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

Inspection report children’s home: SC447457 1 SC447457 Registered provider: Oakley House Children’s Home Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for three young people up to the age of 18. The home may provide care and accommodation for young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities. The home is privately owned.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 13 to 14 September 2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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Good

How well children and young people are helped and protected Good

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Good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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Good

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

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Good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people make good progress from their starting points.  Young people have positive relationships with staff, which support them to make progress. Inspection report children’s home: SC447457 2  Young people receive individualised care from a nurturing staff team.  Staff encourage young people to develop independence skills in preparation for transition to adulthood.  Young people enjoy a wide range of hobbies and leisure activities.  Young people moving from the home into their own accommodation benefit from staff providing them with emotional and practical support.  The manager makes sure that staff work well with other agencies to promote positive outcomes for young people.  Young people’s contact with their family is encouraged and supported.  Young people feel listened to.  Young people receive a warm welcome from staff when being admitted to the home.  Staff make sure that the home environment is warm, clean and homely.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff feel supported through regular, good quality supervision.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Employment checks are not always completed before staff commence work.  Incidents of physical intervention are not recorded in accordance with regulations.  Staff do not have the knowledge to increase young people’s awareness around the risk of online, radicalisation or involvement in gangs.  Staff have not received annual appraisals.  One young person is not in full-time education or engaged in suitable structured activities to promote learning.  Some young people’s case records do not include copies of the placing authority’s care plan.  The manager has not updated the workforce plan.  Not all staff have appropriate sleeping accommodation.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 12/12/2016 Full Requires improvement 22/09/2015 Full Requires improvement 30/06/2015 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: SC447457 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children’s home if full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (3)(d)) 10/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) This is in relation to training to raise awareness of young people and gangs, the administration of medication, the PREVENT duty and online safety. 10/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that records include a copy of any plan for the care of the child, prepared by the child’s placing authority, and of the placement plan. (Regulation 36 Schedule 3 (19)) 27/10/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the design of the home provides staff that sleep in the home overnight with appropriate accommodation and facilities to do so. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.26)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that as part of reviewing and revising where appropriate the statement of purpose (regulation 16(3)(a)), the registered person should review and update the children’s guide as necessary, and make sure children are given an explanation of any changes. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.23)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that when children are placed in a home and are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. If no education place is identified by the placing authority, the registered person must challenge the authority to meet the child’s needs under regulation 5 (engaging with the wider system to ensure that children’s needs are Inspection report children’s home: SC447457 4 met). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, p 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that records of restraint is kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, p 49, paragraph 9.59)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that there is a workforce plan in place, which can fulfil the requirements of Regulation 16 Schedule 1. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally assessed at least once annually. This appraisal should take account of, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and the children in the home’s care. As part of the performance management process, poor performance should be addressed by a timely plan to bring about improvement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, p 61, paragraph 13.5)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are offered a warm welcome by staff when they are admitted into the home. Staff recognise young people’s anxieties and work at a pace that helps them get used to their new surroundings. A social worker told the inspector, ‘They were welcoming and have given him his space.’ A young person who has recently moved into the home shared with the inspector, ‘The staff are great. It’s nice here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from committed and nurturing staff who get to know them well. Young people speak positively about their experience of living at the home. One young person shared with the inspector, ‘I love it here and I want to stay here as long as possible.’ The inspector also spoke to a young person who had recently left the home. The young person told the inspector, ‘I’m doing an apprenticeship now. If they hadn’t made me go to school, I wouldn’t have this. I will never ever say one bad word about that place. They understood my needs, my mental health and me. They didn’t judge me, they supported me. They involved me everything.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to ensure that young people can live in a well-maintained, clean and welcoming home. Additional features, such as the resident fish and photographs of young people around the home, all help to create a homely environment where young people and staff enjoy time together. One young person told the inspector, ‘It’s fun. The staff are fun. They really look after me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Ensuring that young people attend and enjoy school are priorities for the staff team. Inspection report children’s home: SC447457 5 Staff work well with education providers to ensure that young people get the resources and support that they need. A deputy headteacher described how living at the home has had a significant impact on one young person’s schooling. She told the inspector, ‘In school, he was being verbally abusive and physically abusive to anyone. He was an angry child. He was at high risk of absconding. He had had enough of the world. His body language and behaviour is now so different. He does not abscond. He is a joy to have around. It’s worked wonders for him.’ At the admission stage, the manager prompts social workers to make speedy applications for school placements. However, for one young person, the lack of a structured day at the start of his placement has meant he has lost an opportunity to

