Children's Home run by Oracle Care Limited in Central Bedfordshire

Unique reference number SC421531 Inspector Natalie Burton Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Oracle Care Limited Registered person address Unit 1 Dane Valley Mill Havannah Street CONGLETON Cheshire CW12 2AH Responsible individual Steven Bromley Registered manager Danielle Louise Murphy Date of last inspection 24/03/2014 2 of 10 Inspection date 26/01/2015

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Previous inspection good progress Enforcement action since last inspection none

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Overall effectiveness good

Outcomes for children and young people outstanding Quality of care good Keeping children and young people safe good Leadership and management good

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Overall effectiveness

Young people feel safe and are positive about the staff and the care they received. A key strength of the staff is their commitment to seeking young people’s views and involving young people in choices in their lives. There is an extremely positive and calm atmosphere in the home. There are wonderful relationships between staff and young people that are trusting and respectful. Staff are motivated and hardworking and are dedicated to achieving the best possible outcomes for the young people.

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Overall effectiveness

Each young person’s individuality is promoted and respected and this helps them to develop a positive self-view. Young people make outstanding progress in relation to their starting points, in respect of their self-esteem, regulating their behaviour and education.

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Overall effectiveness

However, there are some shortfalls. These relate to written records of measures of controls and risk assessments. In addition, supervision records, appraisals and improvement is needed to some communal areas within the home. 3 of 10

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides accommodation and care for up to three young people who have experienced emotional and behavioural difficulties. A private company owns and operates this setting.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/03/2014 Interim good progress 28/08/2013 Full adequate 27/03/2013 Interim satisfactory progress 05/12/2012 Full outstanding

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control, restraint or discipline in a children's home, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purposes. In particular with regard to a description of the measure used (Regulation 17B (3)(c)) 13/03/2015

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that all parts of the home which children have access are so far as reasonably practicable free from hazards to their health and safety. (Regulation 23(1)(a)) 13/03/2015 4 of 10

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure the home provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained and decorated. with particular regard to some communal areas (NMS 10.3)  ensure the supervision record is signed by the supervisor and the member of staff at the end of the supervision (NMS 19.5)  ensure all staff have their performance individually and formally appraised at least annually and this appraisal takes into account any views of children the service is providing for. (NMS 19.6) 5 of 10

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people make exceptional progress in all areas. Through their participation in activities and individual therapeutic sessions, young people develop a positive self- view and emotional resilience and their self-esteem improves. Young people who have experienced significant trauma and present with complex and challenging behaviours grow in self-confidence and can express themselves positively. Young people are proud of their achievements and these are celebrated by using photographs, rewards and through discussions with young people, staff and other important people in their lives.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people develop the ability to form and maintain attachments through their hard work and with the help and support of staff, carers and professionals. They are respected and enabled to channel their individuality, skills and abilities into achievements and significant improvement. Young people enjoy living at the home and have good relationships with staff. One young person said ‘I love it here, everyone gets on well. Another young person said ‘its brilliant, really good’.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people feel valued because they are encouraged to express their views, feelings and wishes. They feel listened to because staff make time to talk to them about their interests and concerns. Young people help make decisions about group activities and in identifying their own personal interests and individual hobbies. Young people access interests such as army cadets, diving, dance and trampoline clubs.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people make significant progress in attending the organisations school, and their daily routines. All young people now attend full education and this provides a stimulating environment to achieve their educational potential. As a result, their attendance and attainment is very good.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people make significant progress with regard to their health needs. They attend appointments with doctors, dentists and opticians. Young people access the organisations therapist. Their emotional and physical well-being has improved. Young people take regular exercise, eat healthy meals and try new foods. They feel good about themselves as they are enabled to try different opportunities and develop new skills.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people benefit from appropriate contact with family members and other significant people in their lives. Individual contact arrangements are suitably supported and facilitated by staff. This supports young people to maintain positive relationships.

