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

inspection

Ofsted judged the home inadequate in July 2016. Significant shortfalls in relation to adhering to fire safety precautions had placed young people at risk of serious harm. In addition, Ofsted issued a compliance notice relating to a failure to review the quality of care provided by the home. This notice was subject to a monitoring visit on 11 August 2016 and was deemed to have been met. Furthermore, the provider had taken sufficient action to address the fire safety concerns.

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Requires improvement

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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because:

 The home does not have a manager in post who is registered with Ofsted. The last registered manager left the service in December 2015. Acting managers in the post since this time have not applied for registration, as required.  Managers do not provide staff with regular formal supervision or annually appraise their practice and performance to ensure that they remain capable of supporting young people.  Staff do not devise formal independent living plans for all young people to support their transition to adulthood.  Managers and staff do not ensure that young people’s case files and records include all documentation and information, as required. This means that young people do not benefit from integrated care or support.  Risk assessments pertaining to the location of the home are incomplete. This compromises young people’s safety.

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The children’s home strengths

 Young people have exceptionally strong and positive relationships with staff. These support young people’s progress and enable them to move forward with their lives.  Young people benefit from easy access to therapeutic services, should they require this support.

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

6. The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, the registered person must: (2)(b) ensure that staff— (vi) help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. 03/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

(4) The registered person must ensure that all employees— (b) receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and (c) have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 03/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

(1)(a) The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which include the information and documents listed in schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36(1)(a)) 03/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year, taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). (Regulation 46(1)) 03/01/2017

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Information about this children’s home

The home offers care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A private provider owns and operates this home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 11/07/2016 Full Inadequate 22/03/2016 Interim Declined effectiveness 05/01/2016 Full Good 03/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Requires improvement

The home has been without a registered manager since December 2015. Leadership and management in the home are inadequate. This means that the overall experience and progress of young people living in the home require improvement.

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Requires improvement

Since the last inspection in July 2016, staff have taken sufficient steps to ensure that young people’s wishes and opinions regarding the care that they receive are included in internal care plans. Young people review their internal care plans with staff during one-to-one sessions. These provide young people with an opportunity to express their views pertaining to their future care and support needs. However, young people’s case files do not include all necessary information and documentation. For example, some young people do not have statutory care plans on file. This means that staff are unable to verify that the internal care plans that they devise are compatible with the aims and objectives of the placing authorities. This diminishes the potential for young people to receive individual care that reflects their specific and identified needs.

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Requires improvement

Relationships between young people and staff remain strong and extremely positive. Young people say that they feel that staff ‘understand’ them. One young person said, ‘Staff don’t judge you, or anything. They just want to help you.’ The appropriate nature of these relationships means that young people learn to trust the adults around them. This enables them to engage with the available therapeutic programmes, reflect on their background and previous experience, and move forward with their lives. Care staff work alongside clinical specialists to deliver therapeutic packages of support. This means that young people benefit from clear and consistent boundaries that support their emotional and psychological development.

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Requires improvement

Staff address young people’s learning needs by working in partnership with the provider’s own school and with alternative education provisions. When young people are ready to explore further education options, managers and staff liaise with placing authorities to source suitable continued learning and employment opportunities.

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Requires improvement

Young people remain in regular contact with their families. One young person said, ‘I get to see my family a lot and our relationship is better now.’ Staff work with young people, placing authorities and young people’s families to ensure that contact arrangements are supportive and appropriate. This means that young people are not isolated from the people who are important to them. Young people now have access to a phone without reference to staff. This means that they no longer need to seek permission to speak to their families or friends. This increases their social independence.

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Requires improvement

Staff support young people to develop independent living skills as they transition towards adulthood. However, staff do not formalise or document the tasks that young people complete. This means that young people do not benefit from a clear summary of their skills and abilities or recognise the additional competences that they require before they are ready to live independently.

