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

Inspection report children’s home: SC469686 1 SC469686 Registered provider: Oracle Care Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home offers 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

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 13 September 2017

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has been without a registered manager since April 2017. Previous attempts by the organisation to recruit a permanent manager have been unsuccessful. A new manager took up post in January 2018, and he is applying to Ofsted for registration.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, acting managers and staff have taken sufficient action to address some of the requirements and recommendations raised. For example, risk assessments for young people now include the use of bedroom door alarms and detail the reasons for using this monitoring device. Managers have also updated the safe area location risk assessment to include all known risks in the community that may have an impact on young people’s safety. In addition, staff now ensure that they have access to all relevant case file documents. Subsequently, they are better able to devise internal Inspection report children’s home: SC469686 2 care plans for young people that take account of all relevant information.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff now encourage young people to express their views and wishes about the quality of care they receive. Improvements to internal consultation methods, for example the introduction of electronic surveys, mean that young people have more opportunities to express their views. These improvements are in their infancy and the impact has yet to be fully realised.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been a number of complaints made since the last inspection. Managers and staff now ensure that they record and address all complaints, including those from neighbours and others. Previously, young people made complaints about being bullied in the home. At that time, staff did not follow anti-bullying procedures to address these concerns. Following the completion of additional training, staff are now more aware of the signs of bullying and intimidation. Young people’s welfare is better promoted because of these improvements. Nevertheless, the requirement for staff to be familiar with and understand their responsibilities relating to the management of allegations, remains unmet. Staff have yet to complete necessary refresher training in this area. This means that, in the absence of managers, staff potentially do not know how to refer allegations of harm to the appropriate agencies. This significant shortfall is detrimental

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, two young people have left the home. For one young person, this was a planned move to an identified semi-independent placement. Staff worked with the young person and the placing authority to devise suitable support plans. These plans helped the young person to develop the emotional resilience and practical skills he needed to move on. Nevertheless, managers supporting the home in the absence of a permanent manager did not appropriately assess the suitability of a new admission to the home. As a result, the home has experienced a period of instability. For example, there has been an increase in challenging behaviours from young people, including criminal damage, aggression and violence towards staff, and missing from home episodes. This is detrimental to the progress, development, welfare and safety of young people.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

When significant incidents occur at the home, managers and staff do not notify Ofsted as required by regulation. This means that not all relevant people are informed, and this compromises the ability of the regulator to sufficiently monitor events that occur.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Education is not a priority in the home. Staff do not help young people to understand the importance of education. Managers and staff have not taken any appropriate action to address this continuing shortfall. Some young people do not have a suitable school placement that reflects their individual circumstances, anxieties or learning needs. Managers and staff do not seek further education assessments to reduce or remove any barriers to education that young people may face. As a result of this failure, young people do not make any progress in this area of their development.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The lack of stable management in the home means that staff do not work as a team. For example, staff can only access their own rota pattern. This means that staff do not know Inspection report children’s home: SC469686 3 who they will be working with on each shift. Subsequently, young people do not know which staff are working with them, or when, and shift leaders are unable to plan young people’s day-to-day activities effectively. This is not conducive to providing young people with good-quality care or support. Furthermore, the service remains reliant on the use of some agency staff to provide sufficient support to meet young people’s complex needs. Managers and senior staff do not confirm that these agency staff are suitably checked to verify that they are safe to work with young people. Action was taken to verify this shortfall during the inspection. However, recruitment practice is not yet sufficiently

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

robust. This shortfall remains unmet from the last inspection and potentially places young people at risk of significant harm or abuse.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There are no clear action plans in place to support the development of the service. Managers do not use the information available to consider the impact that poor-quality services may have on young people’s personal progress. This is because reports that managers complete do not focus on the specific practice areas that need developing. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that the service is able to meet young people’s needs.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/09/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/10/2016 Full Requires improvement 11/07/2016 Full Inadequate 22/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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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 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 understand the importance and value of 30/03/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC469686 4 education, learning, training and employment; raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority; 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)(iv)(vii)(x)) 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—

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(vii)) 30/03/2018

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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— ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; and ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(b)(2)(b)(d)) 30/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)) 30/03/2018

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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)) 30/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 30/03/2018

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for deciding what each review should focus on, based on the specific circumstances of the home at that particular time and any areas of high risk to the children that the home is designed to care for. There is no expectation that the registered person will review the home against every part of the Quality Standards every six months – registered persons should use their professional judgement to decide which factors to focus on. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home’s care, which will be captured in the written report. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4) Inspection report children’s home: SC469686 5

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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’.

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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 6 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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