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Outcomes for children and young people outstanding

Young people enjoy and are keen to increase their independence in line with their age and ability. Their confidence and skills increase because they have daily 6 of 10 responsibility for keeping their rooms tidy, shopping, cleaning and cooking. This helps young people prepare for adulthood.

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Quality of care good

Young people are looked after by a well organised, motivated and enthusiastic staff team. They implement structures and effective frameworks for care, safety and behaviour. Staff promote a stimulating and stable environment for young people to thrive, and are committed to engaging, developing and maintaining meaningful and respectful relationships with young people. Their relationships are a key strength to significant outcomes for young people. A young person described the home as ‘caring, warm and safe’.

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Quality of care good

Young people report that they are listened to and can express their views. They have a positive impact on the running of the home and that their views are implemented. For example, young people decided what colour the house is painted. Staff commitment to seeking and providing young people with choices is a key strength of the home. Young people are actively involved in house meetings, where they share their views, are able to raise issues and voice their dislikes and likes. A social worker supported this and said ‘I can’t speak highly of them. It is all about his needs and not the adults in his life’. Another social worker reported ‘they listen to him, and give him choices’.

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Quality of care good

Care and education planning, risk management procedures and behaviour management plans are of good quality. They are practically detailed and provide staff with clarity as to how to support each young person. Placement plans support young people’s emotional development, behaviour and learning processes. This enables young people to set goals to help them to reach their full potential.

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Quality of care good

Young people can access a range of purposeful and enjoyable activities. Staff make good efforts to help young people participate in enjoyable activities, hobbies and interests. For example, young people play football, go bike riding in the words, play board games and have structured time on their computers. As a result, young people enjoy their lives and improve their social skills.

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Quality of care good

Young people’s health is promoted and monitored. Staff effectively work together with children and adolescent mental health services and the organisation’s therapist to ensure young people access the services they need. They encourage young people to recognise the importance of visiting the dentist regularly and having annual health checks. Staff encourage healthy eating through talking with young people about food, and what constitutes a healthy meal. Young people gain knowledge around keeping safe and making informed lifestyles choices. This ensures that young people’s emotional and psychological needs are met. 7 of 10 Communication process are strong and effective. The close working relationships between the organisations school, therapist, parents, staff and external agencies is effective in supporting young people and developing their placement. A social worker reported ‘they communicate really well, and they are very positive’. This is supported

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Quality of care good

by a teacher who said’ there is a constant flow of communication, and this includes the young person’s therapist as well’. These processes contribute to the excellent outcomes for young people, and demonstrate staff are consistently concerned with the welfare and progress of the young people at the service.

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Quality of care good

Staff are efficient in encouraging young people to attend their education. They support young people in their education placement through attending and supporting them in their learning. A teacher said ‘they will help with their work at home, they are very supportive’. Staff provide young people with structure to their day, and clear and consistent messages about the expectation that they will engage in their education.

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Quality of care good

The arrangements for introducing young people to the home are effective. Managers complete in-depth matching assessments, to ensure that young people’s needs can be met by the service, and that there will be minimal impact on young people already living at the home. Staff ensure that young people are prepared for new admissions to the home, through talking through any changes, meeting young people and having a clear plan. Therefore young people’s needs are well identified and assessed before admission.

