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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC469686 1 SC469686

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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 owned and operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children aged from eight to 18. Children may have complex social, emotional and/or behavioural needs and require attachment-aware, trauma-informed care and support.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since 31 December 2020. A new manager is in post but is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit took place following a review of safeguarding and schedule notifications sent to Ofsted by the provider. When Ofsted reviewed the notifications, it raised concerns about the quality of care being provided to children.

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This monitoring visit

The inspection was completed remotely. The inspector spent time speaking with the manager, staff and a child over the telephone. The inspector reviewed requested documents that had been sent by the manager.

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This monitoring visit

Three children are living in the home. Two children have been living in the home since the last inspection in September 2019. Another child moved in shortly after the inspection. This period of stability has been positive for all the children living in the home. The manager and staff understand the children’s needs well. Children enjoy positive relationships with staff. One child told the inspector, ‘the staff are really nice.’

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This monitoring visit

If relationships between the children become strained, staff recognise this and act swiftly to prevent any escalation. For example, staff will supervise the children more closely or complete direct work with them to discuss their problems. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC469686 2 The manager ensures that risk assessments are individualised to the needs of each child. This provides staff with clear guidance on how to manage identified risks. This helps staff to keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

The manager works effectively with other agencies to help plan how best to safeguard children. This includes working with the police, the youth offending service and social workers. This collaborative working has contributed to the strategies to support those children who are at risk of child exploitation and gang crime.

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This monitoring visit

Some children go missing from the home. This is a particular risk for one child who has been missing thirty-one times since April 2020. In response to these incidents staff take effective action. For example, staff look for the children, try and contact them via phone and report them missing to the police.

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This monitoring visit

However, on one occasion, a child was able to leave the home in the early hours of the morning without staff’s knowledge. There was a delay in staff identifying that he was missing as no visual check was completed on the child’s bedroom in the morning. When staff did notice that child was missing, appropriate action was taken. The manager has taken steps to reduce the likelihood of this happening again. Staff are now required to complete visual checks on children each morning.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, staff have been unable to complete required face-to-face refresher training in safeguarding. The registered manager has not taken steps to mitigate this shortfall. Staff have completed training on county lines, child exploitation, self-harm and missing from care.

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This monitoring visit

When completing the six-monthly quality of care review, the manager has not consulted with children or stakeholders to inform her review of the care being provided to children. This is a failure to gather internal and external views about the home.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager generally has a good overview of the home. She reviews incidents and considers how practice can be improved. Despite this, when completing the six-monthly quality of care review, the manager has not consulted with children or stakeholders to inform her review of the care being provided to children. This is a missed opportunity to gather internal and external views about the home.

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This monitoring visit

The independent visitor’s monthly reports lack detail and do not enable the regulator to assess if children are safeguarded or if their well-being is met. This is because the visits take place remotely and the visitor does not always have full access to all the documents in the home. Additionally, Ofsted has not always received copies of the reports. Managers are in the process of resolving these issues and the independent visitor is going to complete an on-site visit to the home next month. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC469686 3 Despite the shortfalls, the manager and staff provide children with good quality care and take effective action to keep children safe.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 03/09/2019 Full Good 21/01/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 25/07/2018 Full Good 06/02/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC469686 4

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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

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)) 31 March 2021

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff being up to date with identified training, including safeguarding training. 31 March 2021

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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

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the 31 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC469686 5 independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it. (Regulation 45 (2)(b)) 31 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.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oracle Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suites 1 and 5, Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Milford, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0RN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Elisabeth Brownlees

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Inspector

Lisa O’Donovan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC469686 6 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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