Children's Home run by Oakley House Children’s Home Limited in Staffordshire

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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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 The manager has not progressed risk assessments to make sure that they are robust enough to address the changing needs of young people.  Managers are not ensuring that measures of control provide sufficient detail and are being evaluated to support and develop new strategies that help young people.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 There are ongoing shortfalls in the staff team’s recordings of physical restraints, resulting in a previous requirement not being met.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Managers are not informing HMCI of all serious safeguarding incidents so the regulator can evaluate how they are responded to and managed.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Managers do not ensure young people have access to a children’s guide that tells them about what they can expect from the staff.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Managers are not ensuring that the recording of missing from care episodes captures all the relevant information to protect young people and inform future practice.

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The children's home’s strengths

 Contact with significant family members is encouraged, supported and maintained well.  The manager provides staff with ongoing support, supervision and specialised training that reflects young people’s needs.  Staff place a higher value on young people’s education since the last inspection, making sure their support results in learning success.  The wishes, feelings and views of the young person are taken into account in the development of the home.  The staff are patient and attentive in their care of young people.  The staff make sure that young people have access to a range of health services that help to promote their physical and emotional well-being.

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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

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure –

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Requirement Due date

(i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. 28/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

(4) The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the missing child policy’) setting out—

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Requirement Due date

(a) the steps taken, and to be taken, to prevent children from being absent without permission; and

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Requirement Due date

(b) the procedures to be followed, and the roles and responsibilities of persons working at the home, in relation to a child who is, or has been, so absent.

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Requirement Due date

(5) Before implementing, or making an amendment which the registered person considers to be substantive to, the missing child policy, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

(a) consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person; and

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Requirement Due date

(b) have regard to any relevant local authority or police protocols on missing children. (Regulation 34 (a)(b)(5)(a)(b)) 28/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

(iv) a description of the measure and its duration; 28/02/2017 (v) details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

(vi) the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

(vii) the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

(viii) a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure. (Regulation 35 (a)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)) The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) 28/02/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Ensure that the children's guide helps children to understand what the day-to- day routines of the home are (‘what happens in the home’); the Statement of Purpose of the home (the care they can expect to receive while living there); how to make a complaint in line with the home's complaints procedure. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)

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Information about this children's home

This is a children's home for up to three young people, aged between 10 and 17 years, who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and learning disabilities. The home is operated by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 22/09/2015 Full Requires improvement 30/06/2015 Full Inadequate 24/03/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness 11/11/2014 Full Adequate

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Requires improvement

Young people benefit from a staff team that shows considerable patience, whose members are attentive to young people’s individual and complex needs. As a result, young people have developed good relationships with staff, and they appreciate the support afforded to them. One young person expressed this by saying: ‘I really like the staff and manager here, they do care about you.’

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Requires improvement

The manager has ensured that care planning for each young person is personalised, reviewed regularly and managed well at the home. Staff consult young people about their care plans and provide them with every opportunity to contribute to their own review meetings. This has enabled young people to be actively involved in the planning of their care.

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Requires improvement

Young people’s health needs are identified effectively. This includes the staff making sure that they have access to a range of health services that promote their physical and emotional well-being. They are encouraged and supported to attend routine appointments with dentists and doctors. A good medication management system ensures the safe administration of medication. Clear records are maintained by the home and medication is securely stored.

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Requires improvement

All young people at the home are either engaged in work-based apprenticeships or college placements appropriate to their abilities. Staff provide transport to support young people to and from respective placements and seek feedback on their progress. This provides young people with continuity across their day and informs staff of any issues or needs the young person may have at that time.

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Requires improvement

Young people’s views and opinions are listened to and are central to the planning and day-to-day running of the home. Regular house meetings, key work sessions and daily interaction with the staff help to give the young people opportunities to make purposeful contributions. This means that young people feel well informed and involved in all aspects of their care. Young people confirm they know how to make a complaint if they are unhappy or have any concerns about their care.

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Requires improvement

Young people join local clubs and take part in activities within the wider community, which helps them to socialise with others of a similar age. This enables them to have new experiences and to develop hobbies, skills and interests.

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Requires improvement

Staff support contact with families and supervise contact where necessary. They provide transport for young people and work with parents to ensure that the time spent on contact has been positive. Some of the young people have made particularly good progress and have significantly better family contact than they had prior to living at the home. This means that young people are sustaining important relationships that are important to them.

