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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1244881 1 Registered provider: Timeout 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 home is privately owned and is registered to provide care for up to two children. The statement of purpose describes the care provided as being for children who may have severe emotional and behavioural difficulties due to attachment disruptions in early childhood.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2019.

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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: 2 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: 1244881 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/11/2021 Full Good 06/08/2019 Full Good 06/11/2018 Full Good 04/07/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 1244881 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are currently two children living in the home. Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home and one child has moved in. Staff supported the children to move in a planned way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming. There are photos of the children around the house. The children take pride in their bedrooms, which are personalised with a wall mural that the children have designed themselves. One child said, ‘This is my home and I love it here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by staff who understand their individual needs. The staff are passionate about their roles and they have formed trusting relationships. A child said, ‘The staff really do care for us and make sure we are okay. They make me feel important.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Consultation with children is consistently promoted. Staff work collaboratively to ensure that the views and opinions of children are reflected in the care provided to them. This supports children to feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff carry out regular key-work sessions with children. This includes life-story work. This helps children to understand their backgrounds and to build connections with those adults who are important to them. An external professional said, ‘My child has taken part in the in-house therapy sessions. I think these are invaluable. We need more placements like this in our towns and cities.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff team have built positive relationships with the children’s friends and families. This allows the children to see people who are important to them and helps them maintain relationships. This supports children’s identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff team support children by capturing memories and important events in their lives, which helps children to understand their journey.

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

The manager carries out detailed assessments that consider the risks associated with the children living together. The assessments help to ensure that children’s needs can be met by the staff.

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

Staff understand children’s physical and emotional health needs. Staff use a therapeutic model of care to consider the underlying causes of children’s behaviours and help children to manage their emotions. This enables staff to sensitively support children who have experienced trauma. Inspection report for children’s home: 1244881 4 Children feel safe and supported by staff. Staff have strong processes to ensure that they are safeguarding children, and they work closely with agencies. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘The joint working and communication from the staff team is brilliant.’

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

Children rarely go missing from home. Staff keep children safe by following robust missing-from-home protocols for each child. This ensures that staff can act quickly to prevent incidents from occurring.

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

The day-to-day care of children is focused on praise and fun. Staff reinforce clear boundaries and provide daily routines and stability for children, along with a range of agreed techniques to support their behaviour. This is supported by the recognition of achievements.

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

Managers use thorough safe recruitment processes for all staff. There is a robust checklist system in place to ensure that all recruitment checks are carried out. Consequently, only suitable adults can work in the home.

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

Children are provided with age-appropriate information, including the children’s guide, the house rules, and information about support available should they wish to speak to someone independent.

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

Children’s health is suitably monitored, and medication is securely stored. Staff ensure that children receive their medication, and records are kept to promote safe ways of working. However, staff have not recorded the dosage of medication on one of the records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The current manager is moving to another position outside of the company. An interim manager has been promoted from the current team. This helps to maintain consistency in the team while retaining the skills and experience of managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager reviews the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home each year. However, the manager has not identified all risks in the local area and strategies for managing them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers carry out appraisals with staff on an annual basis. Staff reflect on their work and set targets for the year ahead. The appraisals also include the views of children and key individuals, which supports ongoing staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Permanent members of staff receive regular supervision. They feel fully supported in their role and enjoy working at the home. This helps to retain staff and keep them motivated. They also attend regular team meetings, which helps the team to share current issues and improve consistency in practice. However, agency staff who work regularly do not receive the same support through supervision or attending team meetings. Inspection report for children’s home: 1244881 5 Staff attend regular training and work towards the relevant qualification to improve their skills and personal development. However, not all staff receive training to help them respond to children’s specific needs. Staff have researched best practice in support of children’s needs; however, this has not been strengthened with the relevant training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work well with all important people in the children’s lives, including families. Positive feedback has been obtained from all stakeholders. One child’s social worker said, ‘Each member of staff works fantastically with the children. I couldn’t have wished for a better place for [name of child] to live.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s internal review and monitoring systems are effective. Managers follow up and escalate concerns if responses from agencies are not satisfactory. This helps to ensure that children receive the right support and that their needs are met. Inspection report for children’s home: 1244881 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 registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to agency staff who work in the home on a regular basis. 20 March 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should identify any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and that the training available meets the needs of the children in their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that medication records detail children’s prescribed dosages of medication. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

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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: 1244881 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Timeout Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Dominic Macauley

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Inspectors

Jennifer Quest, Social Care Inspector Maria McGranaghan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1244881 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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