Children's Home run by Meadows Care Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: 1228090 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 home is registered to provide care for up to four children with complex emotional and social needs as a result of past trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a qualified manager, who has been in post since February 2017.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 9 November 2021

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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: 1228090 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/11/2021 Full Good 31/07/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/03/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 02/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1228090 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children currently live in the home. Since the previous inspection, three children have moved in and three children have moved on. Children who have moved on have done so in a planned way and have been able to achieve their goals in terms of returning to live with their families. Managers carefully consider all children’s needs prior to them moving in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s bedrooms are cosy and personalised. One child has had a personalised mural on their wall, and another child has had LED lighting around their room. However, some areas of the home have some damage, and a carpet is stained. This detracts from the otherwise homely atmosphere.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to make good educational progress. When children are not attending education, staff support them by trying different ways of engaging them in school. There is good communication with education professionals when necessary to further support this. The manager reviews children’s education formerly with partner agencies where needed, to ensure that children maximise their potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good support to meet their physical and emotional needs. The organisation’s therapist meets with children every week and supports staff in reflective discussions to help to embed the home’s trauma-informed approach to care. This is helping children to improve their emotional well-being. Children say that this support is helping them feel calmer when they get frustrated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand what children need to help them move on successfully. They implement plans that support children to learn practical and everyday skills they need for adult life. These plans are kept under review. However, for one child, the manager has not guided staff effectively on how to address an issue of excessive gaming. This has impacted on the child’s daily routine and readiness for independent living.

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

Staff have a good understanding of potential risks to children and how to minimise these. Managers develop effective risk management plans that give staff clear guidance on how to keep children safe. These plans are regularly updated. Plans reflect the home’s trauma-informed approach to children’s care.

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

Any concerns around bullying are dealt with effectively. Staff increase supervision of children where necessary, to ensure the safety and well-being of all children. Managers review how they can continue to support children to live together happily. In addition, the therapist supports children to develop their relationship skills. Children benefit from this approach. Inspection report for children’s home: 1228090 4 When children become distressed, staff support them to explore how they are feeling and make sure that the environment is safe. Other professionals are consulted to get specialist guidance when necessary. Children are kept safe during incidents as staff know children well and what they need to feel safe and secure. However, sometimes, the recording of guidance is not fully updated to reflect all the therapeutic approaches being used to help one child.

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

When staff hold children to keep them safe from harm, interventions are only used when necessary and are appropriately recorded by staff. The child is spoken to, and their views are considered. The registered manager does not always talk with staff after incidents in regulatory timescales. However, when these discussions take place, they ensure that staff are supported to reflect on their practice.

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

When children make allegations against staff, managers inform professionals such as the local authority designated officer and the child’s social worker promptly. They take advice and investigate concerns when directed. However, on one occasion, there was a brief delay of one day before staff notified managers that an allegation had been made during an incident so that safeguarding procedures could be followed. This did not affect the care given to the child at the time. Managers did not identify this as a needed area of improvement in staff practice in their evaluation.

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

Staff call the police and consult with the child’s local authorities if children go missing from home. On some occasions, staff have not searched for children as promptly as they should have in line with their plans, but the manager identified this in their oversight. Staff have engaged in reflective discussions to improve their practice.

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good

The manager is appropriately qualified and is well established in the service. The responsible individual describes the manager as being an effective role model and mentor for other managers in the service.

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good

Staff are not equipped with all the skills needed to meet children’s needs. The home’s therapist regularly holds reflective sessions with staff to support their learning around therapeutic care. However, staff have not had the training they need in other important areas. For example, some staff have not had restraint training as regularly as the organisation’s internal policy states. Some staff have not had training in subjects such as self-harm or exploitation.

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good

The manager regularly oversees children’s care in the home and carries out regular audits and has oversight of any incidents. She recently positively reviewed the impact that the therapeutic approach has on children and presented her findings to staff to initiate reflection and learning. However, monitoring is not always effective to identify shortfalls identified in this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 1228090 5 The manager regularly carries out effective reflective supervision sessions with staff that consider children’s care. Staff told inspectors that they feel supported by the manager in her oversight of the team and feel that she is approachable.

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good

There have been several new staff since the last inspection. The manager has worked hard to induct them effectively and help them learn about the home’s trauma-informed approach to care. This has helped minimise the disruption for children when new staff start working in the home.

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good

Children’s local authorities provided positive feedback about the manager’s communication with them and support of children. One social worker stated that their child felt that the manager advocated for them whenever they had any challenges during their time living in the home.

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good

When children or other individuals are unhappy and raise complaints, the manager listens to them and responds in a child-centred way and takes action to improve things. Inspection report for children’s home: 1228090 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

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that any damages or disrepairs to the premises are fixed promptly so that the environment is homely for children. 25 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

that staff— 25 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1228090 7 meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that staff support children to develop healthy daily routines and use social media and gaming platforms appropriately as part of that.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 8 February 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring 8 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1228090 8 that timely debriefs take place with staff after any physical interventions, to support their development.

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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: 1228090 9

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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 Limited, Egerton House, Wardle Road, Rochdale, Lancashire OL12 9EN

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Inspectors

Fiona Roche, Social Care Inspector Sharon Bourne, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1228090 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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