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people attend routine health appointments and are in good health. Fruit is available in the dining area and menus show that young people enjoy a varied and balanced diet. Staff promote an active lifestyle and support young people to pursue hobbies such as trampolining, bug collecting, building virtual rollercoasters and dog walking. Young people have enjoyed trips to places like Alton Towers, the cinema and restaurants. These varied opportunities contribute to young people’s positive views about the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Wherever possible, staff support young people to maintain contact with their friends and family. Young people receive practical and emotional support to attend contact visits. This helps young people to stay in contact with people who are important to them and reduces the risk of young people feeling isolated from their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from staff who are thoughtful in their approach to promoting independent living skills. On a daily basis, young people are encouraged to tidy their rooms, empty their bins and help with chores and cooking. Older young people have the opportunity to manage a weekly budget and to make their own transport arrangements. One young person who has left the home told the inspector, ‘Once I told them I wanted to be independent they listened and started treating me more like an adult not a kid. At the time, it wasn’t really what I wanted but it was what I needed. I had to start getting the bus. I had anxiety so at first they went with me, which made it so much easier to manage.’ Tailored support helps young people to build their confidence and develop necessary life skills in preparation for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people moving into their own accommodation get practical and emotional support from staff to ensure that their move is positive and that they are able to manage. Staff work in partnership with other organisations to make sure that any move is well planned. One young person told the inspector, ‘They are helping me to move furniture. They bought the bed and wardrobe and made it up for me. I’m really pleased with my new place.’ Another young person who has left the home told the inspector, ‘The support they gave me when I was moving was amazing. When I came to get my braces done, I stopped in to see them all. They said they would take me if I needed it. Even though I wasn’t there, they still looked after me! These staff have a genuine commitment to children.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC447457 6 Personalised support helps young people feel valued and equips them with the practical skills they need to ensure a successful transition into adult life.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people are encouraged to attend meetings that are about them so that they can be involved in decisions about their care. Key-working focuses on young people’s individualised needs. This helps young people to see the progress they have made, and builds their confidence. For example, key-working records for one young person show his journey from ‘I’m a waste of space,’ to a more positive ‘It’s hard to be good sometimes but it’s nice to have good things when I’m behaving myself.’ Weekly young people’s meetings invite views on areas such as menus and activities. There have been no complaints from young people. Information about advocacy is available in the home should young people want support. Knowing what to do if they are concerned about any aspect of their care or well-being helps to promote young people’s welfare.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff use positive reinforcement and rewards to encourage good behaviour. This means that sanctions and physical interventions are rarely necessary. When staff become concerned about behaviour, discussion helps young people to understand why their behaviour is not acceptable. For example, regular discussion about discrimination has helped a young person to reduce racially abusive comments at home and at school. However, physical intervention records do not show the date when discussions happen. This hinders the manager from understanding and developing staff practice.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Individualised plans and risk assessments mean that staff have a good understanding of young people’s needs and risks. Good quality relationships mean that young people enjoy spending time at the home and rarely go missing. Staff are knowledgeable about the action needed to help secure the young person’s welfare should a young person’s whereabouts become unknown. The manager has a positive relationship with the local police support officer, who visits the home regularly. An up-to-date location risk assessment helps the staff to understand any risks in the local area. Positive relationships with young people and professionals combined with pro-active risk management help staff to ensure the safety of the young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC447457 7 Young people say they feel safe and staff are confident about how to report safeguarding concerns. No young person is at risk of child sexual exploitation or

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

radicalisation. Training in safeguarding, physical intervention and understanding the risk of child sexual exploitation helps staff to protect young people from harm. However, staff have not had the opportunity to complete training in the areas of gang membership and PREVENT. This means that staff are less informed about the potential risks of gangs and radicalisation.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people have access to wi-fi in the home, which they use for education and leisure. The computer is discreetly located in the lounge, which enables staff to oversee young people’s use of the internet. The home also has internet security in place that helps to reduce the risk of young people accessing unsuitable content. However, staff have not received e-safety training to help raise their awareness of online risks to young people’s safety. The manager ensures that the home environment is safe, secure and free of hazards. Cleaning and other hazardous products are safely stored. Regular safety checks on gas, fire and electrical systems ensure that equipment remains safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has been in post since October 2016. She has a level 5 diploma in residential childcare. The registered manager ensures that young people have a consistent and stable staff team. However, two staff members have commenced work without a reference from their last employer and one staff employment history has not been explored. These shortfalls in vetting mean that unsuitable adults could potentially come into direct contact with young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager and staff maintain positive relationships with key professionals, including social workers, the police and teachers. The manager is a strong advocate for young people and challenges others to ensure that young people’s care takes into account young people’s wishes and feelings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Case records for some young people do not hold all of the required statutory documentation. However, this shortfall has not had an impact on young people’s care because the manager writes a detailed care plan, which staff follow in their care of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive regular good quality supervision. A staff member shared with the inspector, ‘Supervision is useful. We talk about the children’s progress and reflect on any issues.’ However, annual staff appraisals have not been completed, which means that staff have not had the opportunity to discuss their performance and continuing fitness for the role. Furthermore, the manager’s workforce plan does not outline the timescales for staff supervision, when core training is completed or what training is required. This limits the manager’s oversight of team performance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

An up-to-date statement of purpose is available for those who need information about the service. However, the manager has not reviewed or revised the young people’s guide Inspection report children’s home: SC447457 8 to reflect changes to the home’s operation and ethos. For example, the complaints section of the guide does not reflect the change to the responsible individual. This means that young people do not have the most up-to-date information about the running of their home.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC447457 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oakley House Children’s Home Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 4, 17 Plumbers Row, London E1 1EQ

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Inspector

Alison Cooper, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC447457 10 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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