Children's home run by Oldham Children’s Social Care in Oldham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC035492 1 SC035492 Registered provider: Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This local authority short-break children’s home offers care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties. The statement of purpose states that the home provides short breaks and outreach services as a positive and flexible service for children.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2023.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 15 November 2022

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC035492 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/11/2022 Full Good 05/01/2022 Full Good 27/08/2019 Full Inadequate 18/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC035492 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide well-tailored plans and effective support for children on the edge of care. Children receive care that is personalised and promotes their needs effectively. A child said, ‘I usually stay here every other weekend. I like it here. It’s amazing.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with planned day visits, short-break stays and outreach services. Children and their families receive effective interventions that enable them to stay together. Staff provide a highly supportive and nurturing environment for children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children stay in a relaxed, friendly and safe environment and receive support from skilled and experienced staff. A child said, ‘They help me with what’s going on for me at home. They have helped me emotionally and mentally.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are skilled in developing trusting relationships with children and their families. Staff organise parents’ meetings and drop-in coffee mornings to support parents and bring children and their families together.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work in collaboration with children’s social workers, schools and other professionals to ensure that children and their families benefit from the best possible assistance and comprehensive levels of support. A social worker said, ‘The service has shown exceptional support for parents of children and provide invaluable assistance to children’s social care.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide positive activities for children to enhance their social experiences in the home and in the community. The activities include horse-riding, roller-skating, go- karting, karaoke and dog walking. The children consistently have positive and enjoyable experiences during their short-break stays at the home.

p.3

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

Children’s safety is at the centre of staff practice. Risk management plans and safe working practices promote the safety and well-being of children. Children become increasingly safer as a result of staff’s actions that support and protect them. A child said, ‘If you need to get away from home, this is a good place to come and stay.’

p.3

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

Staff provide support and training to the families of children. This is helping to improve their parenting skills and relationships. A child said, ‘Staff are supportive. Staff will come out and visit us at home and help us with coping strategies.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC035492 4 Staff are well-trained and knowledgeable in safeguarding and child protection. They are always vigilant to the risk of harm. There have been no complaints or allegations since the last inspection.

p.3

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

Staff provide extensive support to children to improve their self-awareness and understanding of risk. They support children to think about the real-time consequences of their actions on themselves, their families and others. A social worker said, ‘Practitioners dedicate their time to adolescents, accompanying them to tranquil environments to address their needs and anxieties.’

p.4

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

Staff are trained and skilled in de-escalation and help children manage their emotions and behaviours safely. Staff encourage positive behaviour and are good role models for children. The use of restraint is a last resort, and it is only ever used to protect children from harm.

p.4

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

Children do not regularly go missing from the home. However, staff are vigilant in case of such incidents occurring. If a child does go missing from the home, staff work closely with the police to secure their safe return.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A stable and experienced staff team provides children with stability and consistency in their lives. The home employs a dedicated and committed manager who exercises strong leadership of the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive support in their roles and have access to regular, reflective peer reviews, team meetings and performance-related supervision. This enables staff to meet the specific needs of children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff maintain highly effective partnerships with social workers and other key professionals. They ensure that interventions and bespoke support packages are effective in addressing the specific needs of children and their families. A social worker said, ‘The staff have been wonderful, and I can’t sing their praises enough.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager completes a six-monthly quality of care review to evaluate the effectiveness of the service. She makes good use of the home’s internal and external monitoring activities to secure continuing improvement. However, the reports from the independent person are not consistently sent to Ofsted each month. A requirement has been made to address this shortfall.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has addressed and met the recommendations from the last inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035492 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

p.5

Requirement Due date

upon request, the local authority for the area in which the home is located;

p.5

Requirement Due date

the registered provider and, if applicable, the registered manager; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

the responsible individual (if one is nominated). (Regulation 44 (7)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 1 April 2024

p.5

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: SC035492 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Oldham Council, Civic Centre, Oldham OL1 1UT

p.6

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nicholas Whitbread

p.6

Inspector

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC035492 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7