Children's home run by Meadows Care Limited in Rochdale

Inspection report for children’s home: SC416464 1 SC416464 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

A private provider operates this home, which provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. Three children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

During the inspection, the inspector spoke to two of the children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2020.

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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: 4 February 2025

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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: SC416464 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/02/2025 Full Good 21/11/2023 Full Good 14/03/2023 Full Good 25/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC416464 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made good progress since moving into the home. They achieve this by maintaining positive relationships with the staff, the manager and each other. The individual personalities and experiences of each staff member have created a strong, diverse team that is child centred and provides love, support and affection to the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to understand the importance of education. Although there has been a significant period of children declining to attend, each child now has an educational provision that better meets their needs. Staff work in partnership with education professionals in the schools and local authorities to engage children in their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves from the home are well planned and supported by staff. Children’s views are paramount in these plans, with the appropriate encouragement and use of advocacy services implemented when necessary. Staff remain in touch with the children who move out, to offer support and consistency.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children seeing their friends and families. They are dedicated to ensuring that children maintain relationships with the people who are important to them. When family and friends live considerable distances from the home, staff are proactive in making appropriate arrangements to ensure that their time together is a positive experience. Staff also challenge professionals if they feel that the arrangements do not meet the children’s needs. Children’s families speak positively about the staff and said that children are well looked after. One family member said, ‘Staff are very friendly.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Physical and mental health is a priority in the home. Staff understand the importance of children attending their health appointments. Although children sometimes decline to attend, staff work tirelessly with the children to promote attendance. All children are engaging with therapy to support their emotional well-being. The in-house therapist also collaborates with the staff to encourage the inclusion of consistent, therapeutic care in the plans. However, not all staff can confidently explain the home’s therapeutic approaches that are used to care for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is newly decorated, warm and welcoming. There are photographs of the children displayed on the walls and their bedrooms are well furnished, clean and personalised to their interests. The garden is well maintained and there is ample sports equipment, which the children use regularly. However, there is an unnecessary door alarm on one child’s bedroom that has not been regularly reviewed in line with their needs. This detracts from the nurturing environment that staff work hard to achieve. Inspection report for children’s home: SC416464 4

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

Staff implement clear boundaries, structure and routines for the children. This helps children to feel safe. Staff know children’s individual risks well. When presented with a risk, staff follow clear guidelines and are consistent in their responses. This lowers the risk of harm to children.

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

Staff engage children in regular, personalised conversations about their safety, adapting discussions to suit each child’s interests and individual needs. These dialogues encourage children to reflect on how staff can best support their well-being, foster resilience and empower them to take an active role in shaping their future. Insights from these conversations are shared among staff to ensure a consistent and coordinated approach to safeguarding.

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

There has been a significant reduction in physical interventions in the home. Staff know the children well and recognise when they are distressed. Staff and the in-house therapist have supported one child to understand and identify their emotions effectively, and they have provided them with coping strategies to prevent an escalation in behaviours. When physical interventions are used, they are recorded accurately and in detail. Children and staff are given time to reflect on the incident, sometimes with external professionals when necessary. This enables everyone to understand what happened and identify what could be done differently to avoid repetition.

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

Although allegations and complaints are rare, the manager takes them seriously, responds quickly and effectively, and conducts thorough investigations when they occur. All records are detailed and accurate. Children are reminded regularly of how to raise a complaint and said they were confident in speaking to a staff member if they had a concern. These systems ensure that staff and children are protected.

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

Staff who are new to the home are recruited in line with safer recruitment policies and practices. This ensures that staff are suitable to work with children. An effective induction ensure that staff receive training to provide them with the necessary skills and knowledge to provide effective support to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Manager and leaders are passionate about the staff team, children’s care and the development of the home. They demonstrate that they strive to achieve positive outcomes for the children and have a dedicated team to support them. They are held in high regard, are well respected and are a positive influence on the children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of the manager and leaders. They report feeling well managed and supported. Morale at the home is high, and there is a positive and energetic approach from staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive support and encouragement from the manager, including regular supervision sessions, annual appraisals and team meetings. The manager uses team Inspection report for children’s home: SC416464 5 meetings as a forum to further develop staff’s knowledge by running in-house training sessions on the specific needs of the children. They encourage professional curiosity, reflection and highlight the importance of consistent practice during these meetings to establish best practice for the children. This provides a good standard of care that is child centred.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is effective communication between staff and professionals. The manager attends children’s meetings and advocates on their behalf. This means that all professionals are working towards the same plan for the children. When necessary, the manager will challenge professionals whose responses do not include the voice of the child in their decision-making. This challenge ensures that children’s opinions are taken seriously.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the importance of children having a voice, ensuring that children are consistently encouraged to express their views. There are regular meetings and key-work sessions that capture children’s wishes and feelings. The children’s views are then considered and actioned during the staff meetings. This demonstrates to the children that their views are valued, heard and acted on when appropriate. Inspection report for children’s home: SC416464 6

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Recommendations

 Any decisions to modify the environment of the home must only be made where it is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded and kept under regular review. In particular, the registered person should ensure that the need for the activation of door alarms on children’s bedrooms is regularly assessed and is in line with the children’s presenting risks. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for leading a team that understands and delivers the ethos and approach that is set out in the home’s statement of purpose. In particular, the registered person should ensure that all staff understand the home’s therapeutic approaches used to care for the children living in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)

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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: SC416464 7

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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

Deirdre Silkstone, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC416464 8 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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