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Quality of care good

Young people are provided with a good environment to meet their needs. Staff make clear efforts to make the house comfortable and homely. Young people are consulted robustly regarding their bedrooms, how they would like it personalised, and choices around décor and furnishings to meet the individual young people’s needs and likes. Photographs of staff and young people are displayed following consultation with young people. This helps increase young people’s sense of belonging. However, some communal areas appear worn. For example, some walls have some marks on them, and there is a recent hole in the ceiling of the dining room. This does not ensure that all areas of the home are welcoming.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people say they feel safe at the home. Staff take their responsibilities seriously for keeping the young people safe. Staffing levels are allocated to ensure that all young people are supervised, kept safe and receive appropriate support. As a result, children do not go missing, or identify bullying as an issue within the home.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The service has a safeguarding policy which includes procedures to follow in the event of a safeguarding issue and staff demonstrate a good understanding of the action to take should they have any concerns about the young person’s safety or 8 of 10 well-being. Staff ensure young people are protected when using the internet by implementing the e-safety policy and monitoring young people’s internet use, in line with their individual risk assessments. Therefore, young people are protected and say they feel safe.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people’s challenging behaviour has significantly reduced. Positive behaviour is encouraged through incentives, targets, and consistent messages from staff and key work sessions. Strategies to manage behaviours and safeguard young people focus on safety but also ensure all young people have opportunities to reach their potential and achieve. Care planning and behaviour management plans are in place and these provide clarity about how staff are to support young people and reflect positive staff practice. As a result young people’s challenging behaviour improves.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff ensure young people are cared for in ways that meet their needs and treat them in a dignified way. This supports young people to develop self-esteem and respect for others. Young people are therefore respectful to staff and each other. Measures of control are based on establishing positive relationships. However, some sanctions lack clarity. For example, when an ban on the use of electrical items is imposed it is unclear in the records, what electrical items this involves. Therefore some young people’s measures of control may appear to be unreasonable.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Health and safety is generally well managed. Safety is promoted through regular servicing, including fire safety equipment. Generic risk assessment, including the fire risk assessment are up to date and include current concerning behaviour. However, not all risks have been appropriately assessed. For example, the maintenance team have looked at the hole in the ceiling, however, this is not clearly assessed as to potential hazards to young people and staff. This does not fully promote the safety of young people and all who use the building.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people are protected by an effective and robust recruitment process that includes a comprehensive check on all staff applying to work at this setting. Records are maintained to a good standard. Visitors are checked, vetted and monitored.

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Leadership and management good

The Registered Manager has been in post since 2013, has over nine years’ experience and is currently completing the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Health and Social Care. The competent management of the home significantly contributes to the successful care and support young people receive. Young people are cared for by highly motivated staff who know them well. this means that young people experience a consistent approach that is personalised to meet their individualised needs. Staff are well trained and undertake the required qualifications. Young people benefit from being cared for by staff that are skilled, knowledgeable and suitably qualified to the appropriate level. 9 of 10 The home offers care and accommodation for young people in line with its Statement of Purpose and stated objectives, which are understood by interested parties. A social worker said the young person was ‘positive and upbeat and never speaks

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Leadership and management good

negatively about the home. I am happy they are meeting his needs’.

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Leadership and management good

The one recommendation from the last inspection is not met. This is because while some improvement has been made to the effectiveness of measures of controls, some sanctions do not provide clear detail of the actual sanction. For example, how much money young people pay back for damage to an item. This does not ensure that measures of control used are consistently fair. As a result a requirement has been made.

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Leadership and management good

Staff are clearly motivated by their enjoyment of working with the children and watching them progress. There is always enough staff on duty at all times to provide safe care and this gives staff plenty of opportunities to spend quality time with the young people. all members of staff spoken with gave positive comments about the managers supportive leadership of the service. Regular meetings and supervision ensure their practice improves further and the focus remains on the young people’s needs and development. However, not all supervision records are signed, and no staff received appraisals. This has minimal impact on the young people.

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Leadership and management good

Young people are consistently consulted about their care. Effective levels of monitoring young people’s care and experiences ensure practice is safe and the quality of care remains positive. Independent visits contribute further to reflective practice and driving improvement. The home’s development plan identifies areas where improvements can be made. For example, in changes to the layout of the environment.

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Leadership and management good

Staff implement the procedures for notifying the appropriate authorities of significant events. The service ensure that on these occasions efficient action is taken and the outcome recorded. Therefore, the home ensures all appropriate authorities are kept up to date.

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Leadership and management good

Records maintained in the home are of good quality and are stored securely. They contribute to an understanding the young person’s life, and staff are good at ensuring young people have memorabilia of their time at the home. For example, photographs, achievement certificates and good quality records. As a result young people have a record of significant events in their lives. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management good

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information 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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Information about this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the framework of inspection for children's homes.

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