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Requires improvement

Since the last inspection, the converted garage area of the home is no longer in use. Previously, it housed a pool table and young people socialised in this area, although this location was not included in the fire risk assessment or subject to statutory fire safety precautions, such as smoke alarms. This area is now empty, apart from young people’s bicycles, providing covered storage. Staff have removed all hazardous items, such as flammable tins of paint and broken furniture. Furthermore, the completion of necessary maintenance to external decking walkways means that these areas are now safe for young people to walk on. These significant improvements mean that young people now reside in a safe and suitable environment.

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Requires improvement

The acting manager has reviewed the suitability of the location of the home in relation to the surrounding geographical area and any risks associated with this area. However, she has not taken account of the close proximity of the home to a busy road or the lack of a pavement outside the property. This potentially places young people at risk, should they leave the home without considering the closeness of the road.

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Requires improvement

Incidents of unacceptable and negative behaviour continue to be reduced. The newly appointed acting manager ensures that staff record all incidents in detail. This means that she is able to review and evaluate such events to identify any patterns or trends that signify possible antecedents to young people’s behaviour. These improvements promote young people’s safety. There have been no incidents of physical restraint since July 2016. Young people respond well to praise and verbal de-escalation. Staff encourage them to take responsibility for their own behaviour and consider the impact that their actions may have on others. This supports young people to take responsibility for their behaviour.

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Requires improvement

There have been no incidents of young people going missing from the home since the last inspection. Managers and staff continue to work in partnership with young people’s families and specialist police units to reduce the risks associated with young people leaving the home without permission.

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Requires improvement

Young people understand how to make a complaint. The acting manager has reviewed and amended the complaints reporting system. This means that all complaints are now documented and actioned, as required. This further promotes young people’s welfare and safety.

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Requires improvement

Staff ensure that they now apply the same medication administration system to both prescribed and non-prescribed medication. These improvements mean that the administration, refusal and disposal of all medication are now recorded in detail. This protects young people from harm in these circumstances.

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Inadequate

The home has been without a registered manager since the last manager left the service in December 2015. An acting manager took charge of the home in January 2016, but failed to apply to Ofsted for registration, as required, within appropriate timescales. This acting manager withdrew his application for registration in August 2016. A newly appointed manager is now responsible for the day-to-day management of the home. However, this acting manager has failed to submit a completed application for registration at the time of this inspection. This continued failure to ensure that lawful management arrangements are in place means that the leadership and management at the home are inadequate. This shortfall influences the judgement grades in other areas of this inspection.

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Inadequate

The acting manager has addressed the seven requirements raised at the last inspection. For example, the staff now seek young people’s views and opinions on the care that they receive, the medication systems are safe and the managers have removed hazards in the home. Changes to internal monitoring systems mean that the acting manager can now review the quality of care provided by the home. These systems include feedback from young people, external agencies and professionals. Although these newly implemented monitoring practices are in their infancy, they enable the acting manager to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the service. This demonstrates a capacity for the development of the home.

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Inadequate

The statement of purpose is under review to amend staffing lists and detail the changes to the management of the home. This document includes all required information, and continues to provide external agencies with a summary of the aims and objectives of the service.

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Inadequate

Social workers and other professionals speak positively of the care and support that young people receive. One social worker said, ‘I think that young people do well because staff are committed and everyone puts them first.’ The new acting manager continues to work to strengthen relationships between the home and external agencies. Although she has taken steps to challenge placing authorities to ensure that they provide the home with up-to-date statutory documents, these actions have yet to result in the availability of this information. This is detrimental to young people’s development.

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Inadequate

Since the last inspection, the frequency of staff supervision has been significantly reduced. Furthermore, some eligible staff who have been in post for over 12 months do not have appraisals in place. This means that managers do not sufficiently monitor or review staff practice and performance or evaluate their continued suitability to work with young people.

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Inadequate

Young people continue to make good progress with some aspects of their development. However, the organisation has failed to ensure that a manager with day-to-day responsibility for the home registers with Ofsted, as required. This means that young people’s overall experience of this service is compromised.

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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’. An outstanding children’s home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. 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. In a children’s home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements

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What the inspection judgements mean

are in place, however, the children’s home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children’s home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having 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 0300 123 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, work- based 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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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