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

Inspection report children’s home: 1278753 1 Registered provider: Oasis Adolescent Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides 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 employs a full-time registered manager and is run by a private company.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/03/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1278753 3

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outstanding

Young people benefit from exceptionally well-planned, highly personalised care that promotes their needs extremely effectively and contributes to considerable change and improvement in their lives. Young people enjoy excellent relationships with staff, and benefit from their effective, high-quality support.

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outstanding

One social worker reported, ‘I am so pleased with what my child has achieved. He now has confidence, goals and aspirations. He is observed to be very happy and staff are to be commended for this.’

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outstanding

Young people benefit from extensive support to attend school or alternative educational provision, training or apprenticeships regularly. Young people make exceptional progress in relation to their individual starting points across all aspects of their development.

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outstanding

Staff consistently have high aspirations for young people and support their career aspirations, training and educational goals. For example, one young person has secured an apprenticeship in construction and another as a classroom teaching assistant. The support provided to young people is outstanding and promotes their educational achievement. A social worker reported, ‘The child in placement has a fantastic relationship with staff. He has definitely made excellent progress…The home in my opinion is excellent.’

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outstanding

Young people are registered with a doctor, dentist and optician and have prompt access to these services when they need them. Staff provide young people with extensive support on key health issues and this encourages young people to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. Medical consent is in place and staff are familiar with the types of health decisions and responsibilities that are assigned and delegated to them. Staff maintain highly effective partnerships with health professionals to promote the young people’s good health.

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outstanding

Young people are kept safe and feel safe. They enjoy a very strong sense of personal safety. Young people are beginning to develop a sense of permanence and belonging. Staff promote young people’s independence. As a result, young people develop their life skills, for example in cooking, shopping and budgeting, to promote their readiness for adulthood.

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outstanding

Young people experience positive and varied activities at home and in the wider community. For example, they enjoy eating out, going to music concerts, go-karting, quad biking and fishing. They have also recently experienced a holiday in Portugal with staff, which they enjoyed immensely. Inspection report children’s home: 1278753 4

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outstanding

Risk-taking behaviours, such as drug misuse, self-harm, offending, anti-social behaviour and going missing for lengthy periods, have reduced substantially in relation to young people’s starting points. Young people rarely go missing, and if they do, staff actively look for them and maintain highly effective partnerships with the police to locate young people quickly and secure their safe return.

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outstanding

Young people are protected from abuse and all other forms of significant harm. Staff are trained in child protection and have a strong knowledge and understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities. The use of robust risk assessments and highly effective safe working practices promotes the safety and well-being of young people. Young people are kept safe and feel safe living at this home.

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outstanding

One young people reported, ‘It’s a good placement. It’s nice and quiet. I’ve lived in other placements but this one is probably the best. It’s quiet with better staff.’ Another young person said, ‘They helped me find a job and helped me calm my anger. I would be happy to stay here until I’m 18.’

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outstanding

Staff consistently have high expectations of behaviour and ensure that positive behaviour is consistently praised, encouraged and reinforced. Staff understand the triggers for young people’s behaviour and anticipate issues exceptionally well. Staff are proactive in preventing behaviours and incidents from escalating.

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outstanding

Young people benefit from positive role models in staff they learn from and look up to. Young people are supported to manage their feelings and behaviours safely. This has contributed to significantly improved behaviours, with no incidents of restraint. The use of consequences is fair and proportionate.

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outstanding

Young people benefit from a physically safe, warm, welcoming, comfortable and homely living environment. The home’s decor and furnishings are maintained to a high standard. Young people and staff have constructed an impressive allotment area in the garden. The addition of plants and shrubs would add a splash of colour and enhance this space for young people and staff to socialise together in the summer. Health and safety matters are managed effectively to provide a safe environment for young people, visitors and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders, managers and staff aspire to make a positive difference to the lives of young people. They prioritise young people’s specific needs and maintain highly effective partnerships with parents, social workers, schools and other professional agencies 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: outstanding

The home employs a well-qualified and experienced registered manager. The registered manager is a visible leader who maintains excellent relationships with Inspection report children’s home: 1278753 5 young people and staff and values everyone’s contribution. He ensures that there is a strong sense of common purpose, and staff work collaboratively in sharing and implementing the home’s ethos, approach and philosophy in caring for young people. A police officer reported, ‘The relationship between staff and the home manager is outstanding. I have liaised with the young people, who have stated that they have a huge amount of respect for the manager and the staff.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are dedicated and deeply committed. They strive to achieve the best outcomes possible for young people. The registered manager stimulates the enthusiasm of staff and channels their efforts effectively. He leads staff by example, and ensures that they have a clear sense of purpose and direction that is focused on the needs, experiences and progress of young people. The home consistently meets and exceeds the aims and objectives as set out in its statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff deliver an outstanding service for young people that contributes to sustainable change and improvement in their lives. Young people benefit from excellent support from qualified, skilled and experienced staff who have high aspirations for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff training and development opportunities are tailored to meet the specific needs of young people and staff. Staff invest in their relationships with young people. The home provides stability and has maintained the same staff team over time to ensure that young people experience warm relationships and feel safe and secure with the adults who look after them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is visited every month by an independent professional who scrutinises the performance of the home and the arrangements made to safeguard young people effectively and promote their well-being. The registered manager has completed a comprehensive quality of care review evaluating practice and its impact for young people. The registered manager makes good use of the home’s internal and external monitoring activities to secure continuing improvement. Inspection report children’s home: 1278753 6

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Recommendation

 Staff should seek to meet the child’s basic needs in the way that a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met – doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7) This relates specifically to improving the appearance of the garden area to the rear of the home.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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 7

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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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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1278753 8 to 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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