Rivendell Children's Home rated 'good' by inspectors

Inspectors have commended improvements at an Oldham children's home and given it a rating of 'good', following a recent visit. 

Rivendell children's home in Chadderton, which provides care for children with complex emotional and social needs, was inspected by Ofsted in June this year.

Rivendell has been fully refurbished, and new management and staff put in place, after a previous inspection in 2020 where the home was rated 'inadequate'.

The new manager is commended by Ofsted as being "experienced and committed" and is said to take "swift action" wherever any problems are identified.

Councillor Amanda Chadderton, Leader of Oldham Council, said: "This is fantastic news.

"I'd like to thank our hard-working social care staff for all the excellent work they've done in making such great improvements at Rivendell, and across the board in our children's services.

"We know that the work we do to keep our children safe has improved immeasurably in recent years, and this inspection at Rivendell is another great example of the huge changes that have been made.

"Putting our children and young people at the heart of all we do is a top priority for me as Leader of the Council, and I'm so glad to see that the improvements we're making have been recognised again by independent inspectors."

The report on Rivendell said that one child at the home commended the management team, saying the manager "helps everyone."

They added that children are consulted about changes in their home, and their art is displayed throughout the premises.

The report also commended the rigorous standard of care at Rivendell, saying: "The manager and staff work proactively with other agencies involved in children’s care. 

"The manager challenges partner agencies to ensure that they respond to children’s safety and care appropriately.

"The manager has effective monitoring systems in place that provide good oversight of children’s progress and care practice in the home.

"External independent monitoring also supports the manager’s understanding of practice to drive forward improvement."

This latest inspection comes after a previous focused Ofsted visit to Oldham Council's children’s services in November 2021, which was highly positive.

That report found that, after the last focused assurance visit in October 2020, senior leaders have “maintained a clear focus on keeping children safe and improving the quality of social work practice in Oldham.” 

The report on Rivendell is set to be published on the Ofsted website soon. 

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