Children's Home run by Oakfields Children’s Care Limited in Tameside

Unique reference number SC069176 Inspection date 25/10/2012 Inspector Alicea Churchward Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 19/07/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This is a privately owned children’s home that provides care and accommodation for up to four young people of either gender who may have behavioural and emotional difficulties.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making good progress .

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Progress

The purpose of this visit is to assess the progress made since the time of the last inspection and how any progress has improved the quality of care and outcomes for young people. The last full inspection was undertaken in July 2012; the home was then found to be good. At that time, the provider and Registered Manager were asked to take account of requirements and recommendations to further improve the quality of care in the home.

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Progress

The Registered Manager has ensured that copies of all sanctions are placed upon young people’s files in to comply with regulation; this ensures that if young people wish to see their files in the future, the information is available to them.

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Progress

All significant events relating to the protection of children accommodated in the home are now notified by the registered person of the home to the appropriate authorities and to Ofsted; appropriate action is taken following any incident.

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Progress

The home has a good development plan in place that provides for consultation with young people and placing authorities; feedback has been requested from parents but responses have been limited. To improve the quality of care further the Registered Manager has also devised specific questionnaires for those young people leaving the home to comment upon their experiences while living there. In addition, the home has attained accreditation with Investors in People award. This has also identified good features and areas for development. The Registered Manager has a clear understanding of key strengths and weaknesses to ensure further improvements in the service.

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Progress

The children's guide has been revised to include contact details for the Children's Rights Director. The guide is an informative document, revised by young people, and contains all the information required so young people know what to expect from the service and are informed of a range of independent advocacy services.

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Progress

A recommendation was made at the time of the last inspection for the home to obtain copies of all of the young people's pathway plans; this has been fully addressed. Since the time of the last inspection two young people have moved out of the home and another was leaving on the day of this visit. The home works well with personal advisors and ensures that young people acquire practical and life skills to prepare them for adult life. A young person commented, ‘It's been good… I’ll be back for Sunday lunch though.’

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Progress

The overall presentation of the home is good; young people benefit from a homely environment they have their own personalised bedrooms that are furnished to a good standard. However some light shades need replacing and a broken window in the conservatory requires replacement.

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Progress

A personal advisor was present at the time of this visit and commented that the home, ‘Have done a fantastic job with this young person … staff are very committed to him … they have been very supportive during the transition … things have turned around with their support … communication is excellent … I have only positive things to say about this placement.’

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Progress

Other young people were also very positive about their time in the home; they can give good examples of how they have made a complaint, had good support and advocacy from staff in the home and had a good outcome as a result; this demonstrates that young people’s wishes and feelings are valued and acted upon.

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Progress

The quality of care and outcomes remain good and the home is making good progress in developing the service. One recommendation is made as a result of this visit with regard to improving the home's overall presentation.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  ensure that young people are provided with a comfortable and homely environment that is well maintained; this includes repair of a broken conservatory window and replacement of light shades. (NMS 10.3)

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011).

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