Children's home run by Meadows Care Limited in Rochdale

Inspection report for children’s home: SC064836 1 SC064836 Registered provider: Meadows Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in 2005 and is owned by a private provider. It offers care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2021.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

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

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

outstanding

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

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC064836 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/03/2024 Full Good 15/11/2022 Full Good 15/03/2022 Full Good 01/05/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC064836 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home. This planned move was supported by a safe and effective plan, developed alongside other professionals, which enabled the child to successfully move on from the home. When one child moved into the home, staff were able to reassure them and build trust. As a result, the child has settled in quickly.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff have built secure, trusting relationships with children. Children talk to staff about their feelings, and staff respond sensitively. One child said, ‘If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t even be here. It’s like family.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Managers and staff work well with family members and professionals. This supports children to build and maintain positive relationships with adults. One professional said, ‘The progress [name of child] has made is amazing. The staff support them in a way they respond well to. They guide me about how best to build a relationship with [name of child].’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children access a range of activities inside and outside of the home. Activities include visiting the seaside, outdoor adventure parks and playing football. Each child has a memory book containing photos that capture their experiences. This supports children to feel valued and cared for.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s identity needs are respected and understood. Staff support children to maintain their faith and religious practices. Children also have opportunities to learn about other cultures. This includes attending events relating to Black History Month, Chinese New Year, Remembrance Day, and Pride.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All children living in the home have made progress in education. Staff have worked with education professionals to ensure that children have education plans that meet their needs. This means that children have positive routines, goals, and aspirations for the future.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children live in a safe and comfortable environment. There is no longer a staff office, so staff are present and available for children. Children’s bedrooms are personalised according to their individual tastes. However, bedroom door alarms are in use for two children, and their necessity has not been regularly reviewed.

p.3

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

Staff understand safeguarding procedures and have received training in a range of safeguarding issues, including self-harm, exploitation, and substance misuse. Children have individualised plans that set out actions for staff to take if they have concerns for children’s well-being. Staff know and understand these plans. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064836 4 The in-house therapy team has a visible presence in the home. It provides therapeutic support to children and monthly consultations to managers and staff. These sessions support staff to understand research-based therapeutic approaches. Staff tailor the approaches they use with children effectively. For one child, this has resulted in significantly reduced incidents of serious self-harm.

p.3

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

The staff promote positive behaviour. They have a good understanding of children’s behaviours and are consistent in their approach. As a result, there are very few incidents that affect children’s safety.

p.4

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

Staff support children with good-quality, individualised direct work. This includes work to help children understand potential risks in the wider community and around the use of e- cigarettes. Children are supported to budget their money, cook, and do their laundry. This helps children to develop their independence skills.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are led by an experienced and confident manager. He knows the children well, and their progression is his priority. One child said, ‘The manager is amazing. If I have a problem, he will deal with it straight away.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they feel supported by leaders and managers. They receive regular supervision from experienced and suitably trained staff. Supervision is used to consider staff’s well- being and children’s needs, as well as to embed safeguarding practices and learning from training. Positive feedback from the supervisor and other members of staff is shared, which promotes team cohesion.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff receive a thorough induction and training to develop their skills. The manager has developed an induction document that is bespoke to the home. This allows new staff to familiarise themselves with important information about the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and are used to support staff’s well-being, review children’s progress, and share key messages. Managers also use team meetings to deliver training that addresses each child’s vulnerabilities. Staff contribute to these meetings by sharing information relating to children’s needs with the wider team.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s views are actively sought in monthly individual and group meetings. Their views, wishes and feelings are acknowledged and responded to promptly.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the home, and there are effective systems in place to monitor the children’s care. However, some records do not contain accurate, up-to- date information. This shortfall has not affected children’s care or safety. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064836 5

p.4

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. This specifically relates to ensuring that all documentation is accurate and holds the correct information. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that restrictions are only used to safeguard children when necessary and in response to a specifically identified need. Additionally, consideration should be given to how this will support the safeguarding and well-being of children by taking into account their views. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 16, paragraph 3.16)

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: SC064836 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Meadows Care Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Egerton House, Wardle Road, Rochdale OL12 9EN

p.6

Inspectors

Stacey Ilaboya, Social Care Inspector Anna Belshaw, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC064836 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.6

Inspectors

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

Inspectors

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

p.7

Inspectors

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

p.7