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

Inspection report children's home: SC387671 1 SC387671 Registered provider: Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority operates this children’s home. It is a short-break home for disabled children. It provides care for up to seven children who have a learning disability, a physical disability and/or a sensory impairment.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2024.

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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 children's home: SC387671 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/03/2024 Full Good 23/01/2023 Full Good 08/12/2021 Full Good 12/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: SC387671 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children thoroughly enjoy their short breaks at this home, where they are cared for by a stable, skilled, and experienced staff team. When children move on, new children are well supported to settle in, make friends, and enjoy their stays. Staff achieve this through close collaboration with both the child and their family. The introduction process is carefully planned to meet each child’s needs and fully involves their family, making it successful.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from imaginative, sensory based activities. Staff are resourceful and creative. They actively seek opportunities for children to engage in important childhood activities, such as becoming confident on play equipment, playing games and sensory play.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are photos of children around the home showing them engaged in different experiences. Children have memory books to capture their time throughout their short breaks stay. This provides children with good memories of their time spent in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is maintained to an excellent standard. Children have access to a wide range of toys and play equipment. Bedroom furnishings and decoration are carefully planned around children’s individual needs. This includes bespoke beds that minimise the need for staff to move children unnecessarily. As a result, the home environment is nurturing and safe. This helps children to feel comfortable when they stay at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children use various communication methods to share their views and wishes. Staff allow the children time to convey their needs and actively listen to the children before responding. This creates a home where children are central to their own care. They share their voice and staff respond accordingly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff frequently monitor and review children’s individual plans. This ensures that staff support children to make progress and keep children’s individual goals under regular review. Staff celebrate children’s progress and achievements with their parents and other professionals. A member of staff said, ‘This way of working helps children transfer the skills to a different setting and promotes their self-esteem and independence.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents and carers value this service because it provides good care for their children while also giving them a much-needed break from their caring responsibilities. One parent shared, ‘I think it is brilliant.’ Inspection report children's home: SC387671 4

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

Feedback from children’s families and professionals is positive. They say that children really enjoy coming to the home and are well cared for. One family member said, ‘A strength of the service is all of the staff know the children really well, they know when they are upset and know how best to support them.’

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

Staff support children and respond well to any behaviours that challenge. They are committed to finding different and innovative ways to manage situations that children may find difficult to cope with. This approach reduces children’s anxieties and helps to minimise incidents. Staff only hold children as a last resort to keep everyone safe.

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

Staff ratios are carefully managed to ensure that children who require constant supervision always have this. Additional night-time monitoring is made available to children who need this during their stays. However, the use of alarms on children’s bedroom doors has not been robustly assessed, therefore it is unclear why it is in use and can intrude on children’s right to privacy.

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

Staff work collaboratively with other professionals, parents and family members to understand children’s complex needs. Managers and staff are strong advocates for children. Staff communicate well with relevant professionals to provide an all-round approach to children’s care.

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

Some of the children require visual and audio monitors, this is to support staff during the night to monitor the children’s health needs. These measures are based on a comprehensive assessment of each child’s unique needs and are carefully documented. However, it is crucial to conduct regular reviews of these assessments to consider their continued relevance and effectiveness in ensuring the safety of the children.

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

Safeguarding practice is effective. Staff receive safeguarding training that is specific to children’s disabilities. Additionally, staff have a clear understanding of children’s needs, vulnerabilities, and the potential risks they may be exposed to. Staff understand how to report and respond to any safeguarding concerns.

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

Staff understand the importance of meeting children’s health needs. There is a well- managed system for administering and recording medications in a safe and controlled way. However, not all staff are up to date with their first aid refresher training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and well-supported by her staff team. After being promoted from deputy manager, she quickly applied to register with Ofsted. She has worked incredibly hard to build and maintain positive relationships with children, staff, parents, and relevant professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager shares information with other people who are important in the children’s lives. One social worker said, ‘The manager is great. She is a great advocate for the Inspection report children's home: SC387671 5 children, she stays in touch and always contacts us to share good news and when she needs to share concerns. I couldn’t ask for anything more.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is very committed to the children and staff, and she is very well supported by two deputy managers. They work well together and have a shared vision for the home and how they intend to provide the best care for the children. As a result, children thrive in this nurturing environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has created a culture of positivity. Children access the service for many years throughout their childhood, and staff often work here for long periods of time. The impact of this provision on children is far reaching and impacts positively on their wider family life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective relationships with families are firmly in place. Comments and feedback are welcomed and very much encouraged. There are extensive feedback forms, so the manager has a comprehensive understanding of the views of children, parents and other agencies. This supports the development and review of children’s plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is high. Staff say that they are well supported by their manager. The manager ensures that staff feel valued, and she encourages them to develop their skills through additional learning. As a result, staff are skilled and knowledgeable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings serve as a valuable forum for learning. The manager is proactive in challenging and addressing staff practice, encouraging reflection and continuous improvement. However, staff have not received regular, reflective supervision to support their professional growth, limiting opportunities for in-depth discussions about their practice. This is not in line with the provider’s policy. Additionally, staff have not received individual appraisals, meaning their development is not always prioritised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s statement of purpose has not been updated and sent to Ofsted to reflect the changes in the staff team. Inspection report children's home: SC387671 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, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that bedroom door alarms on children’s bedrooms and visual and audio monitors are not used unless carefully assessed alongside any specific safeguarding risks and needs to be regularly reviewed.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 07 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 07 March 2025 Inspection report children's home: SC387671 7 This relates to the registered provider ensuring that all staff are supervised regularly, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children in their care.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all staff have individual appraisals once per year. This appraisal should consider, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16 (1))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person needs to review the SOP following updates and share with the regulator. 07 March 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff are up to date with their training, specifically in relation to first aid training. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11).

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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 children's home: SC387671 8

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nicholas Whitbread

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Inspector

Jennifer Quest, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC387671 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 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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