Children's Home run by Oracle Care Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC066912 1 SC066912 Registered provider: Oracle Care Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people aged between eight and 18 years old. Young people may have complex social and/or emotional difficulties and require attachment-aware, trauma-informed care and support. The registered manager left on 16 August 2019. An interim manager took up post on 7 August 2019. She has the relevant qualification and has submitted an application for the registered manager’s post. Given the short time that she has been in post, she has had limited opportunity to make improvements.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 17 to 18 September 2019

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 11 December 2018

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC066912 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/12/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 16/07/2018 Full Good 07/02/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 07/08/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC066912 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.3

Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare. (Regulation 7(1)(c)(2)(a)(i)) 30/11/2019

p.3

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

p.3

Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

p.3

Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; and

p.3

Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to 30/11/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC066912 4 maximise the child’s achievement. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(vi)) The health and well-being standard is that—

p.3

Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

p.4

Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being.

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

p.4

Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being;

p.4

Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(ii)(iv)(c)) 30/11/2019

p.4

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)) 30/11/2019

p.4

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. 30/11/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC066912 5 (Regulation 13(1)(b)(2)(d)(e)) The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(1)(3)(a)(b)) 30/11/2019

p.5

Requirement Due date

After consulting with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must take adequate precautions against risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home; ensure, by means of fire drills and practice at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedures to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(d)) 23/10/2019

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.5

Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

p.5

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(3)(d)) 30/11/2019

p.5

Recommendations

 The statement of purpose is of particular importance to this standard (regulation 6(2)(a) and (b)(i)). Homes are required to develop and keep under review a ‘statement of purpose’ (regulation 16 and schedule 1). The home’s statement of purpose should be child-focused, indicating how the home provides individualised care to meet the Quality Standards for the children in their care. The information set out in the statement of purpose is an essential part of the process of agreement between the registered person and placing authority that a placement in that home is the right one for that child, and that the home will be able to respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, pages 14 and 15, paragraphs 3.5 and 3.6) In particular, the registered manager should ensure that the statement of purpose accurately reflects the staff structure and staffing levels.

p.5

Recommendations

Inspection report children’s home: SC066912 6  Regulations 35-39 detail the records that must be kept in children’s homes. All children’s case records must be kept up to date and stored securely whilst they remain in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3). In particular, the children’s guide and the home’s development plan require reviewing and updating to reflect the staff structure and changes in the home.

p.6

improvement to be good

There are currently two children living in the home. Although children make some good progress, this is not always maintained. Staff understand some of the children’s emotional vulnerabilities. Staff give children praise and show them appropriate affection. This has helped some of the children to develop positive relationships with the staff. Children’s educational progress is poor. Despite staff recognising that children’s education has deteriorated, little work has been done to escalate concerns to the children’s placing local authorities. When children refuse to attend routine health care appointments, staff do not find new ways to help children overcome their fears. Instead, staff keep rebooking appointments without addressing the cause of the ongoing refusal. Children benefit from attending regular therapeutic sessions. For example, one child has developed new coping skills to manage their emotions. This has helped to reduce the

p.6

improvement to be good

number of incidents involving this child. Staff regularly consult children through key-working sessions. This support helps children to express their views, wishes and feelings. However, staff do not apply the same level of support to enable children to raise complaints about their care. This compromises children’s ability to raise concerns. Staff help children to stay in touch with their families and friends. This enables children to rebuild important relationships.

p.6

improvement to be good

The registered manager has not ensured that risk assessments accurately reflect the level of risk that children face. This leaves staff without all the necessary information that they require to enable them to keep children safe. Staff do not do enough to understand factors that affect children’s motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. For example, staff do not use restorative work to help children to understand the impact that their behaviour can have on others. Also, staff do not have clear written guidance on how to support children to behave positively. For example, children’s behavioural plans contain conflicting information. Managers have failed to give sufficient attention to the safe recruitment of the staff who Inspection report children’s home: SC066912 7 work at the home. For example, managers have not ensured that references are verified before a member of staff starts to work in the home. This means that managers are not

p.6

improvement to be good

assured that all people who work at the home are safe to do so. Staff do not work with children on all areas of concern as outlined in children’s individual care plans. For example, staff do not always follow up issues relating to child sexual exploitation, internet safety, fire risks and personal health. This does not promote children’s health, welfare and safety. Staff respond well when children go missing from the home. They act quickly to try to locate the children, and work well with the police and the placing authority to reduce risks and consider ways to prevent children from going missing again.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Poor leadership and ineffective monitoring mean that managers do not identify and act on shortfalls to improve children’s safety, progress and experiences. As a result, managers do not fully understand the strengths and needs of the home and the impact that the quality of care has on children. Several staff changes have disrupted children’s relationships with staff and have resulted in children’s welfare being compromised. There has been an over-reliance on staff from other homes in the company to cover vacancies. This continuous pattern of having unfamiliar staff in the home has significantly compromised the potential for children to receive care from a consistent and stable staff team. Staff who are less familiar with the home have failed to recognise early signs of risk and to intervene soon enough. As a result, children have gone missing from the home more often than was the case. Managers have been too slow in picking up health and safety concerns. Some fire doors

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

to children’s bedrooms do not fully close. The manager was quick to act regarding this shortfall and it was full fully addressed within days of the inspection finishing. Fire evacuation records do not contain information on whether children have been involved in fire drills. This does not ensure that all matters relating to health and safety for children and the environment are fully considered. The staff rota does not make it clear which members of staff are on duty and the manager is not always clear when internal staff have covered a shift. This leaves the manager with limited oversight of the workforce. The home’s statement of purpose and children’s guide have not been updated to accurately reflect changes to the staff team and changes in the home. Staff receive regular practice-related supervision. As a result, staff can discuss their performance and learning needs. Staff receive mandatory training in key areas, such as

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

safeguarding children. However, some supplementary training is not always completed by every member of staff. Most staff do not yet hold the required level 3 diploma in residential childcare. However, this is not outside the required timescale for qualification.

p.7

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young Inspection report children’s home: SC066912 8 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.

p.7

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: SC066912 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oracle Care Limited

p.9

Children’s home details

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

p.9

Inspector

Patrick McIntosh, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC066912 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10