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

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people identify it as their home, they remain here long term and are extremely happy living here.  Staff safeguard young people; they balance care and safety in a non- oppressive way and are responsive to young people’s needs.  Trusting, secure relationships exist between staff, young people, and their families.  Young people make progress across all areas of personal, social, and emotional development.  Healthy lifestyle choices are a priority; as a result, young people enjoy improved physical health.  Engagement in education is an expectation; young people can attend the linked school provision where they have the opportunity to gain formal qualifications.  Access to a broad range of recreational activities and new experiences is integral to daily living.  Staff underpin therapeutic interventions and quality care with a strong theoretical base.  The manager and staff provide dependable support to guide young people

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The children's home provision is good because:

through transitions.  Shortfalls are identified in respect of recruitment, induction, and supervision of staff; these do not currently affect young people’s overall experience in this home.  Records in the home are of a variable quality, some lack the necessary clarity to be of value to young people now and in the future.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

11.The Positive Relationship Standard In order to meet the positive relationship standard with particular reference to the supervision of staff, the registered provider should ensure that staff: (2)(a)(x) are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same 11/09/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform. (Regulation 32(2)(a)(3)(b)(c)) 11/09/2015

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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

Encourage children to see the home's records as 'living documents' supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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Recommendations

Ensure staff are familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this children's home

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private provider. Young people may attend the linked school provision.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

05/03/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

The home is calm, warm and welcoming. It is not apparent that it is a children’s home and it is well integrated in the local community. The presence of the young people is felt throughout the home, where their photographs, items of artwork and cards are displayed. Young people call it their home and staff encourage them to invite their friends for meals and to socialise. Both young people have enjoyed birthday parties recently, one had a barbeque in the home, which friends attended, and one had a fancy dress party in a village hall. One young person said: ‘Staff really consider how we feel, they are brilliant with us kids, the manager is like a second mother in a good way.’

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Good

Young people benefit from natural, positive interactions with an engaging staff team. Staff understand the young people and deliver individualised care and support in a respectful manner. Relationships are characterised by consistent, predictable boundaries and guidance; this enables young people to develop a sense of security. One young person said: ‘The staff are like family, they care about me, they make sure I am okay and they want me to be safe and happy.’

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Good

Education is a priority in this home and young people make progress in provisions appropriate for their needs. Both young people currently attend college; this promotes their social and vocational progress. Young people also access youth groups in the community, which are focused on furthering their all-round development. One young person said: ‘I go to a drama group, I have been on stage, it allows me to express myself, and I meet people and build my confidence.’

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Good

A wide range of activities are available to young people, and they choose and plan these along with staff. Young people keep memories of activities in scrap books, which they take with them when they move on. Young people have recently returned from a holiday where they were encouraged to enjoy new experiences including rock climbing. Creative physical activity is an integral part of life in this home and young people are encouraged to engage in exercise; this is beneficial to them emotionally and physically.

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Good

Staff use positive consequences to reward young people; the number of positive consequences outweighs the negative. Positive consequences are varied and an appropriate acknowledgement of the young people’s progress. They respond well to this. Where negative consequences are used, they are reviewed with staff and used as a learning experience. Staff receive training on contact and, along with the in house clinicians, they support young people to repair, sustain, and enjoy relationships with significant people. This includes previous carers who have had an important role in young people’s lives.

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Good

The manager and staff recognise individual vulnerabilities and this enables them to effectively safeguard young people. In conjunction with the young people, the clinicians, key professionals, and family members devise robust risk and behaviour management strategies. Staff carefully balance care and safety to introduce appropriate risk to young people’s daily lives. Involvement in this process leads young people to have an increased insight into their own behaviours.

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Good

The manager, staff and clinicians plan transitions into and on from this home. They recognise this as a destabilising time for young people and engage with all relevant agencies to maximise a smooth transition. Support is available for young people moving on from the home and the manager and staff maintain open communication with them for as long as the young person requires this. An adult mental health team manager said: ‘Staff in this home are working closely alongside our service and helping inform the transition planning.'

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Good

Staff acknowledge that young people’s care needs are dynamic. Monthly clinical consultation meetings take place in the home, where the focus is on young people’s progress against identified emotional and behavioural targets. Young people meet weekly with the clinicians on a one to one basis and staff are encouraged to observe and contribute to these sessions. Care management reviews routinely take place every three months. These collective processes ensure there is a cohesive and informed approach to young people’s care and safety.

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Good

Staff plan regular key work sessions to cover all areas related to the young people’s individual needs. One young person said: ‘I have learned things in key work, things I did not know. I have been able to ask questions and explore my identity and relationships and I am learning how to be safe in relationships.’

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Good

Staff understand the home’s policies and procedures; they implement them confidently and with consistency. Where children display risk-taking behaviours, staff are quick to identify these and use rehearsed de-escalation techniques to ensure the young person is safe at all times. Staff are trained in appropriate use of physical intervention however, there have been no incidents requiring this since the last inspection.

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Good

Missing from home is not currently an issue in this home. Staff are familiar with local missing protocols and are clear of the actions they need to take should a young person be missing from the home.

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Requires Improvement

The manager is appropriately qualified and experienced to manage this home. She has been in post since June 2013. Having a good understanding of the needs of the young people enables her to identify what the home does well and what areas need to improve. In the main, inter-agency links are strong and the manager continues to develop relationships with key people to ensure a cohesive approach to care management. She appreciates the value of multi professional working and is a strong advocate for young people where there are concerns about care planning. Staff are largely positive about the manager and see her as an integral part of the stable functioning of this home. Consequently, a staff team who enjoy their work cares for young people. The manager seeks routine feedback from professionals, young people, and family members. She uses this to improve the service the home is providing. Young people share their views in a variety of ways, including the recently introduced

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Requires Improvement

online surveys. They are positive that the manager and staff listen to them. The manager has developed and maintained a stable, dependable staff team within this home. Despite this, shortfalls are identified in respect of the transfer of information between the point of recruitment and new staff commencing direct work in the home. Staff induction programs are generic and do not allow for differing levels of past care experience. Consequently, some staff are not adequately prepared to work directly with young people. The manager and staff engage in regular supervision. The manager has not consistently linked issues related to staff wellbeing to their ability to deliver good quality care. Likewise, the manager has not considered information that is central to the support needs of individual staff when decisions have been made about staff roles within the home. This has the potential to impact on the care staff are able to

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Requires Improvement

offer the young people. Records in the home are of changeable quality and they do not consistently include the contribution of the young people. This means some records lack clarity and will have limited value for young people when they are older. Young people make a valuable contribution to their care planning; this is not always reflected in recording.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people, and each other, and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people, and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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