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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC455338 1 SC455338

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Oracle Care Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private provider. Children may attend the linked school provision.

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Information about this children’s home

The new manager of the home was registered with Ofsted on 3 April 2020.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit has been undertaken remotely due to guidance relating to COVID-19 (coronavirus). The purpose of the monitoring visit is to establish if the provider has suitable arrangements in place for the home to resume operating following a 25-month period of closure.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged requires improvement to be good at the full inspection on 16 March 2017. The home was temporarily closed in February 2018 until October 2018 but closed again in November 2018. During the times of closure, the condition was applied that required the provider to give three months’ notice to Ofsted in order to resume providing care.

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This monitoring visit

The home continued to be registered with Ofsted during the period of closure. No children have lived at the home since November 2018. External monitoring has been maintained and the new responsible individual has kept Ofsted up to date about the developments at the home.

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This monitoring visit

A new manager has been appointed and has registered with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

From the information that the provider has supplied, they have demonstrated that they have suitable resources to resume operation in line with the home’s statement Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC455338 2 of purpose. The requirements and recommendations from the last full inspection remain and will be reviewed at the next full inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 27/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 24/05/2016 Full Good 22/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC455338 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children and use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)) 30/05/2020

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children and use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(vi)) 30/05/2020

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. (Regulation 7(1)(c)) 30/05/2020

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that the health and well-being needs of children are met. In particular, the standard in paragraph (2) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to 30/05/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC455338 4 achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10(1)(a)(2)(a)(i)) 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 to aspire to their full 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. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(h)) 30/05/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform. For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained 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. The relevant date is, in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1 April 2014, the date which falls two years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home or, in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1 April 2014, 1 April 2016. (Regulation 32(2)(a)(3)(b)(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b))

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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)(a)(b)) 30/05/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home that an accurate record is made which includes the effectiveness and consequences of the use of the measure, and within five days of the use of the measure, the registered person or authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(vii)(c)) 30/05/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the 30/05/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC455338 5 purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46(1)(2))

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Recommendations

 Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The specific responsibilities of the home towards supporting the health and well-being of each child should be agreed with the placing authority and recorded in the child’s placement plan. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.7)

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Information about this inspection

Ofsted is aware of the challenges that COVID-19 (coronavirus) is currently posing to those we inspect and regulate. During this visit, the inspectors took into consideration the impact of any measures being taken to slow the spread of COVID- 19 by the home. This has included the effect these have had on staffing arrangements.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the suitability of the home to reopen and provide care and accommodation for children.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC455338 6

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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

Lynne Drage, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC455338 7 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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