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

Inspection report children’s home: SC469686 1 SC469686 Registered provider: Oracle Care 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 provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A private provider owns and operates this home.

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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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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

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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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 13 October 2016

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Requires improvement

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC469686 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Current management arrangements do not support the stability or development of the service. This is detrimental to young people’s progress and the quality of care that they receive.  Young people do not always receive individualised care that reflects their personal circumstances and experiences.  Staff do not effectively address incidents of bullying or help young people to understand that this behaviour is unacceptable. This compromises the safety and security of all young people in the home.  Staff do not sufficiently help and support young people to achieve their learning targets or to recognise the importance of education.  Managers do not effectively monitor or evaluate the quality of care provided by the service. This hinders the ongoing development of the home.  Staff do not seek young people’s views or opinions in relation to the quality of care that they receive, or the development of the service.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff do not consistently support young people to gain the emotional and practical independent living skills that they need to move towards adulthood.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff successfully advocate for young people to have regular and appropriate contact with their families. This supports young people’s sense of inclusion and self-confidence.  Training courses for staff are tailored to young people’s individual needs. Bespoke training supports young people’s development.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/10/2016 Full Requires improvement 11/07/2016 Full Inadequate 22/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 05/01/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC469686 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; and 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. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(iv)(vi)) 04/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7(1)(c)(2)(a)(iv)) 04/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to 04/12/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC469686 4 prepare for future care, education or employment; and help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(i)(iv)(ix)(x)) The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on an

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Requirement Due date

understanding about acceptable behaviour. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable. (Regulation 11(1)(b)(2)(a)(xii)) 04/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— (vii) are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(vii)) 04/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(b) and (2)(h)) 04/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children. (Regulation 24(1)(a)) 04/12/2017

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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 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(2)(a)(3)(d)) 04/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

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; and are kept up to date. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)) 04/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39(3)) 04/12/2017

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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 04/12/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC469686 5 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))

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improvement to be good

Young people’s day-to-day experiences are not consistently positive. This is because staff do not always provide young people with good-quality care and support that reflects their individual needs. Although staff devise internal placement plans, these are often generic and do not clearly highlight each young person’s needs, risks or vulnerabilities. Furthermore, staff do not complete the bespoke one-to-one sessions needed to support these internal placement plans. This is a missed opportunity to monitor young people’s progress and ensure that internal plans continue to meet young people’s needs. Furthermore, staff do not make sure that young people’s case files include up-to-date statutory care plans or other relevant information. This means that young people do not benefit from well-planned or integrated care. Since the last inspection, two young people have left the home and there have been two new admissions. Relationships between young people currently placed in the home and

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improvement to be good

staff are mixed. One young person said, ‘Some staff are ok, but they’re just staff really.’ The quality of these relationships is reflective of the increase of disruptive and anti-social behaviours that some young people display. This organisation operates its own independent school that young people living in the home are eligible to attend. However, staff and managers do not sufficiently promote learning, post-16 training, or further education study. This is because they do not create a culture in the home that encourages young people to appreciate the importance of education. As a result, young people do not recognise the positive impact education has on their development, and view school attendance as optional. Staff challenge placing authorities to ensure that young people have personal education plans in place. However, these do not accurately document the young people’s current circumstances or

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improvement to be good

educational needs. Consequently, young people do not make sufficient progress in education, although young people who have recently left the home successfully achieved a range of qualifications. Staff support young people to maintain a healthy lifestyle. In addition to assisting young people to attend routine medical appointments, staff encourage young people to access the in-house therapeutic and psychological services. Although allocated psychologists and therapists work in partnership with staff, current young people are reluctant to participate in clinical assessments. However, those young people who have recently left the home did benefit from this service. This is because they were able to access the emotional support that they needed without delay. Young people’s views and opinions relating to the quality of care provided by the service are not intrinsic to the running of the home. Although young people occasionally

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improvement to be good

Inspection report children’s home: SC469686 6 participate in ‘residents’ meetings’, staff focus these meetings on activity and menu planning. Staff do not encourage young people to reflect on their care or the development of the home. Staff work well with young people’s families to facilitate regular contact visits, providing young people with both practical and emotional support. This is a strength of the service and means that young people are not isolated from their families. Staff are sensitive to young people’s family and background circumstances, and young people say that they appreciate this understanding. The quality of the support that staff provide to help young people move towards independence is variable. For some young people, staff create bespoke independent living plans to assess young people’s practical and emotional skills. However, this approach is not consistent. For example, some young people refuse to participate in

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improvement to be good

budgeting exercises, in preparing meals, or in the completion of essential independence task. In these circumstances, staff complete these tasks for them and do not challenge young people’s lack of engagement. This response does not prepare young people to leave the home or for independence and adulthood.

