Children's Home run by Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited in Rochdale

Inspection report for children’s home: SC065072 1 SC065072 Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned home which is registered to provide care for up to two children between the ages of six and 17. The children can be of either gender and may have severe emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is an acting registered manager in place covering maternity leave. She has been registered since September 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 carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC065072 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/07/2019 Full Outstanding 11/12/2018 Full Outstanding 04/07/2017 Full Outstanding 30/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC065072 3

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outstanding

Children in this home are exceptionally well cared for. They form strong and positive relationships with staff and feel safe and secure. One child told the inspector, ‘We have created a family. They treat me so well; my life is a million times better for being able to live here. This has been the best five years of my life.’

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outstanding

Children’s progress from their starting points is outstanding. Staff have very high aspirations for children and inspire their engagement with education. Children have excellent attendance at school. Since moving to this home, a child has been able to start attending a mainstream school, when he had not been able to do this previously. This is because he is now stable and secure and has been very well supported to regulate his behaviour.

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outstanding

The inspector spoke to an independent reviewing officer (IRO) who described one of the children as being ‘transformed’ in the year that they have been living in the home. He said, ‘They [the staff] have changed his narrative.’ Another child had achieved excellent GCSE results and is now on the course of their choice at college.

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outstanding

Staff are consistent and unified in their approach to caring for the children. There is a strong emphasis on using the ‘secure base’ model of care to support the staff in offering consistent and reliable responses to children. This means that staff provide a safe, stable routine and clear boundaries. Positive behaviour is encouraged. Individually tailored and realistic daily and weekly rewards are in place. As a result, children continually strive to do better as they have positive rewards to aim for each day.

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outstanding

Staff place a strong emphasis on providing children with opportunities which expand their life experiences. Children have access to lots of different activities in the home. In addition to home-based activities, children are encouraged to attend local clubs, such as rugby, boxing, football and youth clubs. These extra activities help the children by increasing their self-esteem and broadening their horizons. Children form positive relationships outside of the home and are part of the local community. This enhances their independence skills and increases the likelihood of a successful transition to adult life.

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outstanding

Staff in the home offer love, warmth and acceptance to the children in their care. Children choose to spend time with staff and have fun. Children have developed warm and respectful relationships with each other. The children in this home feel safe and valued. The ability to form, and maintain, relationships successfully will enhance the children’s resilience and ability to manage their thoughts, feelings and behaviour as they grow up. Inspection report for children’s home: SC065072 4 The home is comfortable, warm, and furnished and decorated to a high standard. There are photos of the children on the walls which celebrate the shared opportunities to enjoy spending time together engaging in various activities. A significant amount of care and attention has been taken to provide a calm welcoming home with a family feeling. A child told the inspector, ‘This isn’t like a care home; it’s a family home.’

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

Children feel very safe, well supported and extremely happy in this home. The staff know the children in their care very well. Children receive good-quality, individualised care. Each child has a highly detailed plan and visual map to support their behaviour development and independence. Children can refer to their maps each day, see their achievements and measure their own success. This builds their confidence and encourages a sense of accomplishment and well-being.

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

Managers have a good, research-based understanding of child development and the impact of early life experiences. The secure-base model is used in the home. This model encourages children to have a sense of family membership or belonging.

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

This knowledge acquired through the research-based approach enables managers and staff to make effective decisions about how to support each individual child. The supportive approach and expectation of positive behaviour have meant that children’s emotional needs are met and there have been no incidents of children going missing from home or of being at risk of exploitation.

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

Children’s behaviour is analysed and managed extremely well. Staff take the time to understand what the children need individually and put measures in place to support their positive behaviours. Children have access to weekly therapeutic support which builds their self-esteem and helps them manage their feelings.

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

Responses to children are measured and consistent across the staff team. Staff make extremely good use of models of therapy to help them understand the children and their behaviour. Staff provide a safe and secure environment and children are clear about their boundaries. This means that children learn how to manage their behaviour and get positive responses from people in the outside world, which builds their confidence and self-esteem.

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

Children are actively encouraged to build up their independence skills within safe boundaries. They are encouraged to spend time with friends and in their local community. This means that children are equipped with the skills and understanding to manage their own safety effectively and have freedom to spend time with friends. This increases their resilience and prepares them for adult life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is passionate about providing a caring and comfortable home where children thrive and are supported well. The manager knows the Inspection report for children’s home: SC065072 5 children and the staff team extremely well. She is aware of the home’s strengths and weaknesses and uses clear and effective monitoring systems to identify when change or improvement is needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team embraces the opportunity to seek feedback regularly from involved agencies and to use that feedback to improve the service. They reflect on the feedback and actions given as a result of the independent visits, Ofsted inspections and from monthly therapeutic consultation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff have regular reflective supervision with the manager or senior staff. They also have access to biannual appraisals to support them to identify any learning needs or development opportunities. The organisation supports staff development with a structured career pathway. Staff say they enjoy working there and that they are committed to providing excellent care. Senior staff have access to regular therapeutic consultations which assist them to support the staff to offer intelligent, informed care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The children’s home has a stable staff team. A small number of regular bank staff support staffing arrangements when needed. Children know the staff who are caring for them extremely well and are aware who is going to be there for them all the time. The stable staffing arrangement provides a predictable environment and helps children feel safe and secure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have excellent working relationships with partner agencies, schools and family members. This ensures the very best possible care, experiences and futures for the children in their care. Inspectors received feedback from the children’s school, IROs and parents. They all describe very positive experiences of working with the staff and feel that staff provide exceptional support to children, which ensures that they continue to make positive progress. One IRO said, ‘This is the best children’s home I have worked with. They produce fabulous reports and know the children inside out.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The children respond very positively to the calm and comfortable family environment, which is staffed by qualified, skilled and very positive carers. Children enjoy a safe and stable home life, with activities and opportunities that increase their aspirations, resilience and confidence. Inspection report for children’s home: SC065072 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that locks on internal doors are removed to ensure that children have access to all shared areas of the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that the garden at the home is fit for purpose and able to be used by the children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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 for children’s home: SC065072 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Mill Fold, Ripponden, Sowerby Bridge HX6 4DH

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Dominic Macauley

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Inspector

Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC065072 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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