Children's home run by Meadows Care Limited in Rochdale

Inspection report for children’s home: 1231812 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

The home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours.

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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: 1231812 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/03/2023 Full Good 17/01/2022 Full Good 10/03/2020 Full Good 08/11/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1231812 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. Children enjoy living at this home. They have positive and trusting relationships with staff, who want the best outcomes for them. Staff understand children’s needs and behaviours well. This helps them to provide good care and support that enables children to feel secure and settled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children who have moved on from the home since the last inspection experienced well-managed moves back to their families, in line with their plans. Two sisters experienced an unplanned ending when managers and staff recognised that they could not safely meet these children’s needs. Leaders and managers have reflected with staff on what happened. As a result, changes have been made in relation to how decisions are reached about new children moving into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to make sure that children access education that meets their needs. One child is making good progress in school and takes part in extra-curricular activities. One child wishes to go to school and is waiting for a school place. Following the manager advocating for temporary education provision, a tutor has been visiting the child at the home. This has been to help the child develop their confidence and skill to speak and understand English. However, the child is reluctant to engage with this regularly. Staff support and encourage the child through routines, boundaries, direct work and incentives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a variety of leisure activities in line with their wishes and interests. These include trips and days out to theme parks and going to the cinema. One child has recently started horse riding. This helps children to develop their social skills and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s health and well-being. Children are registered with health services and attend routine appointments. On occasions, they refuse to take prescribed medication but are supported to understand the importance of doing so.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The voices of children are understood and shape the care they receive. Children attend weekly and monthly meetings to share their views and experiences of living in the home. However, it is not always clear if feedback is given to the children. This is a missed opportunity to empower children to understand the value of these meetings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s identities are understood and promoted well. Staff have been creative in how they support and engage one child for whom English is not their first language. They have translated the home’s children’s guide and other key documents into the child’s first language and also have an interpreter for key meetings and reviews. This sensitive approach has enabled the child to engage meaningfully, to share their views and to feel respected in the home. Staff support one child to spend time with their Inspection report for children’s home: 1231812 4 family members. This child’s parent is happy that staff keep them updated and seek their views about decisions for their child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a comfortable and clean home environment that they have helped to decorate and personalise. Children’s bedrooms reflect their personalities and their pictures enhance communal rooms in the home. This helps children to feel proud of where they live.

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

Staff work closely with relevant professionals. For one child, they have acted swiftly to manage and monitor risks online. They have helped the child to learn about internet safety so the child can make safer decisions, with support from staff. This helps children to feel safe and to stay safe.

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

Children’s lived experiences and the impact on their behaviours are well understood by the staff team. The staff are in turn supported by the organisation’s therapeutic team, to inform their practice. This means that children benefit from care that is therapeutically informed, in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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

Physical intervention has been used appropriately. Intervention has been used by trained staff when required to keep children safe. The records of these incidents contain the manager’s oversight. The manager talks to children and staff in a timely manner following an incident to get their views about what happened. This encourages children to reflect and supports their understanding and ongoing development.

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

Children’s risk management plans are detailed and are reviewed regularly. These assessments contain clear strategies and guidance for staff to respond to risks for children. However, the home’s location risk assessment has not been reviewed adequately. It does not contain updated information about the local and wider area and any associated risks for the children. The manager acknowledges this and has plans to improve this.

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

Since the last inspection, one child has been missing from care on one occasion. Staff followed the child’s missing-from-care protocol and made efforts to contact them and to look for them. The child was offered an interview with an independent person to talk to about why they went missing and what happened when they were away.

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

Complaints and allegations by children are managed well. Children are kept safe while matters are thoroughly investigated by the manager. Children and external professionals are kept up to date regarding the outcome. This helps children to feel listened to by adults.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been some medication errors but the impact on children has been minimal. The manager has taken swift action to address this, including additional training for staff. Procedures around the administration of medication have been further improved. Staff complete daily audits and the manager Inspection report for children’s home: 1231812 5 undertakes weekly audits. This enables the manager and staff to remain confident that procedures are followed consistently. As a result, the risk of further errors is minimised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is dedicated and leads the home effectively. They are supported well by a knowledgeable responsible individual. Together, they have a clear understanding of the home’s development needs. They have good monitoring systems in place to improve children’s progress and outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When there are shortfalls in practice, leaders and managers undertake learning reviews. This robust approach has led to a learning culture where reflection is encouraged. This has resulted in high expectations about the quality of care children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Multi-agency working is a strength in the home. One child’s social worker said they could not ask for anything more from the home. Another child’s social worker said the team understands the child’s lived experiences and shows patience and persistence with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from a committed and culturally diverse staff team who meet their needs. One staff member described the house as being filled with laughter and warmth. Staff are positive about the support and guidance they receive from the manager. They have regular supervision and team meetings which promote their well- being and practice. Training based around the specific needs of children improves staff awareness and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are strong advocates for children. They actively challenge relevant professionals when required. Through the persistence of the manager, a specialist education assessment is being progressed for one child. This is to identify additional support for the child in school so they can continue to learn and make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recruitment processes are thorough. All staff who are recruited to work in the home are subject to the required checks. This helps to make sure children are cared for by safe adults. Inspection report for children’s home: 1231812 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, The 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 make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that medication is administered as prescribed. 18 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to children who are new to the area. 18 December

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children’s home: 1231812 7

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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: 1231812 8

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

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Inspector

Nurul Kabir, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1231812 9 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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