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improvement to be good

Young people mostly report that they feel safe in the home. There are some recent instances of potential bullying that staff do not appropriately address, for example when young people engage in ‘name calling’. Young people say that they perceive these incidents to be ‘banter’. Nevertheless, staff do not always complete necessary work with young people to help them to understand and recognise why this, or other forms of bullying, is unacceptable. Staff identify young people’s individual risks and devise support plans to reduce these risks. The effectiveness of these plans is variable. This is because staff do not personalise the one-to-one sessions that they complete with young people to reflect these plans. As a result, incidents of unacceptable and challenging behaviours, such as young people’s verbal abuse towards staff or their attempts to damage property in the home, are starting to increase. Partnership working arrangements between staff and external specialist agencies, such

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improvement to be good

as local police units and multi-agency protection teams, are good. Young people rarely go missing from the home. On the few occasions that they do go missing, staff liaise with local police teams, with the host authority and with the placing authority. When completing missing from home risk assessments, staff consider any potential for young people to be subject to sexual exploitation, gang affiliation, or radicalisation. This integrated approach to managing missing from home incidents helps to keep young people safe. Young people’s movements around the home are monitored through the use of bedroom door alarms. The use of these alarms has become custom and practice in the home, and any potential need is not risk assessed. This means that some young people are subject to this restriction regardless of the risks that they may pose to themselves or others. Inspection report children’s home: SC469686 7 This is an unnecessary intrusion on their privacy.

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improvement to be good

Staff complete safeguarding and child protection training. The content of these courses includes information about child sexual exploitation, extremism, and safeguarding referral processes. This training also reflects statutory inter-agency partnership working legislation. Nevertheless, senior staff do not always ensure that referral records pertaining to allegations of abuse or harm are kept up to date and retained. The designated officer for the local authority confirms that staff do refer and manage allegations. However, this recording shortfall contravenes internal safeguarding policies and means that full and accurate records relating to these referrals are not available. Incidents of physical restraint are rare because staff use verbal de-escalation techniques to encourage young people to take control of their behaviours. The use of sanctions is also rare, and staff ensure that these are mostly restorative in nature. This approach

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improvement to be good

helps young people to reflect on their actions. Staff recruitment policies are appropriate; however, these procedures are not consistently applied. For example, managers do not clarify with applicants when there are gaps in previous employment. This means that staff may not be suitably verified as safe to work with young people. The acting manager has not reviewed the suitability of the location of the home in relation to the surrounding geographical area and the risks associated with this area. This shortfall remains outstanding from the last inspection. The current risk assessment does not account for the very close proximity of a busy main road or the absence of a pavement walkway outside of the property. This potentially places young people at risk should they leave the home without considering the closeness of the road. Staff regularly complete health and safety checks to maintain the safety of the

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improvement to be good

environment. Young people participate in fire drills and practices. This means that young people are aware of how to safely exit the home in such an emergency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager in post at the time of the last inspection in October 2016 registered with Ofsted in December 2016. However, she resigned from this position in January 2017, leaving the home in March 2017. A new manager took up post in July 2017, but did not apply to register with Ofsted within appropriate timescales. This manager is currently absent from the home. Temporary management cover arrangements involve registered managers from other homes within the organisation providing daily oversight and support. The responsible individual accepts that these arrangements are insufficient and is taking action to address this issue. The lack of stable and experienced management and leadership in the home impacts significantly on the quality of care for young people and on their development. Since the last inspection, temporary managers and senior staff have taken some action to address the four requirements made at the last inspection. For example, all staff now

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

receive regular formal supervision. However, the remaining three requirements are not met. Young people’s case files do not include all necessary information, staff do not ensure that young people receive the support that they need to move towards Inspection report children’s home: SC469686 8 independence, and the safe area location risk assessment has yet to be reviewed and revised. These continuing shortfalls question the capacity of the service to improve. This further highlights the need for stable and consistent management in the home. Internal monitoring systems are ineffectual. This is because managers and senior staff do not use these appropriately. Recent quality of care reviews emphasise the strengths of the home, but fail to identify the continuing shortfalls. For example, internal reports state that all young people’s case files include all necessary information. This statement is not accurate. Furthermore, managers and senior staff do not make sure that

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

monitoring reports include all information. For example, a complaint made by a member of the local community was not logged as a complaint, and there are no records to verify when, if, or how staff resolved this issue. As a result, monitoring systems do not enable the manager or senior staff to honestly evaluate the service or young people’s progress, or consider any patterns and trends that may be detrimental to young people’s development. Relationships between the home and external agencies, including placing authorities, are generally positive. One social worker said, ‘[name of young person] is very complex, but I can see signs of progress. It may be slow but it’s there. I think this is because the staff are very committed.’ Training programmes for staff are up to date, and staff have regular opportunities to refresh mandatory courses such as first aid and food hygiene. Furthermore, staff participate in regular therapeutic consultation sessions with the organisation’s

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

psychologist. These sessions enable staff to reflect on how they work with young people and how their actions impact on any attachment issues that young people may have. This means that staff are able to gain the skills that they need to support young people effectively.

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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 and 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: SC469686 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oracle Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 54 Wrest Park, Silsoe, Bedford MK45 4HS

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Inspector

Jo Stephenson, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC469686 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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