Children's home run by Meadows Care Limited in Rochdale

Inspection report for children’s home: SC361811 1 SC361811 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

A private provider operates this children’s home. The home is registered to provide care for three children with emotional or social difficulties. Three children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2020.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC361811 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/07/2022 Full Good 08/02/2022 Full Good 16/01/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/06/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC361811 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming, and it feels very much like a family home. This helps children to feel comfortable and at home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they ‘love’ their home, they like the staff and they feel cared for and safe. A child said, ‘This is the best house; staff know how to help me.’ Children feel safe and cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are offered a variety of activities. They take part in activities in the community, such as youth clubs and other groups aligned with their interests. Staff encourage children to attend the gym.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children were excited to talk about the holidays planned for the summer. This means that children expand their life experiences and form happy childhood memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to see their families in line with care plans. Family members are welcomed to the home, and staff take children to see their family members. A parent said, ‘Staff go above and beyond.’ Family time is important for children’s identity and sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a real celebration of diversity in the home. Staff encourage children to be themselves. One child wrote a poem for a Pride event and read it to close the event. Providing this kind of opportunity helps children to build their self-esteem.

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

Each child has an individual risk assessment. Staff read the children’s risk assessments and sign to say that they have read and understood them. This means that staff are informed about the best way to keep children safe.

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

There have been some incidents of children going missing from home. Each child has an individual missing-from-home plan. The plans help staff to know how to respond when they are worried about a child’s whereabouts. Staff follow these risk assessments and search for children. This means staff are effective at finding the child and bringing them home.

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

One child has been at risk of child sexual exploitation. This risk has reduced significantly since they have been living at the home. This means that the specialist team from the local authority is no longer needed to help keep the child safe.

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

Some of the children in the home have harmed themselves. Staff have worked with the children to develop their own safety plans. Staff know the children’s triggers to self-harm. They are creative in offering support to reduce the risks and incidents. Inspection report for children’s home: SC361811 4 Staff manage children’s behaviour through rewards for positive behaviour and distraction. When there have been issues of negative behaviour, staff usually use restorative methods. This is effective and teaches children how they can repair situations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff describe the manager as a present and approachable leader. She is organised and has a positive relationship with both staff and children. Some staff have left their employment. The manager is working creatively to ensure that staff feel valued, supporting them to remain in their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision is regular and of good quality. It provides an opportunity for staff to reflect on their work with the children. Staff are offered annual appraisals, and children contribute to these appraisals. This supports staff development to ensure positive care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular team meetings. They enable staff to discuss their plans and ambitions for the children. There is also a thorough handover of information when staff change shift. This ensures that care practice is consistent and that boundaries are clear. This means children feel secure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s monitoring of the service is thorough. There is a regular audit of the home, which includes input from education and therapeutic staff. This helps to support the manager in her critical evaluation of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff sometimes use institutional language, which can make children feel different from their peers. The company has planned some changes to the language used in the home. They have planned staff training to address this issue. Inspection report for children’s home: SC361811 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff record information about the children in a way that will be helpful to the children. Staff should be aware of using language that differentiates the children from others. Language used should be inclusive and encourage the children to feel at home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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 for children’s home: SC361811 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: SC361811 7 regulates and inspects 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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