Children's Home run by Meadows Care Limited in Oldham

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066072 1 SC066072 Registered provider: Meadows 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 privately operated. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this visit, 2 children were living at the home. All the children were either seen or spoken with by the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2025.

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This monitoring visit

The home was inspected on 16 and 17 June 2026 and judged as ‘inadequate’. This visit was carried out to review the action taken by the provider in response to a compliance notice subsequently issued under Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard). This monitoring visit reviews progress against these requirements.

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This monitoring visit

Documents do not consistently reflect all known and emerging risks for children. Although staff update risk assessments following incidents, behaviour management strategies do not provide clear guidance for staff when children become distressed.

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This monitoring visit

Children currently live together safely. However, this has been achieved following one child’s move from the home. Staff were unable to demonstrate how they promote positive relationships if tensions develop between children. Consequently, future group living arrangements may not be managed consistently.

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This monitoring visit

The manager’s oversight of incidents does not consistently identify opportunities to improve practice. As a result, learning is not always embedded, and children do not consistently benefit from improved staff responses following incidents. Where Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066072 2 specific concerns about staff practice are identified, these are appropriately investigated.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have not yet strengthened monitoring systems sufficiently to drive sustained improvement. Action has been taken in response to the last inspection. However, not all shortfalls have been identified or addressed. Staff are also awaiting specialist therapeutic support to ensure that care is consistently delivered in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, leaders have strengthened the home’s processes for children moving into the home. One child moved on from the home because staff were unable to safely meet their needs alongside those of other children. Leaders and managers have introduced processes to improve staff’s understanding of children’s risks before they move in. However, these arrangements have not yet been tested in practice as no more children have moved into the home.

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This monitoring visit

Staff only physically hold children when necessary to keep them safe. Records show that interventions have been carried out appropriately and in line with staff training and regulations. On some occasions, staff have relied on police assistance to manage incidents, which could cause children additional distress.

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This monitoring visit

Staff speak with children about risks and incidents. Following incidents, staff hold restorative and reflective conversations. This helps children understand risks and promotes safer choices. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066072 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/06/2026 Full Inadequate 20/05/2025 Full Good 21/05/2024 Full Good 27/06/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066072 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within 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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s risk assessments and behaviour management plans reflect known and emerging risks, and that staff are provided with clear guidance on how to safely and consistently meet the needs of children living in the home.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that staff provide children with support and guidance on how to live safely together and avoid causing harm to one another.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, ensure that incidents are clearly recorded to reflect the actions taken in response to demonstrate accountability. 27 September

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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 27 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066072 5 have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that assessments are carried out before children move into the home and are regularly reviewed to ensure that children continue to live together safely.

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children receive therapeutic support as outlined in the statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that staff take each child’s views, wishes and feelings into account and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about their care and welfare.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, ensure that staff receive supervision sessions and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to support children to do the same. 27 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066072 6 Furthermore, ensure that monitoring systems are used to identify learning from practice and that this learning is embedded into practice in a timely manner.

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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: SC066072 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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Alison O’Donnell

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Inspector

Vikki Thwaites, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC066072 8 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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