Children's home run by Meadows Care Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2560639 1 Registered provider: Meadows Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private company. It provides care and accommodation for up to three children who may have social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in June 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited the setting on 23 March 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2560639 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2560639 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at the home said that they feel well cared for by staff. They have trusting relationships with the staff and have a real sense of belonging. One child said, ‘I like everything about the home, and the staff are really good. I like all of them; they really look after and support me.’ Both children scored the home and the staff as 10 out of 10 and said they could not think of anything that would make it better. This demonstrates that children benefit from having good support and care from staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made steady progress in relation to their education. When needed, the manager has raised challenges with local authorities to ensure that children are supported to access the right type of education setting. This has helped to ensure that children can work towards their aspirations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff record regular key-work sessions with children. There is a wealth of information recorded about the work completed on matters, such as child sexual exploitation (CSE), the dangers of going missing, coping strategies and triggers, and self-harm reduction. Records of these sessions provide a good insight into the support provided and the progress made by the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have made a real effort to promote family time for children so that it is a positive experience. They keep parents up to date about children’s progress. Staff try hard to promote their relationship with parents. Children benefit from having quality time with their family. Staff’s good partnership working with parents has helped the children to settle and to make positive progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff at the home show commitment to working in partnership with parents. One parent said, ‘Staff are approachable, helpful and friendly, and they keep me informed. I have seen a real improvement in my child’s behaviour; they have made progress, grown up a lot and are doing things more independently’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have maintained contact with a child who has left the home and moved on to independent living. Support and guidance have continued well beyond the time the child moved on from the home. Staff are committed to ensuring children successfully move on to live independently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have regular input from the in-house therapist. This has given staff the support and the skills to provide the children with a safe environment where they can express their feelings and develop strategies to manage their emotions. One child said, ‘I can talk to staff if I’m worried. Staff help me when I get upset, but I don’t get upset as much as I used to.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children reported that they do feel listened to, cared for and supported by staff. There is evidence of staff communicating and engaging with children to gather their Inspection report children’s home: 2560639 4 views, wishes and feelings. Examples include children having input into staff meetings, their own care plans and risk assessments. Children benefit from knowing that their views, wishes and feelings are valued and acted on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is welcoming and spacious. The children have made some personalisation of their home and their bedrooms. However, at the time of the inspection, there were some noticeable wear and tear issues. For example, some areas needed cleaning, light bulbs needed replacing and the general updating of the décor was needed. These matters detract from the overall presentation of the home.

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

Children’s risk assessments are up to date, and these outline all the known risk factors and set out strategies that staff should follow to reduce known risks. Clear risk evaluation is evident. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed with clear management oversight. This means that staff are provided with clear guidance, and they know how to respond should children be at risk of harm.

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

There has been a significant reduction in missing-from-home incidents, and missing protocols are clear and up to date. Protocols give clear direction to staff of what to do and when to report children as missing from home. Staff have a good understanding of what to do when a child goes missing, and they make extensive efforts to look for the children. Key-work sessions have taken place with children around missing behaviour which has resulted in fewer incidents.

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

Staff rarely use physical intervention to manage behaviour. Staff have all had up-to- date training, and they have a clear understanding of when physical intervention should be used. Staff know the children well, and they are able to recognise subtle changes in children’s behaviour and to respond appropriately with care and support. This helps to ensure that children’s emotional needs are well met.

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

Staff have developed a good understanding of child sexual exploitation. Staff have had up-to-date training, and they are able to implement this in their practice. Staff can clearly outline risks and what action they would take to support and to protect children.

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

Safe recruitment practices are adhered to by the manager. Safe recruitment practice is in place to ensure that staff working in the home have the right experience and are willing to learn and to develop in the role. New employees’ complete inductions which are comprehensive, and they receive regular supervision. Any concerns about staff are dealt with appropriately and promptly. This ensures that children are cared for by individuals who have undergone the required vetting and induction process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is new in post but has clearly got a good grip and oversight of the home and of the progress made by children. The home is run in accordance with the Inspection report children’s home: 2560639 5 statement of purpose and the manager, and the staff achieve the aims and objectives set out in this document.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the staff have a clear understanding of the progress made by the children. There have been some concerning incidents, for example, children missing from home. However, these have been responded to well. Clear measurable outcomes are evident within the key work that staff and the therapist have undertaken with the children. These records clearly highlight that children have made good progress from their starting point.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has escalated their concerns with placing authorities to ensure that children’s needs are met. For example, the manager does ensure there is an appropriate and timely follow up in relation to return home interviews. The manager also ensures strategy meetings take place following significant incidents. This managerial challenge and escalation helps to ensure children are not at risk of significant harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a range of training and development opportunities. This helps to ensure that staff have the skills and the knowledge to meet the individual needs of the children. Mandatory training is up to date, and the manager is aware of when training requires renewing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager also analyses the needs of the children to decide whether any training is needed for the staff team to be able to provide appropriate levels of care. For example, more staff training was put in place to improve staff awareness and understanding of CSE, missing from home and substance misuse. The manager ensures that the staff have the right knowledge and skills to meet the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are very well supported in their roles by the manager, and they have regular supervision and team meetings. Supervision has a clear focus on safeguarding children, their needs and their progress. This ensures that staff are well equipped to meet the individual needs of the children living at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has shown ambition and realistic expectations for the children in the home. They have a good working relationship with the school and with other professionals. The manager and the staff are supporting the children to make plans for future education attainment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Communication with professionals is good. One professional said that communication is brilliant; they get regular updates and weekly reports. There is a real sense of working together in the children’s best interests. Inspection report children’s home: 2560639 6

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the home is maintained to a high standard and home decor is improved and routinely cleaned. 28 August 2021

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 2560639 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Meadows Care Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Brian Wood, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2560639 8 to 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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