Children's Home run by Meadows Care Limited in Oldham

Inspection report for children's home: SC066072 1 SC066072 Registered provider: Meadows Care Limited

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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.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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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: SC066072 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/06/2023 Full Good 24/05/2022 Full Good 26/07/2021 Full Good 05/06/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC066072 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children move into the home in a well-planned and supported way. They are sensitively welcomed and gently encouraged to build positive relationships with staff and other children in the home. Children’s achievements are celebrated. Children are well prepared and supported when they are ready to leave the home. This helps to ease any worries or anxieties children might have.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children speak positively of their experience of living in the home. One child said, ‘The staff care for me and I like living here. I feel that me and [name of child] are friends now and not just people who live with each other.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with opportunities to take part in everyday decision-making on aspects of their care. Children’s wishes are fully considered. This means children are involved in their care planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The bathroom was not clean. Some communal areas need some repairs and redecoration. Redecoration was underway at the time of the inspection. The physical environment fails to reflect children’s personalities and interests and the nurturing care which they are receiving.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and the staff team take part in a diverse range of fun activities outside the home. They have enjoyed bowling, going for walks, shopping and cinema trips. One child had fun at an activity weekend which included rock climbing, paddle boarding, canoeing and team-building exercises. Children say they would like to have more indoor and outdoor toys and games at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress with their education. The manager and staff work closely with education professionals. Children’s education attendance has significantly improved from their starting points. Some children who previously had low school attendance now attend school regularly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has not yet received a formal diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism. They do not have an education, health and care plan. This does not maximise the child’s development through to adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain connections with family members and are proactive in arranging family time. This enables children to maintain significant relationships and promotes their identity needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Respect, inclusion and embracing difference are promoted by staff. Further support in championing children’s racial and cultural identity would enable children to have a better understanding of their history and heritage. Inspection report for children's home: SC066072 4

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

The staff know the children well and prioritise their well-being. There have been some challenges in managing children’s behaviours. Staff have clear expectations and boundaries. Consequences are appropriate and time limited. This enables children to progress and develop.

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

Children receive prompt specialist therapeutic support. This support has a focus on their individual needs and keeping them safe. This nurturing approach benefits children in exploring difficult thoughts and feelings. This enables children to manage their emotions and express their feelings. As a result, children learn to keep themselves safe.

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

The manager understands children’s risks and vulnerabilities. She is proactive in identifying concerns and taking appropriate action. For example, staff have targeted discussions with children and follow safety plans. Records of key-work sessions do not detail children’s responses or reflections. This would allow managers to better identify any extra support needs.

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

Staff are quick to share information about increased risks with other professionals. They promptly act on concerns when risks to children have increased. Managers have supported staff to learn from challenging situations. Training is in place to enhance staff learning.

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

There have been some staff changes. Robust safer recruitment practice ensures that staff are safe to work with children.

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

Staff prioritise training to build their skills and knowledge, particularly around safeguarding. This means that they can keep children safe. One external professional said, ‘The team and the culture of the home makes children feel safe.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has ambitious aspirations and high expectations for all children. She is well supported by two senior residential support workers. The dedicated team of staff say they feel supported by leaders and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of children’s experiences. The manager and the staff team work together to provide children with consistent and nurturing trauma- informed care. One therapist said, ‘The staff do lots of nice things to show the children that they are held in mind.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and staff work collaboratively and positively with the professionals who support children. Children speak very highly of the managers and the wider team and this view is reflected in the feedback received from parents and professionals. One parent said, Inspection report for children's home: SC066072 5 ‘[Name of child] has been looked after well the past couple of years. Behaviour is much better. Staff at this children’s home have done brilliantly with [name of child].’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and leaders receive regular child-focused supervision. This means staff have time to discuss their development and well-being. Well-attended monthly team meetings incorporate targeted training. This training ensures that children’s specific needs are generally prioritised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has addressed both requirements from the last inspection in full. The recommendation in relation to ensuring that the physical environment is maintained to a high standard has been only partially addressed and is therefore restated. Inspection report for children's home: SC066072 6

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Statutory requirement

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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care

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Requirement Due date

in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation (14)(1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children receive the services, assessments and plans that they need to successfully transition from the home and have their needs met. 24 June 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all areas of the home are kept clean and maintained to a good standard in particular the bathroom, so as to be homely and comfortable. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children's home: SC066072 7  The registered person should ensure that they are fully aware of children’s cultural backgrounds and provide opportunities for them to have access to the appropriate foods and activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.22)  The registered person should ensure that children are offered a wide range of activities and play equipment both inside of the home (where appropriate) and are encouraged to participate in those activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.5)

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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: SC066072 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: Egerton House, Wardle Road, Rochdale, Lancashire OL12 9EN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Alison O’Donnell

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Inspectors

Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Paulette Forbes, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC066072 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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