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

Inspection report children’s home: SC392408 1 SC392408 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 is owned by a private company. It is registered for three children who require care, education and clinical support.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered for this home since June 2018.

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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 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC392408 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/08/2017 Full Good 19/07/2016 Full Good 23/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/05/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC392408 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 must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 28/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification, the level 3 diploma for residential childcare (England) (‘the level 3 diploma’), or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the level 3 diploma, by the relevant date. (Regulation 32 (4)(5)) 17/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 17/08/2018

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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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) 20/08/2018

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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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and 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. 20/08/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC392408 4 (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(h))

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Recommendations

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording, (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) This relates to staff not following procedures that are in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, the progress children make has improved. The new manager has spoken to social workers, and the children are now able to access free time in the community. One child attends a club in the community unsupervised by staff. This has given this child the opportunity to develop their social networks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been several management changes since the last inspection. However, there is a consistent staff team in place and the children have continued to have positive relationships with a staff team that knows and understands them well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children attending education. Because of this, children have high attendance. A child recently admitted to the home commented that he had been out of education for two years but had completed his transition into school. Another has sat his GCSEs a year early.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children developing friendships outside of the home and encourage children to invite their friends home. This gives the children the opportunity to build relationships with their friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to complain. There is a ‘grumble book’ that children use to record any concerns. The manager reads and comments on any issues raised. Children are consulted about the running of the home in weekly house meetings. The manager comments on the issues raised by the children. This shows the children that their views, wishes and feelings are important and that staff listen and take action. Inspection report children’s home: SC392408 5

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

Children’s placement plans and risk assessments are updated and support the staff in working with the children. The organisation has developed new risk assessments and behaviour plans to incorporate their new model of working with children, which supports the staff.

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

Children understand their risks and work with staff to reduce these through key-work sessions. The children are able to identify how risks can be reduced and how they can keep themselves safe.

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

The children said that they feel safe living in the home because of the staff. They feel that the staff listen to them when they are worried or upset and help them.

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

Staff have a good understanding of how to keep the children safe and the importance of teaching children how to keep themselves safe. However, two safeguarding notifications have not been sent to Ofsted. This fails to ensure that Ofsted, as the regulator, can effectively monitor the service.

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

Staff record any concerns regarding the children. However, during the inspection a record of a historical disclosure was seen. Staff failed to escalate this, which means that they have failed to follow the home’s safeguarding procedure on this occasion. The manager has now taken the appropriate steps to escalate this to the appropriate professionals.

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

There have been three incidents of a child recently going missing from the home. Staff follow the child and have key-work sessions and general conversations regarding the risks he is placing himself in. However, there are no return to home interviews .This means that the child does not have the opportunity to speak to an independent person regarding the reasons he is leaving the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been a number of managers in post since the last inspection. Staff have spoken positively about the new registered manager, commenting that she has a firm but fair and supportive approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Not all staff have completed the national vocational qualification level 3 within the required timescale. This means that not all staff have the appropriate training to work with the children. Previously, the staff have not all received regular supervision and supervision has varied in quality. Since the new manager has been in post, supervision has been up to date. Staff commented that they find these sessions supportive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has lacked robust monitoring. New systems are in place which have identified gaps in monitoring. The manager has started to effectively rectify these. A quality assurance team is regularly involved in monitoring the service. A quality assurance visit from a senior member of staff forms part of the manager’s supervision. This ensures that Inspection report children’s home: SC392408 6 monitoring remains strong.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear vision for the home and is involving the children and staff in the redecoration of the home. She understands the shortfalls in the home and staff commented that she has already begun to make improvements.

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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: SC392408 7

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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

Trish Palmer: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC392408 8 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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