Children's Home run by Oakley House Children’s Home Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC447457 1 SC447457

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Oakley House Children’s Home Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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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 three children. The home provides placements for children who may have faced adverse childhood experiences, trauma and placement and family breakdown.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in December 2016 and is suitably qualified.

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This monitoring visit

The home’s last full inspection was in May 2019 and the last interim inspection was in December 2019.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out to enable the regulator to obtain an up-to-date assessment of the children’s lived experience at the home since the last inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the COVID 19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Ofsted did not carry out a physical visit to the home. The inspector gathered evidence in several different ways, including gaining views from children, family members, social workers, other professionals and staff, and talking to the registered manager and asking her to provide electronic documents for the inspector to review.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager is a strong, child-focused practitioner. Her commitment to the children’s welfare extended to her moving into the home for two weeks when staffing levels became affected by COVID-19. This commitment ensured that children’s care was not compromised.

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This monitoring visit

There are two children currently living at the home. Initially, both children found their moves into the home difficult, especially given their moves were during national restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC447457 2 The staff and registered manager have worked hard to build trust and positive relationships with the children. As a result of this care, both children are now beginning to settle and are trusting the staff to care for them.

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This monitoring visit

Children who have left the home have been helped to develop their independence skills, including in cooking, cleaning a home, laundry, budgeting and learning about managing and paying bills, such as for electricity and gas. This support has enabled children to move on to independent living with essential life skills.

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This monitoring visit

During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff have made sure that children have not missed out on important events such as birthday celebrations. When national restrictions were lifted, staff organised a surprise birthday party for one child, which included their family members.

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This monitoring visit

Staff actively encourage school attendance and have provided home learning when schools have needed to close due to COVID-19 restrictions. This support has enabled children to prepare for exams. Consequently, children have passed their exams and gained good grades.

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This monitoring visit

Children occasionally go missing from the home. When this happens, staff report the children missing in line with set procedures and will go out to look for them. However, despite this prompt response, the missing from care protocol for one child, who is highly vulnerable in the community, does not set out the action required by staff to safeguard the child. This lack of detail means that staff do not always respond in a consistent manner. This has resulted in the child being missing from the home for longer than necessary.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the regulation 44 visitor has carried out monthly visits through a combination of virtual and on-site visits. The independent visitor has viewed the home, looked at records and, where possible, spoken to the children and staff. However, the independent visitor has not considered speaking to families or other professionals involved in the children’s care. This is a missed opportunity to secure the views from key people to help the independent visitor reach an informed assessment on children’s lived experiences.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 19/12/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 29/05/2019 Full Good 20/08/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/02/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC447457 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to having detailed plans for children who can go missing from home. 17 March 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to interviewing parents, relatives and any other persons involved in the care of children who may help the independent visitor in assessing that the home is safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. 17 March 2021

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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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: SC447457 4

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oakley House Children’s Home Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit D, 17 Plumbers Row, London E1 1EQ

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Inspector

Debbie Bond, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC447457 5 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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