Children's Home run by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council in Tameside

Inspection report for children’s home: 1263768 1 Registered provider: Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. One child spoke with the inspector about their experiences of living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2022.

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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

Date of last inspection: 16 January 2024

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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: 1263768 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/01/2024 Full Good 13/09/2022 Full Good 12/10/2021 Full Good 27/11/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 1263768 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop positive, trusting relationships with staff. They receive consistent, nurturing care and support from staff who know them well. The care children receive underpins the progress they make in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a warm and welcoming place for children to live. Children are helped to personalise their bedrooms and other areas of the home. This enables children to develop a sense of belonging and to feel comfortable in their surroundings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s participation is actively valued in the home. Managers take a proactive approach in ensuring that children’s opinions are heard and respected. Staff advocate for children effectively, ensuring that their views contribute to their everyday care and decision-making processes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s emotional and physical health and well-being are prioritised. All identified health needs are addressed appropriately. Staff ensure that each child receives the necessary support to maintain and improve their physical and emotional health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s progress in education is varied. One child has made notable progress as a result of the support they have received from an education support worker and the staff team. Other children have not received the same level of support and are not engaged in consistent routines to support their learning. There has been limited escalation to senior managers to resolve this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise that family time is an important aspect for all the children. They take time to nurture positive family relationships. The team ensures that children are supported to build and maintain healthy relationships with their families wherever possible. One grandparent spoke highly about the care their child receives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with external professionals to ensure that children have a positive experience when moving into or out of the home.

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

Children say they feel safe. They are supported by staff who are aware of and understand the unique risks and vulnerabilities they face. These are detailed well in the children’s risk management plans. When risks are identified, clear action plans are developed and carried through effectively to keep children safe.

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

Staff consistently implement clear boundaries in the home. This creates a secure and structured environment that promotes positive behaviour and enables children to thrive. Inspection report for children’s home: 1263768 4 Practice in the home is underpinned by the therapeutic model that is detailed in the home’s statement of purpose. This approach helps to maintain a calm and supportive environment for everyone living in the home, and the children are helped to manage their own emotions. This means physical interventions are not used and children are able to regulate themselves.

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

When children make complaints, they are responded to in a timely way. This approach ensures that children’s voices are heard and concerns are addressed in a respectful and transparent manner, reinforcing trust and communication in the home.

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

Direct-work sessions with children are of a high quality, and records provide a detailed and clear picture of each child’s experiences. These sessions are integral in supporting children to understand the issues that are affecting them. They also enable staff to track children’s progress and ensure that the care children receive is tailored to meet their individual needs.

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

Staff recruitment is carried out safely and thoroughly, ensuring only qualified staff are employed to work in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably skilled and experienced. She is supported by a deputy manager, and together they are a positive influence in the home. The management team sets clear expectations of staff and leads by example. Consequently, staff are motivated and work well together. Staff report that they enjoy coming to work and are committed to improving outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have clear oversight of practice in the home. However, not all children’s statutory documents have been received. This reduces opportunities to ensure that children are cared for children in line with their placing authority plans. Escalation process had not been followed before this was raised during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff development is a priority, with all staff completing the expected mandatory and additional training. The senior leadership team has provided a clear direction for training and progression for all staff. Investment has meant that staff have the necessary skills to deliver good-quality care for the children. Ongoing professional development opportunities further enhance practice in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision sessions are of a good quality and provide staff with opportunities to reflect. These sessions support professional growth and allow staff to discuss challenges, share ideas and improve their practice to meet the needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are beginning to embed learning from research into practice in the home. Different areas of research are discussed in the team meetings with staff taking ownership of this. The whole team explores important care issues and practice in the home, and the manager has plans to audit the impact of this learning on staff practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 1263768 5

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access 15 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 1263768 6 educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s daily routines encourage and promote their engagement in education.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all children’s case records are kept up to date and stored securely while they remain in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should ensure that they have a workforce plan that can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16. In particular, the plan should state the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction and detail the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8).

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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: 1263768 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Tameside One, Market Place, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 6BH

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Inspector

Colin Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1263768 8 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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