Children's Home run by Rochdale Borough Council in Rochdale

Inspection report children’s home: SC034922 1 SC034922 Registered provider: Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and run by a local authority and is registered to provide care for up to four children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered to manage the home since July 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, 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 this setting on 4 November 2020 to carry out an assurance 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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC034922 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/08/2019 Full Outstanding 27/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 30/04/2018 Full Good 24/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC034922 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience care from staff that enables them to develop a sense of belonging. The consistent support they receive helps them to overcome previous life adversities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Irrespective of some children’s complex needs, staff offer patient and sensitive care. Children are offered individualised care that supports their emotional health and development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported well by staff to develop their independence skills. In preparation for some children moving on from the home, staff have assisted in decorating and furnishing their new accommodation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children have access to an independent advocate. The advocate visits the home regularly and speaks to children individually. This has contributed to children being able to raise issues and resolve them informally with the staff. Children spoken to said they felt listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children have been offered independent mentoring. This has significantly contributed to some children beginning to overcome their anxieties, especially towards educational settings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff fully support children’s identities and their relationships with family members. As a result of this support, some children are beginning to make successful transitions back to their family’s care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The well-being of children is at the centre of staff activities. Children are liked and treated with respect by staff. Staff spend time with children, offering advice, support and guidance on a wide range of issues.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Not all children have up-to-date annual health assessments that are available to staff. A requirement is made in relation to this.

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

Children spoken to say they know how to complain should they need to. There has been only one complaint since the assurance visit and this was responded to by managers and quickly resolved.

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

Children spoken to say they feel safe living at the home and all professionals spoken to concur with this view. Staff support children to develop empathy, social skills and appropriate relationships. Inspection report children’s home: SC034922 4 Children’s vulnerabilities are understood well by the staff. Staff have worked hard with some children to develop their skills at identifying risks and keeping themselves safe. This support reflects the ages of some children and that they will soon be adults living independently.

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

Staff and managers actively liaise with other agencies to inform the assessments of risk and how best to protect children from harm. Information is promptly shared with other agencies should there be concerns for the safety of a child.

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

Since the assurance visit, there have not been any allegations made about staff’s practice. Drug and alcohol misuse is not a current feature of children’s lives.

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

Staff manage children’s frustrations and disappointments well. As such, there has not been the need for staff to physically restrain children and sanctions are rarely used. Staff are clear about their expectations and maintain clear boundaries.

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

On the whole, staff follow the procedures for reporting incidents of missing from home. However, practice is not always consistent as on some occasions, staff did not search for the child. Although children’s missing-from-home risk assessments state that staff should go looking for children, this step is inconsistently followed. Influencing factors include whether staff on duty can drive and whether they have a car available. A requirement is made in relation to this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team understands the children well and they are passionate about providing nurturing and responsive care. They lead a team of dedicated staff who seek to drive forward the plans for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff turnover at the home is very low and this provides children with consistent relationships and care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has developed appropriate tools and systems to assist their monitoring of the home and identify any areas for improvement. They create an open culture of learning and encourage staff to develop their skills and knowledge base.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported in their roles through regular supervision and team meetings. These provide opportunities for staff to reflect on the support offered to children and the progress that children make. Staff have access to a wide range of training that maintains and increases their skills base.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers establish and maintain good working relationships with other professionals and parents. Professionals spoken to were complimentary with regards to the care that children receive and the timeliness of sharing information.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children enjoy living in a home that is well maintained and welcoming. They are encouraged to personalise their rooms and develop a sense of ownership. Inspection report children’s home: SC034922 5 Children’s views are important to both managers and staff. They are regularly consulted with and, where appropriate, their requests and wishes are responded to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One serious incident was not notified to Ofsted. This reduces the regulatory body’s oversight of the home. A requirement is made in relation to this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A recommendation made at the assurance visit regarding the manager’s quality-of- care review has been reinstated. Regulatory timeframes for the submission of this report have not yet passed. Inspection report children’s home: SC034922 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, the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) 31 December

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff follow children’s missing-from-home procedures as laid out in each child’s plan and that those plans are clear with regards to staff searching for children when incidents of missing from home occur. 31 December

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that children’s annual health assessments are on file and available to staff. 31 December Inspection report children’s home: SC034922 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the review of quality of care is evaluative, enabling the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weaknesses and how the outcomes for children and their views have influenced the delivery of care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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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: SC034922 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Number One Riverside, Smith Street, Rochdale OL16 1XU

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Inspector

Pauline Yates, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC034922 9 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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