Children's Home run by Meadows Care Limited in Rochdale

Inspection report for children’s home for SC390577 1 SC390577 Registered provider: Meadows Care Limited

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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 owned and operated by a private provider.

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Information about this children’s home

It is registered to provide care for up to three children who many have social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were being cared for in this home at the point of inspection. Two children communicated with the inspector about their views of living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since the 30 June 2025. A new manager is in post and will apply to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual, and we are currently checking this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role

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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 for children’s home for SC390577 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/05/2024 Full Good 10/12/2019 Full Good 20/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/07/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home for SC390577 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children have positive childhood experiences. They know the children’s interests and encourage children to take part in activities, such as walking and trampolining. Staff take children to a holiday caravan where they enjoy short breaks. Staff promote experiences for children that they have not had before, such as visiting Christmas grottos and eating out in restaurants. Children have positive relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and appropriate to the children’s needs. It is well-furnished and well-decorated. Staff support children to personalise their bedrooms according to their age and tastes. Communal areas have items such as gaming consoles, books and board games and children spend time in them. Children have pets and staff support them to care for them. Children are relaxed and comfortable in their environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children move into the home in a planned way. Prior to children arriving, managers undertake thorough assessments of children’s needs to ensure that the staff have the skills to meet them. Children are gradually introduced to the home and staff. Children move into the home at a pace which suits them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers have served notice on two children within the inspection period. Managers worked closely with placing authorities to support the children to remain in the home prior to serving notice. On each occasion, the decision was made in the best interests of the child and other children in the home. The notice period for children was extended on both occasions to ensure that the children moved to appropriate homes. However, on one occasion a significant life event for a child was not considered in their transition plan by managers and professionals. A recommendation has been made in relation to this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s health needs. Plans to manage them are up-to-date and provide staff with clear direction. Specialist health professionals deliver training to staff and liaise with them closely to ensure health needs are met. Staff understand the emotional impact of health issues and make every effort to make hospital attendances more comfortable.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to understand and meet children’s cultural needs. Staff have found recipes which are suitable for a child’s cultural background, and these are cooked regularly in the home. Staff regularly take a child to a specialist hairdresser to ensure their hair is cared for appropriately.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children see their families and friends in line with their wishes and plans. Staff work hard to build positive relationships with children’s families. Staff recognise when children have gaps in their histories, and the therapist helps them understand their life story. Managers offer family therapy to children and their families to assist them to improve their relationships. Children maintain their links and identities. Inspection report for children’s home for SC390577 4

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

Staff understand the risks to children. Risk assessments are comprehensive and are regularly updated. They are clear strategies for staff to follow. Staff manage the risks to children well.

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

Managers respond to increasing risk promptly. When children require higher staffing levels, this is agreed with the placing authority and swiftly put into place. Children are supported in line with their level of risk.

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

Staff are trained in the home’s model of practice and use it in their interactions with children. The home’s therapist provides regular consultation to the staff team to consider how best to work with individual children. Staff boundaries and approaches are consistent, and children feel secure.

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

Complaints are rare. Managers listen to children and family’s views carefully and respond promptly and sensitively. Managers ensure that complainants are satisfied with their actions prior to closing the complaint.

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

Managers respond to allegations about staff promptly. They take immediate action to safeguard children and staff. When there was a pattern of allegation and retraction with one child, managers met with the placing authority and the local authority designated officer to agree a protocol to manage the concerns. Allegations are managed safely and with the best interests of children in mind.

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

Children have individual missing from home plans. Staff know and follow the plans to return children quickly to the home. Staff make every effort to locate children and keep them safe. Return home interviews are requested from the placing authority in a timely way.

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

Staff are trained to hold children safely. When staff use physical interventions, they are a last resort and proportionate to the risk faced by the child. Managers have prompt oversight and speak to children afterwards to gain their views.

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

Room searches are only carried out when there is a clear safeguarding reasons to do so. Staff conduct these sensitively and children understand the reasons for them.

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

There have been two medication errors in the inspection period. They were noticed and reported to managers quickly. Neither error had the potential for significant harm to a child. Managers investigated the issues quickly and provided additional training to staff.

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

Staff understand the risks to children from technology and have appropriate strategies in place to protect children, such as phone checks. When concerns do arise, they are reported to the relevant professionals and children receive support to understand the risks. Inspection report for children’s home for SC390577 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager left their post in June 2025 and became the responsible individual. The former deputy manager is the interim manager. Both leaders know the home and staff extremely well and are having a planned period of transition. Children and staff have experienced the changes smoothly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and responsible individual know the children well and have a thorough understanding of their needs. They are committed to the home and the children. Children have positive relationships with leaders and seek them out for support and to share details of their day.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been several changes to the staff team in the inspection period. Agency staff have also been used in the home to support periods when increased staffing has been required. Managers have worked hard to minimise the impact on children, however children have struggled with unfamiliar faces, particularly when being transported to and from school. A requirement has been made in relation to this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is currently a full staff team. Managers understand the emotional impact of the work staff do and provide appropriate support. Staff are motivated to work at the home and provide good quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers supervise staff regularly. Managers undertake additional supervision of staff when required to address specific areas of practice, such as recording and reporting. Team meetings are also regular and provide a forum for group reflection. Staff have many opportunities to reflect on their practice and consider where improvements can be made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff training offer is comprehensive. The therapist home provides additional training to support the specific needs of the children, such as training in neurodiversity and sexualised behaviours. When there are emerging needs or risks, managers provide training or refreshers promptly to respond to this need, such as training in nitrous oxide use and allegations. Staff are well prepared to meet the needs of the children they care for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most staff are qualified in their roles. Those that are not enrolled on their diplomas are within timescale to complete it. Managers consider the learning needs of staff and ensure they have the right time and support to complete their qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager completes a review of the quality of care every six months. The reviews are timely, evaluative, and actions are created for the coming period. The reviews are a useful tool in driving service improvement. Inspection report for children’s home for SC390577 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, 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(e)) 24 September 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that each child’s transition is planned, considering all relevant events in the child’s life. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 57, paragraph 11.9) Inspection report for children’s home for SC390577 7

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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 for SC390577 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Meadows Care Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Sarah Huntbatch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home for SC390577 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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