Children's home run by Oldham Children’s Social Care in Oldham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC035492 1 SC035492 Registered provider: Oldham Children’s Social Care Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority short-break children’s home offers care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties. The home’s primary objective is to deliver short breaks for children on the edge of care to prevent family breakdowns occurring.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was present during the inspection, and they and their parent were spoken to.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2023.

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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: SC035492 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/10/2024 Full Good 14/02/2024 Full Good 15/11/2022 Full Good 05/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC035492 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This short-break service is operated by a local authority. It offers help and support to children who are at risk of entering care. Staff provide children with well-planned, highly personalised care that is tailored to meet their specific needs and improve their outcomes. Staff work closely with the children and their families to keep families together. A social worker said, ‘The children that I worked with who attended were full of praise for the staff. They told me how much they had enjoyed attending.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff create a warm and welcoming environment for children. They prioritise the children’s safety and promote their emotional well-being and resilience. Staff provide a safe space where children can have fun, relax and socialise with other children in the company of trained and experienced staff. Children benefit from good relationships with the dedicated adults who support them. A parent said, ‘[My child’s name] enjoys going and says that he likes it. A child said, ‘I like everything about it.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children benefit from positive activities and enjoy their planned visits and overnight stays. Children enjoy visiting country parks, playing board games, trampolining, pool and baking with the staff. Staff support children to attend school when they stay at the home. Medical consent is obtained to ensure that staff understand the health decisions and responsibilities that are delegated to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who visit the home are not required to stay overnight. Some children prefer to familiarise themselves with the care provided by visiting the home for tea and doing introductory visits before staying overnight. Overnight stays are based on consensual agreements allowing children to feel a sense of ownership of their experience. A child said, ‘This is my second overnight stay. I am always happy to come here. It’s more lenient and I feel like I can be myself.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children benefit from a physically safe, appropriately secure and comfortable living environment. However, the home is looking tired in communal living areas and would benefit from a redesign, redecoration and some refurbishment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have already begun to plan for some homely improvements. They have plans for the modernisation of the home’s communal areas and the refurbishment of the home’s bathrooms. The children’s bedrooms have recently been fitted with new perfect-fit blinds for their privacy.

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

Children’s safety is consistently at the centre of staff’s practice. Staff have a good understanding of each child’s specific needs and vulnerabilities. They follow risk management plans effectively to promote the safety of children. A social worker said, Inspection report for children’s home: SC035492 4 ‘The managers have always been so good at communicating, which has been so helpful. They also match the young people well.’

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

Children are protected if they are absent or go missing from the home. Staff actively look for missing children and search the places they are known to visit. They maintain highly effective partnerships with the police to locate children quickly, securing their safe return.

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

Staff promote positive behaviour and are trained and skilled in the use of behaviour management and de-escalation techniques. There has only been one physical intervention since the last inspection. The intervention used by staff was proportionate and used safely to protect a child from harm. There have been no negative consequences since the last inspection, with positive behaviour praised and reinforced.

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

Staff are trained in child protection and have a good understanding of their safeguarding roles. Allegations of abuse are managed professionally, and leaders and managers ensure that the local authority designated officer is notified. This ensures that the right action is taken by the right professionals to protect children from harm.

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

On two occasions, significant incidents have occurred. While appropriate action was taken by leaders and managers to safeguard children, they did not notify Ofsted of these incidents. Leaders and managers have acknowledged this shortfall and have taken on board the learning from it. Staff employed are recruited and vetted carefully, which helps to ensures that children are protected from unsuitable people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has recently undergone a restructure, which has led to a period of instability due to staff vacancies. The home is currently managed by a temporary manager due to the current registered manager’s extended absence. The acting manager is supported by the head of residential care to ensure that the home continues to be managed efficiently and effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff recruitment has been prioritised since the last inspection. The use of agency staff has reduced, and a new deputy manager is in post. Additionally, new staff have been recruited and appointed to vacant posts. Despite these changes, there is a stable and dedicated staff team in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they feel supported by the management team with extra measures being put in place when they struggle with aspects of their role. This promotes staff retention, which provides consistency and stability for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff have the skills to meet the specific needs of the children in their care. Most staff are qualified and experienced in residential childcare. A clinical psychologist delivers training, support and clinical consultations to the staff team to Inspection report for children’s home: SC035492 5 develop their skills in meeting the children’s specific needs. The psychologist said, ‘Our pathway is mainly based on providing consultation for the staff.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular team meetings provide opportunities for discussion, reflection and to embed learning. Staff also receive regular supervision sessions, which are supportive and allow them to reflect on and develop their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that key documents are maintained and kept up to date and that children staying at the home are suitably matched. A comprehensive safe area report is in place and is regularly reviewed by leaders and managers. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035492 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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 9 December 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should implement plans to improve the standard and quality of the accommodation provided for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: SC035492 7 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: SC035492 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oldham Children’s Social Care

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Metropolitan House, Hobson Street, Oldham OL1 1HD

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nicholas Whitbread

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Inspectors

Sonja Vega, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC035492 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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