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Requires improvement

The manager ensures that young people living in the home are learning independence skills that will support them for their transition into adulthood. The skills used include budgeting for their weekly shopping, preparation of meals and processing their own laundry. This helps young people develop practical skills and enables them to complete daily tasks safely and independently.

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Requires improvement

Young people say that they feel safe. Some young people have made good progress in ceasing or reducing risk-taking behaviour. Safeguarding procedures are robust and staff are well trained. Risk assessments are used as working documents by staff, who understand young people's known risks and vulnerabilities. In most instances, risk assessments are recorded in good detail. However, on occasions they are not always specific, such as risk levels not being reduced in response to changes in young people’s behaviour. This means that staff are working with documents that do not reflect the status of the young person accurately.

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Requires improvement

Since the last inspection, the use of physical restraint has reduced. However, the recording of behavioural incidents is not consistent. For example, some young people’s restraints have been recorded in the wrong person’s log, entries have been completed late and some logs have not been fully completed. This limits the manager’s ability to monitor and safeguard young people, and hinders her opportunities to assess staff practice and analyse the quality of care that young people are receiving.

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Requires improvement

There are instances of young people going missing from the home, although these are not high. However, the reporting does not meet regulatory requirements. For example, there is no evidence to show that the manager has captured any learning to inform future practice that helps to keep the young person safe.

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Requires improvement

Young people live in a physically safe environment. There are measures in place to ensure that the home is free from hazards. Regular fire drills are carried out to ensure that young people know what they need to do in the event of a fire. There are thorough recruitment and vetting procedures in place before staff start work in the home. Visitors to the home are checked and supervised as appropriate. This helps to prevent unsuitable individuals having access to vulnerable young people. The manager ensures that young people live in a comfortable, nicely decorated and furnished home. There is sufficient space for both communal activity and privacy. The home is situated in a community location convenient for public transport and access to local facilities.

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Requires improvement

A new manager started in October 2016 and was registered with Ofsted in December. She has completed her level 4 national vocational qualification in leadership, health and social care and is currently working towards her level 5 diploma in residential childcare.

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Requires improvement

The manager has not always ensured that notifications are sent to HMCI, which enables the regulator to carry out its safeguarding responsibilities effectively to ensure that young people are protected from harm.

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Requires improvement

The statement of purpose has recently been reviewed. It provides clear information about the level of service provided and clear information for stakeholders about the aims and objectives and the facilities offered. This includes changes in directors that took place at the end of November. The young person's guide gives young people good written information about the home, about how they will be looked after and about their rights while in care. However, the document has not been updated to reflect recent changes.

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Requires improvement

Since the last inspection, there has been a clear focus on improving the standards of care for young people. Communication between the staff team and management has improved due to regular team meetings and daily support. This support is boosting staff morale and motivation. One member of staff said, `The manager is a good listener and very supportive and provides us with leadership, which is what was needed.’

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Requires improvement

The manager ensures that all staff receive regular supervision, which provides the opportunity to review young people’s care as well as considering individual staff members’ professional developmental needs. All staff complete a range of mandatory training, refresher courses and training in particular areas such as e- safety and child sexual exploitation. All staff are qualified or working to gain the relevant qualification for their role within regulatory timescales. This ensures that staff keep their skills and knowledge up to date and are competent in looking after young people.

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Requires improvement

The organisation ensures that there is regular monitoring through the monthly independent visitor’s visits. This monitoring of the service ensures that there is robust scrutiny of the practice and performance of the home, and identifies areas for improvement. This ensures that practice is focused on outcomes for young people.

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Requires improvement

There are effective and meaningful partnerships between the home, police and other safeguarding professionals to promote young people’s safety and welfare.

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Requires improvement

The manager and senior management team now have good oversight of the service and are committed to continual improvement. They know the home’s strengths and the areas where they need to continue to develop. The home has taken steps to address some of the previous requirements. All young people in the home are now engaged in education or training, there are review systems in place that promote the welfare of young people, and restraint is now only used when necessary and proportionate. However, shortfalls still exist in the recording of physical interventions and this requirement has been repeated.

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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

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 children looked after is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements 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

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or that 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 that 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 children looked after 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

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

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