Children's Home run by Meadows Care Limited in Rochdale

Inspection report for children's home: 1250915 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

This is a privately owned home which provides care for up to three children. The provider’s statement of purpose states that children may have severe emotional and behavioural difficulties (social and emotional difficulties).

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 26 January 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2021.

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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: 12 February 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1250915 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/02/2020 Full Good 08/08/2018 Full Good 14/02/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 21/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1250915 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to build trusting relationships with the adults who are caring for them. Staff know the children well and help them to keep safe. The security that this brings allows children to build their confidence and to progress positively from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school, and their commitment to education is positive. Staff support school attendance and communicate well with school staff. Staff support children within the educational setting if necessary to enable the children to stay on track. The positive communication, consistency and clear boundaries give a clear message to children about the importance of their engagement with education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Independence skills are promoted with children. They have individual plans which support them to plan, shop for and cook their own meals on some days of the week. This encourages children’s sense of self-reliance and helps them to start to think about and prepare for the next steps on their journey.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health. Their physical and emotional health needs are identified, and they have easy access to individual therapeutic support provided by the provider. Staff are supported with monthly group sessions, provided by the company’s therapeutic department, to help them understand and support the children in their care. This ensures that children receive appropriate support to enable them to develop and maintain stable physical and emotional health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage and support children to engage in enjoyable activities in the community. One child has joined a drama group and is working towards performing in a play. Another has a part-time job which he carries out alongside his studies. Activities such as these will support the children to feel like they are an important part of their community and to give them a sense of belonging.

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

The staff know the children in their care very well. There are detailed risk assessments that address any known vulnerabilities for the children. They are regularly updated to reflect any changes for the children. The risk assessments are realistic and effective.

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

Staff understand the risks that using the internet may pose for children. Staff have undertaken training with regards to sexual and criminal exploitation and have strategies in place to help keep children safe if these issues occur.

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

Since the last visit, there has been a significant number of missing-from-home incidents. Most of these incidents relate to a child that has since moved out of the home. When this has happened, there has been a thorough, coordinated response Inspection report for children's home: 1250915 4 from staff that has helped to reduce risks for children. There are clear, individual plans in place. Staff look for children when they are missing from home and are committed to ensuring their safety.

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

The home has links with social workers, local authority designated officers and other safeguarding agencies which are effective. Social workers are pleased with the communication they have with the home. One social worker said: ‘Staff are available and proactive. Any safeguarding issues are dealt with promptly.’ There is good communication about safeguarding issues and a coordinated response to keeping the children safe.

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

Some communal doors have locks which can restrict children’s access to areas of the home. The use of locks needs to be reviewed by the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is a warm and caring setting which is managed efficiently and effectively. A social worker for one of the children said: ‘They [the staff] provide a really nurturing environment.’ The manager is passionate about getting good outcomes for children and ensuring that they have the support that they need to achieve their hopes and wishes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager supports staff to enable them to carry out their work to a good standard. Staff are offered regular supportive supervision and annual appraisals. They are given training to ensure that they are informed about how to meet the needs of the children in their care. Children benefit from being looked after by adults who understand how to meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works proactively with other agencies and professionals. She has good working relationships with social workers and partner agencies. The communication with other agencies and strong advocacy for the children mean that everyone working with the children is clear about how to support them to achieve good outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some of the areas in the home need attention. It is an older building and some small patches of mould have appeared. The manager has a plan to improve these areas, and this now needs to be put into place so that the children have a comfortable homely living space. Inspection report for children's home: 1250915 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should review and risk-assess the presence of locks on internal communal doors. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. Mould on the children’s bedroom windows must be removed and children should be supported to maintain a clean and tidy bedroom. (‘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: 1250915 6

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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, Lancashire OL12 9EN

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Inspector

Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1250915 7 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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