Children's Home run by Pennine Social Care Limited in Rochdale

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2823307 1 Registered provider: Pennine Social Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company and registered to care for up to one child who may have learning disabilities and social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This is a newly registered home. The manager and home registered with Ofsted on 6 June 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this monitoring visit, no children were living at the home. The safety of the building had been compromised due to a fire and this monitoring visit took place at the provider’s head office address.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit took place following significant concerns being raised by a professional about a fire in the home. The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the actions taken by the provider both prior to and following this significant incident.

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This monitoring visit

During this monitoring visit, inspectors identified significant shortfalls in relation to safeguarding practices, care planning and the leadership and management of the home.

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This monitoring visit

One child has lived in the home since it was registered. Leaders and managers failed to consider the risks and vulnerabilities of the child or the skills and experience of the staff team prior to the child moving into the home. The child moved out of the home two days after moving in due to the property being inhabitable following a fire. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2823307 2 The child moved into the home following their discharge from hospital. Despite the child’s known risks and vulnerabilities, leaders and managers did not ensure that staff had the skills to safely manage and de-escalate the child’s behaviours, and did not speak with professionals known to the child or to the manager of the child’s previous home to inform any assessments or safety planning.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers did not ensure that statutory documents and risk management plans were in place to inform the child’s care and to support the staff in keeping the child safe. Staff were not provided with the necessary training to meet the child’s specific and complex needs including exploitation, self-harm, substance misuse or fire safety training. The risks posed by the child’s use of a mobile phone and tying ligatures were not carefully considered or shared with the staff. These shortfalls placed both the child and staff at serious risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Despite requiring high levels of supervision, the child was left unsupervised in their bedroom for long periods of time. The child was able to start a fire in their bedroom, which led to significant damage to the home. Records do not reflect that the child was adequately supervised or that staff understood their responsibilities to keep the child safe. The extent of the damage caused by the fire means that the home is not currently a safe or suitable place for a child to live. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2823307 3

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)) 29 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2823307 4 Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all staff have completed training specific to children’s risks and vulnerabilities and that there are risk plans to support staff in keeping children safe.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation (13) (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that safe and effective leadership is practised at all times and that the home is managed in a way that is consistent with the approach set out in the statement of purpose. 29 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 29 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2823307 5 that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(c)

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that a thorough assessment of children’s risks and vulnerabilities is completed prior to children moving into the home, and that only children whose needs can be safely met move into the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that decisions are made in the best interests of the child and that children are supported to have a positive experience moving into and out of the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children have the relevant statutory documentation to inform their care. 29 August 2025

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2823307 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pennine Social Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Rhodes Bank Chambers, 184-188 Union Street, Oldham OL1 1EN

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Inspectors

Kelly McCurdy, Social Care Inspector Danielle Allen, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2823307 7 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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