Children's Home run by Oakfields Children’s Care Limited in Tameside

Inspection report children’s home SC069176 SC069176 Registered provider: Oakfields Children’s 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

This children’s home is owned and managed by a private company. The home provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of the home was registered with Ofsted in November 2008.

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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 SC069176

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/06/2018 Full Good 05/10/2017 Full Good 15/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/05/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home SC069176

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the quality of care review report clearly identifies any actions required for the next six months of delivery in the home and how those actions will be addressed. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4). This relates specifically to the improved content of the regulation 45 review report and including the views of young people, parents, social workers and other stakeholders.

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene, etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9).

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Recommendations

 Ensure that relevant plans are obtained from the placing authority. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.1). This relates specifically, to obtaining any outstanding personal education plans or Education, Health and Care plans for young people who require them.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11). This relates specifically, to ensuring that staff receive ligature training.

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Recommendations

 Each child should have permission for staff to administer first aid and non- prescription medication from a person with parental responsibility for them recorded in their relevant plan. For looked after children, this permission should be sought and arranged by the child’s social worker. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.14). Inspection report children’s home SC069176

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from well-planned, highly individualised care that addresses their needs effectively and contributes to change and improvement in their lives. Young people make good progress in relation to their individual starting points across aspects of their physical, social, emotional and behavioural development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people form warm and sincere relationships with staff and sustain their positive attachments. They benefit from continuity of care and have consistency and stability in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

‘[The home] have worked wonders with my young person. He has been in placements prior to this which have ultimately always broken down for one reason or another, but [the home] has been a great success. [The home] have dedicated staff who have a good understanding of young people’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged to attend school or alternative educational provision. Their educational attendance is improving in relation to their starting points. As a result, they are making continuing progress in relation to their education. However, some young people’s records require copies of their personal education plans and Education, Health and Care plans to inform their care and to capture their educational progress, achievements and learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are registered with the health services they need and have access to these services when they need them. Those young people who require additional support have access to specialist workers to promote their emotional and psychological well-being. Staff maintain effective partnerships with all health professionals to promote the young people’s good health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Medical consent is in place and staff are clear about the types of health decisions that are delegated to them. However, some young people require consent for staff to administer suitable non-prescription medicines and staff require ligature training to address the needs of young people who may self-harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A nurse for looked after children reported: ‘We do physical, sexual and mental health work with young people. The home has been brilliant, and I’ve never had any problems. They act on things straight away and will go all out. They support the young people as much as they can but there are boundaries, which I feel is important. Staff build good relationships with the parents of young people.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people take part in positive activities at the home and in the wider community. Consequently, they develop their own particular interests and hobbies. Young people are Inspection report children’s home SC069176 supported to have contact with their friends and families. Consequently, they sustain their relationships with the people who are most important to them. Young people reported:  ‘I get to see my mum every week.’  ‘It’s not bad here.’  ‘It’s good living here but I’d rather be living at home.’  ‘The staff are nice people and they’re dead supportive. I can’t think of anything bad to say about them.’

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

Young people are kept safe and feel safe. Their safety is consistently at the centre of staff’s practice, irrespective of the challenges that the young people present. Staff have a good understanding of young people’s needs and emerging vulnerabilities and take appropriate action to address them. Young people develop a strong sense of personal safety and benefit from effective help, support and protection from staff.

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

A social worker reported: ‘Communication is excellent with staff. My young person has periods when he is missing from home. This is always handled well, with the police being contacted and social care informed as per procedure. I would highly recommend [the home].’

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

The use of clear risk assessments and effective safe working practices support the safety of young people. Risks associated with young people are managed safely and effectively by staff. Staff actively look for young people if they are missing. Staff maintain effective partnerships with the police to locate young people quickly and encourage their safe return. Significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities to ensure that young people are protected from harm.

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

Staff maintain effective partnerships with all safeguarding agencies. Staff are trained in child protection and are always alert to the risk of harm. Staff are trained to deal with allegations and know how to report suspected abuse. Staff protect young people from abuse and all other forms of significant harm. The need for ligature training for staff is reported upon above.

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

Staff consistently have high expectations of behaviour. Positive behaviour is consistently praised, acknowledged and reinforced. Negative behaviours are challenged appropriately by staff and the use of consequences is fair and proportionate. There have only been two sanctions since the last inspection. The use of restraint is exceptionally rare, and if used at all, is only ever as a last resort to protect young people from harm. There have been no restraints or complaints since the last inspection. Inspection report children’s home SC069176

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people benefit from a home that is managed efficiently and effectively. The home employs a registered manager who is suitably experienced and well qualified and who exercises strong and effective leadership of the operation of the home. The manager of the home was registered with Ofsted in November 2008.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff meet the aims and objectives as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. They deliver a good quality service for young people. Staff maintain highly effective partnerships with the families of young people, social workers, schools and health professionals to ensure that young people benefit from the best possible help and all- round support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff working at the home are well trained and appropriately qualified to meet the diverse needs of young people. The registered manager ensures that staff are managed professionally and that they are well supported, well managed and well led. Staff benefit from regular, practice-related supervision and have frequent team meetings and relevant training provided. Staff use supervision to reflect on their performance and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A clinical psychologist works in close partnership with the manager and staff to ensure that a therapeutic environment is provided for young people. Bespoke training is delivered by the clinical psychologist to develop staff’s knowledge, skills and therapeutic parenting. Staff share and implement the home’s ethos, approach and philosophy in caring for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people benefit from a physically safe, appropriately secure, comfortable and homely living environment. However, there are parts of the home that require some redecoration and there are carpeted areas that are showing signs of wear and tear.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is visited each month by an independent professional who scrutinises the performance of the home and the arrangements made to safeguard young people and promote their well-being. The manager makes effective use of the home’s external monitoring activities to secure the home’s continuing improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has met the requirements and all but two of the recommendations from the last inspection. The two recommendations not met relate to the internal quality of care review incorporating stakeholder views and the quality of the living environment, these recommendations are therefore repeated. Inspection report children’s home SC069176

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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 SC069176

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oakfields Children’s Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Library Chambers, 48 Union Street, Hyde, Cheshire SK14 1ND

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home SC069176 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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