Children's home run by Rochdale Borough Council in Rochdale

Inspection report for children’s home: 1237582 1 Registered provider: Rochdale 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

This home is operated by the local authority and is registered to provide care for up to four children. The home’s statement of purpose states it offers care to children on a short-term basis, alongside outreach support services.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three 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 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: 10 October 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1237582 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/10/2023 Full Outstanding 19/07/2022 Full Good 08/03/2022 Full Good 11/03/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1237582 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most of the children who have lived at the home have made good progress. This includes increasing their ability to regulate their emotions, communication, independence and social integration. The supportive environment provided by the staff has helped to enhance the majority of children’s well-being, developing essential life skills and demonstrating marked improvements in their personal growth.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A child who initially faced challenges, with limited verbal communication and social withdrawal, has shown remarkable progress in his interactions. An education professional said, ‘I think they [staff] are fantastic. I have seen a huge improvement in [child’s name’s] confidence since he went to live at the home.’ Staff’s care and support helps children increase in confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to increase their independence skills. Children have become more self-sufficient with staff’s support and are able to manage their personal hygiene, cook clean and do their own washing. This supports children’s confidence and helps them prepare for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children ‘love’ living at the home. Staff offer nurturing care, which helps children feel safe and well cared for. A child has written a poem about his time living in the home, and he names each individual staff member in the poem. Staff grow vegetables and herbs with children, which are used in the children’s cooking. Staff have produced a cookbook of all the children’s favourite meals so that they can be replicated when staff aren’t there.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children leave the home staff produce a photo book of all their memories and happy times in the home. This helps children remember the fun and happy times they have had while living in the home.

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

Staff have a proactive approach to safeguarding and ensuring the well-being of the children in their care. There have been some challenges, but staff work effectively with partner agencies, such as the police, and respond swiftly to complex situations.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff usually respond quickly and search for children and following missing from home procedures to ensure children are located as quickly as possible. On one occasion, a child left the home without staff’s knowledge, which led to a delay in staff taking the required action. Managers have taken steps following this incident to ensure that it does not happen again.

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

There has been a discrepancy in the recording of medication. Prompt fact-finding interviews were conducted by the manager to assess the issue, and the manager took Inspection report for children’s home: 1237582 4 immediate action to address the concerns. Additional medication training was sourced and all staff completed it. When there are mistakes made, the manager takes swift action to ensure that they don’t happen again.

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

All staff receive training to ensure that they are equipped to use appropriate strategies, such as distraction and redirecting children who may be upset. When it has been necessary for a child to be physically held to keep them safe, staff and children receive a debrief from a senior staff member. The manager analyses incidents to check for any patterns and puts an action plan in place if necessary. This helps to ensure that incidents of restraint are infrequent.

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

All staff are thoroughly vetted and receive extensive induction training before they start working with the children. This ensures that all staff are suitable and have the relevant training to work with children.

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

All children have individual risk assessments that are updated regularly. Staff read the risk assessments and ensure that they are fully aware of the strategies within to help keep the children safe.

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

A child left the home without staff knowing that they had gone, early in the morning. This was potentially very dangerous for the extremely vulnerable child. Staff were able to find them relatively quickly and bring them back home safely. The manager has conducted a ‘lessons learned’ review with staff and put strategies in place so that this doesn’t happen again.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and the two deputy managers are relatively new to working with each other. They work well together and take time to reflect on how best to support the staff and children. Some staff have raised concerns regarding receiving mixed messages from the three managers. The management team is aware of this and are actively addressing it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses a range of tools to monitor the home’s performance, health and safety standards and regulatory compliance. The managers focus on ensuring the well- being of the children, and staff have contributed to the positive feedback received from both external professionals. This highlights the home’s commitment to providing high- quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is generally high, with many expressing pride in their work and a strong sense of job satisfaction. Regular appraisals provide staff with opportunities for open discussions about their strengths, aspirations and professional growth. This process assists with staff motivation and a collaborative team culture.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home holds regular team meetings twice a month, focusing on critical areas such as communication, equality diversity and children’s progress. These meetings also include training and team-building activities to strengthen staff cohesion. Mandatory training is Inspection report for children’s home: 1237582 5 up to date and training is sourced to meet children’s needs, such as training about autism and therapeutic parenting

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision, which is supportive to them. The children are not routinely discussed in supervision. This means that staff are missing an opportunity to discuss and reflect on their work with the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1237582 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are given the opportunity to reflect on their work with the children during supervision sessions with their manager. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 13.2, page 61)

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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: 1237582 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Rochdale Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, Number One Riverside, Smith Street, Rochdale OL16 1XL

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Inspectors

Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1237582 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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