Children's Home run by Oasis Adolescent Services Ltd in Oldham

Inspection report children’s home: 1278753 1 Registered provider: Oasis Adolescent Services 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

This children’s home is run by a private company and offers care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is managed by a registered manager who is qualified at NVQ level 5.

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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 outstanding

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: This is the home’s first inspection since registration in September 2018.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1278753 2

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Recent inspection history

This is the home’s first inspection since registration in September 2018. Inspection report children’s home: 1278753 3

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Recommendations

 The children’s home staff should seek to identify and provide appropriate opportunities for children to develop themselves in accordance with their wishes and feelings and part of the home’s plan for their care (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.4). Specifically, each child’s talents and interests should be understood and nurtured in order for young people to connect with their community and make and sustain positive friendships.  Effective care planning and strong working relationships between the staff of the home, placing authority and those who have external professional input are essential to the success of the placement (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.2). Specifically, where professional assessments have taken place and guidance provided, this information must be included in the day-to-day arrangements for

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Recommendations

the young people.  Staff skills for safeguarding should include being able to identify signs that children may be at risk, and support children with robust strategies to reduce any such risks. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.10)  Records detailing individual incidents when young people go missing from home must specifically detail times of searches, the areas in which they took place and include the names of known friends and acquaintances. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)  Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases, it will be important for children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by

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Recommendations

their behaviour. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph 9.38)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home was registered in September 2018. There are three young people accommodated in the home. This is the home’s first full inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build positive and caring relationships with young people and show a genuine interest in their lives. Overall, placement planning is good. Plans are developed in Inspection report children’s home: 1278753 4 partnership with the organisation’s psychologist. Therefore, each individual plan encapsulates the details of the young person’s life, including an assessed emotional starting point and the short-term aims of the placement. Consistent one-to-one and group-work sessions provide evidence of the regular engagement between staff and young people. A staff member said, ‘It starts with building trusting relationships and then building confidence and self-esteem. Young people have experienced traumatic life experiences and need time to adjust and feel safe.’ However, although plans are updated, the guidance provided by the psychologist is not always transferred to the day- to-day arrangements for young people. Consequently, staff may not be aware of the

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

changes in strategies for working with young people to achieve their best outcomes. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have a history of significant non-attendance in education. Since living at this home, all young people are provided with bespoke education services. Young people are succeeding and now attend school on a consistent basis. Furthermore, staff are extremely proactive in addressing concerns or shortfalls that may affect a young person’s learning. Consequently, young people feel supported and confident. In the short time they have lived at this home, they have developed personal aspirations to achieve and create better future life chances. A young person said, ‘I like it here because staff listen to me and give me a straight up answer. They care about education and make sure I go every day.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Where appropriate, young people enjoy structured contact with family. Contact plans are regularly reviewed with the placing authorities, and this ensures that contact is valuable and positive for the young person.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people living in this home are happy and relaxed and make progress. They are suitably registered with healthcare professionals and are supported to attend appointments and receive treatment where necessary. Individual keywork sessions reflect the level of work undertaken with young people to address health concerns, for example young people’s fear of dentistry or receiving inoculations. Young people are supported to overcome these fears and take positive steps in addressing their current and future healthcare needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people build excellent relationships with staff. There is a safe and secure bond, which is reflected in the care and attention readily afforded to all the young people. Likewise, young people spoke highly of staff and stated that this home is the best home they have lived in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Excellent consultation with young people takes part on a regular basis. Young people are provided with a range of opportunities to meet professionals from external agencies such as police, nurses, fire service and support agencies. Staff provide group sessions with young people, covering topics including, but not limited to, exploitation, equality and diversity, sexual health, drugs and cultural issues. Furthermore, young people are central to the development of celebration and festival days. A range of excellent work completed by young people including posters, poems, family trees and photographs really emphasises the level of engagement that young people have within the consultation process. Inspection report children’s home: 1278753 5 The home provides young people with a range of indoor activities, such as a games room equipped with air hockey, table-top football and a computer system. In addition,

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

young people have access to arts and crafts, baking, board games, quizzes and video games. Young people enjoy competing against staff and often have team nights.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged to attend recreational activities away from the home. One young person attends the local gym and swimming pool, and others attend evenings with staff to visit the cinema or go for a drive. However, young people do not take part in a regular community activity to help them connect with their community and assist them in making local friendships. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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

Since the home opened in September 2018, there have been no incidents requiring the use of physical intervention. Likewise, there are no child protection or exploitation concerns and no incidents of self-harm or bullying taking place in the home.

