{"id":652105,"date":"2025-12-24T08:10:21","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T08:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/652105\/"},"modified":"2025-12-24T08:10:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T08:10:21","slug":"the-childrens-home-where-staff-are-exhausted-and-lack-the-skills-to-manage-kids-behaviours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/652105\/","title":{"rendered":"The children\u2019s home where \u2018staff are exhausted and lack the skills to manage kids\u2019 behaviours\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The home has been slammed by a government watchdog.\"TheThe kid’s home has been slammed by a government watchdog.\u00a0(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

A council-run children\u2019s home has been told it still requires improvement five months after it was deemed \u2018inadequate\u2019 by a government watchdog. Ofsted slammed the \u2018poor home environment\u2019 and \u2018exhausted staff\u2019 who have difficulty managing kids\u2019 behaviours at a kids care home in Oldham<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ofsted inspector Sarah Probert visited the provider after a previous inspection in July found kids were \u2018not being kept safe\u2019, including \u2018several concerning missing from home incidents\u2019.<\/p>\n

This time the home, which specialises in caring for youngsters with social or emotional difficulties, was graded \u2018Requires Improvement\u2019 in all areas. Probert found there was \u2018damage throughout the home, including in children\u2019s bedrooms\u2019 that hadn\u2019t been fixed for some time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis does not create a warm and welcoming environment for children or help them feel settled and safe,\u201d she said. One of the two children currently looked after by the home also told the social care inspector they \u2018don\u2019t feel listened to\u2019 by staff. But the wider issue at the home appears to be staffing.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe care home, located in Oldham, is struggling with a high staff turnover. (Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is currently a high level of staff absence, primarily due to their lack of skills and experience in managing complex and challenging situations, and staff feeling exhausted,\u201d Probert wrote in her report. \u201cThis has led to increased reliance on staff from other homes in the organisation working at this home. While these staff members are familiar with the children, the lack of consistency has disrupted the stability for children and staff at the home.\u201d<\/p>\n

A number of staff have also struggled to manage children\u2019s behaviour, with incidents at the home on the rise. The issue has resulted in one child being moved out of the home \u2018because staff did not have the skills and experience required to meet their needs and manage their risks effectively\u2019.<\/p>\n

The home was praised for how it supported children\u2019s individual hobbies, with lots of activities on offer including art and crafts, days out to play parks and activity centres. For example, one child who has an interest in music attends weekly sessions at a recording studio, Probert wrote.<\/p>\n

(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

Responding to the report, which was published on December 19, Coun Shaid Mushtaq, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: \u201cThe safety and wellbeing of children and young people always comes first, and we are taking the findings of this inspection seriously. It\u2019s important to say that all of the council\u2019s other children\u2019s homes are rated Good<\/a>, which gives reassurance about the quality of care we provide more widely.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this home, improvements are already being made and we are working closely with Ofsted to get things right. The inspection also recognised some real strengths, including staff listening to children, strong safeguarding practice, and a clear focus on training so staff feel confident and supported in their roles.<\/p>\n

\u201cWork to improve the home itself is either complete or well underway, and managers are spending more time supporting staff through regular guidance and supervision.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know the last few months have been difficult, but a clear improvement plan is now in place to bring more consistency and stability. We are already seeing positive signs, with a calmer environment, better outcomes for children, and encouraging feedback from staff.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The home has been slammed by a government watchdog.The kid’s home has been slammed by a government watchdog.\u00a0(Image:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":652106,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,393,4884,146388,2465,1286,14984,285,3593,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-652105","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-hidden-homeless","12":"tag-manchester","13":"tag-oldham","14":"tag-oldham-council","15":"tag-politics","16":"tag-social-care","17":"tag-uk","18":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115773533836148149","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=652105"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652105\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/652106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=652105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=652105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=652105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}