Children's home run by Meadows Care Limited in Rochdale

Inspection report for children’s home: SC069198 1 SC069198 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 children’s home is operated by a private organisation and provides care for up to three children who may have emotional or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

There are currently three children 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC069198 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/10/2024 Full Good 07/06/2023 Full Good 24/01/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/03/2022 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC069198 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved out of the home and two have moved in. One child’s risk increased, which was attributed to the associations they had made in the area. Staff made significant efforts to maintain the children’s places in the home. Both children were offered support throughout the planned move in order to help them manage their anxieties with these transitions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living in this home benefit from positive, nurturing relationships with staff who are committed to supporting their progress and well-being. Children are making steady progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are attending education. When children are not in school, staff work hard to engage them in creative educational experiences at home. An education professional said, ‘They are great communicators. They have been very supportive in getting [child’s name] to school.’ Education is a priority in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy regular social activities with staff. They have enjoyed holidays with staff in the summer break. Their peer friendships are valued, with arrangements in place for friends to stay overnight and for children to visit their family members regularly. Children have fun, make happy memories and keep in touch with friends and family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is comfortable and homely. Children have their own bedrooms and are allocated a small budget when they arrive at the home to make their bedrooms personal to them. This helps children to feel comfortable in the home.

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

There have been several episodes of children going missing from the home. When this has happened, staff have carefully followed the children’s plans. They search for them and make sure that they have been reported to the appropriate partner agencies. These incidents have reduced over time, which helps to keep children safe.

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

There have been some incidents of bullying. Staff provided support to the child who was the victim of bullying and to the perpetrator. This work helped the children to repair and restore a positive relationship. The team’s approach to peer dynamics has helped to promote a safe and respectful atmosphere in the home.

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

Room searches are conducted respectfully and only when deemed necessary. During one such search, staff discovered that a child had used a lighter to singe some of their belongings. Staff responded appropriately, implementing a range of safety measures to prevent reoccurrence. Although relevant external agencies were informed, the incident was not reported to Ofsted, resulting in the regulator not being made aware of the associated risk to the child. Inspection report for children’s home: SC069198 4 There has been a very low number of physical restraints, due to staff managing children’s behaviour well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager demonstrates strong and visible leadership. She is highly regarded by both staff and children, with one child identifying her as their favourite member of staff. Her approachable manner, consistent presence within the home, and lead-by-example approach contribute positively to the home’s culture.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and attend team meetings that include safeguarding discussions and scenario-based learning. This ensures that staff are informed, confident, and empowered to safely care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The company has implemented a dedicated initiative to ensure that children are protected from discrimination. The home has a nominated member of staff responsible for promoting and supporting this initiative. Staff are invested in ensuring that children’s cultural identities are promoted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager demonstrates effective oversight of the home through regular audits and making constructive use of external scrutiny from the independent person to drive continuous improvement. However, the quality of care review does not include sufficient managerial analysis of missing-from-home incidents. This limits the manager’s ability to identify patterns and develop preventative strategies that could reduce the likelihood of future occurrences. Inspection report for children’s home: SC069198 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all relevant partner agencies including the regulator should be kept informed of significant safeguarding issues so that they able to make clear decisions about children's safety. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 11, paragraph 2.3)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that as part of their quality of care review, they offer analysis around significant events, particularly when children go missing from home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: SC069198 6

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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

Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC069198 7 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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