s homes operated by a private company. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

If required, children and young people can access the organisation‟s school and therapy department.

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Information about this children’s home

The home‟s manager has been in post since October 2018 and was registered in February 2019.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC477939 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/04/2018 Full Good 27/06/2017 Full Good 14/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/09/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC477939 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 registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that a copy of the child‟s care order is obtained from the child‟s placing authority and that the placing authority plan is updated to accurately reflect the child‟s placement address. 20/06/2019

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Recommendations

 Where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child‟s needs during their time in the home, the home must challenge them to meet the child‟s needs. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 12, paragraph 2.8)

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Recommendations

Specifically, ensure that the placing authority provides the home with a copy of the child‟s personal education plan, without delay, following any review of the child‟s plan.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of each child‟s specific and unique needs. They take a highly personalised approach to care planning and provide children living at the home with the care and support necessary to make progress relative to their starting point and individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported well to find a sense of stability on which to build and make progress. A social worker said, „This is a good placement. Staff are committed and prioritise [name]‟s needs. They have provided [name] with stability, something that he has not had in his life.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take an interest in and show a good understanding of each child‟s needs. They Inspection report children‟s home: SC477939 4 have worked hard to forge positive relationships, successfully overcoming barriers to attachment. Observations throughout the inspection confirm that children are at ease when in the company of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are respected as individuals and are fully supported in the pursuit of their individual identity. Referrals to specialist services, such as the gender identity development service, enable children to access specialist support while being sensitively supported by staff. A social worker said, „The manager and staff are on top of everything. They constantly question whether we are doing enough and make every effort to get the right people involved.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make every effort to encourage children to engage in and attend education, with variable degrees of success. They take a multi-agency approach to overcoming barriers to participation and attendance issues. This is helping one child to prepare for and sit exams. Staff are working closely with one placing authority, including the virtual headteacher, to ensure that the education, health and care plan is completed for the other child. The manager is aware that this plan needs to be expedited to broaden the range of placements that are available for one child who struggles to attend mainstream school and is being home-tutored currently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage children to lead a healthy lifestyle. Both are registered with routine health services and attend appointments when necessary. Specific health needs are recognised and responded to. For example, children have been supported to access substance misuse services and receive ongoing support from one of the organisation‟s therapists. This ensures that children receive the right support and interventions to promote their physical, emotional and mental well-being.

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

Children benefit from one-to-one support from staff who are trained in safeguarding. The manager has undertaken additional training since becoming registered with Ofsted. This was in recognition of her need to better understand the roles of external safeguarding agencies and her role in managing allegations and safeguarding referrals. This is reflective of the manager‟s aspiration to be knowledgeable and effective in her day-to-day role and has improved her competency in this area.

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

Keeping children safe is integral to daily practice. Children‟s risk assessments and behaviour management plans are clear, well considered and implemented consistently. Staff take on the role of any good parent by providing children with age-appropriate advice, guidance and support. This is helping children to make informed choices about their own safety and reduce their risk-taking behaviour.

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

Good links are maintained with a range of safeguarding professionals and agencies. This promotes a multi-agency response to keeping children safe. These links have been used effectively to help manage risks such as online exploitation and children going missing from home. A social worker said, „Staff go above and beyond to make sure [name] is safe. They make sure they are using all available resources to get the right outcomes.‟ Inspection report children‟s home: SC477939 5 Children benefit from clear and consistent boundaries and expectations. Responses to each child‟s behaviours are regularly discussed and reviewed by staff. Positive behaviour is encouraged using incentives and rewards. In the main, children are responsive to this approach and serious incidents and challenging behaviour are infrequent. This means that the use of sanctions is rare and there has only been one incident of physical restraint since the last inspection.

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

Children are protected by a range of effective health and safety procedures, risk assessments and routine checks. The principles of safe recruitment are adhered to when appointing new staff. This ensures that children are cared for in a home that is safe and by staff who are suitable to care for vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a change in manager since the last inspection. Registered in February 2019, the manager is suitably experienced and in the process of completing the level 5 diploma. Although new to the management role, the manager has worked at this home for several years. She demonstrates a good understanding of the children in her care and continues to be fully involved in the implementation of their individual plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been a few changes to the staff team since the last inspection. The manager has ensured that new team members have been inducted well and that they share the same child-centred aspirations as her. Staff spoken to during the inspection were highly complimentary of the manager, with one stating that „[Name] is very supportive and always available. The children come first, and she will fight to make sure that they get what they need.‟

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and have their performance appraised annually. Mandatory training is now up to date, and staff have completed a range of needs-led training. This was one of two recommendations made at the previous inspection. Additional needs-specific training, including gender identity and autism, has also been completed. This means that staff have the right knowledge and training to meet the individual needs of the children in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes good use of external scrutiny and internal quality assurance measures to identify and address shortfalls. She has recently completed the biannual review of the quality of care, which has provided her with a good understanding of the strengths of the home. She has used this plan to identify areas for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff maintain effective partnerships with parents, social workers and other agencies and professionals. They are strong advocates and work hard to ensure that everyone is contributing fully to each child‟s care plan. However, the manager has not challenged the placing authority when it has not provided the child‟s personal education plan within an acceptable timescale.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children‟s case records are detailed, regularly updated and provide a good picture of Inspection report children‟s home: SC477939 6 each child‟s needs, progress and experiences. However, some key information is either missing or inaccurate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Suitable progress has been made in addressing the second recommendation from the previous inspection. Staff continue to engage children in individual conversations and direct work sessions covering a range of needs-related topics. Staff are beginning to evaluate better the impact of these interventions. This makes this work more purposeful in informing future planning.

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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 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: SC477939 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Paul Scott, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC477939 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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