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

Young people’s safety is suitably managed within the home. Impact assessments, on the whole, ensure that all young people placed at the home are assessed against the needs, interests and aspirations of those already resident. Individual risk assessments identify areas for concern. This means that risk is measured. However, although strategies are in place to respond to risk-taking behaviours, there are no recorded individual strategies in place to highlight the ways in which staff work with young people to reduce and minimise these behaviours. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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

Positive behaviour management strategies are in place to address unwanted behaviours. Consequently, young people begin to identify areas for development and receive a suitable reward for the progress they make. Rewards include concert tickets, additional clothing money and video games. However, strategies for managing unwanted behaviour are not yet embedded and require further development. For example, sanctions are not reflective of the behaviour exhibited and do not allow for young people to understand the impact of their behaviour on others. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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

Young people are cared for on a one-to-one basis and therefore rarely go missing. Since the home opened in September 2018, there have been two occasions when young people have failed to return home from free time. On these occasions, staff have taken action and attempted to locate young people to secure their safe return. However, records require further development. This is because they fail to identify specific times when welfare checks have been carried out. Additionally, reference is not made to the names, addresses and location of known friends and acquaintances who young people associate with. This information is imperative when reporting a young person as missing and in the development of future risk management strategies. A recommendation is made to address this matter. Inspection report children’s home: 1278753 6 Young people know how to complain and receive suitable information from the home

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

and their placing authority to guide them in this area. Evidence from young people’s meetings and keywork sessions highlights regular opportunities for young people to raise any matters they feel need to change or be improved. Ideas about activities, decor and menus are regularly reviewed with the young people. There have been no complaints made since the home was registered in September 2018.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed by an experienced and qualified registered manager. He is supported by a permanent and stable staff team. This provides young people with consistency and stability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Regular staff meetings are led by the manager or a senior member of staff. These meetings focus on sharing information about young people’s progress and provide opportunities to cover topics which develop the staff team’s knowledge. Likewise, staff benefit from a range of external services visiting the home to provide input into training. For example, staff have received additional county lines, exploitation and drug awareness training. All staff, including a bank staff member used by the home, take part in staff meetings. This means that staff have a very good understanding of young people’s individual needs and risks and work together to develop consistent strategies to support them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All staff have completed a full induction programme including specified mandatory training. The ongoing training programme is relevant to the needs of the young people in the home and is updated accordingly. In addition, staff benefit from sessions with the company psychologist who provides guidance in the care and management of young people. This process helps staff to become equipped with the necessary skills to manage the complexities of those accommodated in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Young people are cared for by a stable and supportive staff team. Four staff members hold the level 5 diploma in leadership and management in social care, and five staff members hold the diploma at level 3. The remaining four staff are enrolled on this course. This balance of experience and qualification ensures that less experienced staff can be guided by those with suitable experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers review all referrals to the home to assess for suitability and compatibility. Impact assessment leading to decisions to place or not to place provides suitable evidence of the registered manager’s commitment to accommodating the most appropriate young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Internal and external monitoring of the home are excellent. The views of young people, social workers and parents encapsulate the positive progress that young people make, while taking into account ongoing development areas. Young people have made significant progress in the short time they have lived in this home. Inspection report children’s home: 1278753 7 The statement of purpose is reviewed and updated where necessary, and a copy forwarded to Ofsted in accordance with regulation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is proactive in developing relationships with external agencies. These include police community support officers and the safeguarding service. This helps to build links between the home and community resources. Therefore, staff can identify which services can best support the young people in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff said that the manager provides clear leadership. He seeks ideas from the staff and they welcome this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Five good practice recommendations are made at this inspection. These recommendations include a need to further develop the records already held in the home and to develop the involvement of young people in community-based activities.

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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: 1278753 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oasis Adolescent Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 9 Beacon Grove, Oldham, Lancashire OL8 2XH

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Inspectors

Maria McGranaghan, social care inspector Dawn Parton, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1278753 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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