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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC416267 1 SC416267 Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider and offers care for up to two children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 17 December 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home.

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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 outstanding

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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: SC416267 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/08/2023 Full Good 04/01/2023 Full Good 15/12/2021 Full Good 28/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC416267 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy and like living in the home. They make good progress in all areas of their lives. Staff have built positive relationships with the children and provide warm and nurturing care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is well supported. Managers and staff have strong communication links with educational professionals and ensure that any challenges children face in their education are swiftly addressed. Educational professionals speak highly of the care being provided for the children by the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that there is an inclusive environment in the home. Children are included in team-building events and encouraged to explore their own individual likes and dislikes. One child has had several trips away with staff outside of their local area for the first time. This helps children to build confidence in exploring new activities and their own identities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend the necessary health appointments. Staff provide the support the children need when they feel anxious about meeting with a health professional. As a result, children are accessing the healthcare that they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that all records are child focused and personalised to the children. Staff update journals with the children, which include positive statements and the children’s achievements. This ensures that children feel valued and can reflect on their time in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is generally well maintained. Children take great pride in their bedrooms, which are personalised to reflect their individual interests. However, some areas of the home need redecoration, maintenance or repair, including fixtures in the downstairs toilet, areas of damaged paintwork, damage to furniture in one child’s bedroom and weeds on the driveway. This detracts from the homely environment the manager is trying to maintain.

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

Staff know how to keep children safe. When children experience episodes of distress, staff support them with effective de-escalation skills. As a result, the number of incidents for one child has significantly reduced since living in the home.

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

Staff ensure that children are supported to understand their emotions. Staff explore ways of talking to children about their feelings that are tailored to each child. This means that children feel emotionally safe and are learning how to manage difficult feelings. Inspection report for children’s home: SC416267 4 Managers ensure that staff receive training that is specific to children’s individual vulnerabilities. This means that staff have the skills to identify risks and understand how to keep children safe.

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

Managers have consistent oversight of incidents that occur. However, some records of incidents do not contain the necessary detail to give a clear explanation of events. This has not impacted negatively on the team’s ability to safeguard children, but it does not allow staff to fully reflect on their practice with the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is aspirational about the care provided to children. Staff value her consistent support and benefit from her clear leadership and guidance. The registered manager is supported by experienced senior residential childcare workers. They have high expectations of each other and the team and are committed to improving outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Highly effective monitoring systems are used by managers to monitor and evaluate practice in the home. Managers analyse this information and use it to improve staff practice, as well as sharing it with professionals external to the home. This ensures that children receive consistent care from the professionals around them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers ensure that there is a robust induction and probationary period for new members of staff. Staff who are new to the home say they feel welcomed and are provided with clear learning opportunities. This means that newer staff can confidently support the children in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers strive to develop staff’s skills and knowledge. Supervision sessions and team meetings take place regularly and embed a culture of reflective practice in the home. Staff are motivated to improve their practice and encouraged to explore areas of development. This ensures that the service is continuously improving its care of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers work alongside the organisation’s therapist to ensure that staff use research- informed practice. Staff have a firm understanding of how children’s previous experiences, such as trauma and neglect, may have impacted on them. Consequently, managers and staff show great compassion for the children, and the children feel emotionally safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC416267 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that children live in a warm and welcoming environment that has a homely feel. Work should be carried out in a timely manner to repair damaged fixtures and furniture. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC416267 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Time-Out 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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Inspector

Sarah Gilbert, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC416267 7 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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