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

Inspection report children’s home: SC408513 1 SC408513 Registered provider: Oracle Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company and provides care for up to three children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

A new registered manager was appointed in January 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC408513 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/01/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/07/2019 Full Good 19/12/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/08/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC408513 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home presents as a warm and nurturing environment where children feel safe, loved and secure. The home has recently been decorated to add to the homely appeal. All children are invited to decorate their bedrooms in a style of their individual choosing, and this gives children ownership over their personal space. There are ongoing plans for further maintenance to ensure the upkeep of the property.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children build healthy attachments with their carers. A wide range of key-work sessions are carried out with children to help them understand their behaviours. Key-work sessions allow children to explore their relationships with their peers and adults who care for them. Fractious relationships amongst peers are easily repaired and are often parallel to those of sibling relationships. Exploring feelings and behaviour in key-work sessions helps children to build healthy relationships with each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The emotional and mental well-being of children is of paramount importance to carers. Children have group ‘lockdown check-in’ sessions with carers to explore their feelings and ensure that their mental and emotional well-being is understood by those caring for them. The ‘we are in it together’ approach supports the well-being of children and carers and helps to manage anxiety and worries during the COVID- 19 pandemic. Children feel loved and can build secure attachments with their caregivers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel stable and settled and have long-term placements. Children have successful transition plans to move on from the home. Children moving into the home are well supported and therefore quickly settle into their environment. Two children have moved in during the last year. For one child, visits were conducted over several video calls to ensure that she had a good understanding of the home and her carers before she moved in. This helped her to settle in quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have an opportunity to explore a wide range of activities. This helps to broaden their range of interests to enhance their social and emotional learning. Children who have previously been unable to manage mainstream education are now attending local schools, and there is evidence of good education transitions. Carers recognise the educational achievements of children and support them to meet their full potential. A recommendation has been made to ensure that carers are fully exploring every opportunity for children to have educational and social assessments that meet their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children have access to primary care services and health plans are updated. Children are supported to attend health appointments and attend any additional health assessments. The physical health of children is supported in the home. Key- work sessions on healthy eating, healthy food options and regular physical exercise Inspection report children’s home: SC408513 4 are promoted using health and activity planners. Children have personal goal plans to ensure they are healthy and develop positive well-being. Plans include how these can be achieved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have regular consultations to ensure that they are listened to and their views are understood. Children have contributed to the children’s guide to ensure it is child focused and accessible. A recommendation has been made to ensure that care plans are accessible to children of all ages and children understand their individual plans.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The home provides a stable and settled environment for children, and there are no current risks associated with missing-from-home incidents.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

A strong therapeutic approach by carers and in-house therapists helps children to self-regulate their emotions. Therapeutic interventions have led to a reduction in physical restraints. Children are calmer and able to express their feelings and emotions within secure boundaries. Additional support, such as pet therapy and play therapy, alongside the in-house therapy, ensures there is a consistent and calm approach and freedom for children to express any worries.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Individual behaviour support plans and risk assessments are detailed. Carers have a good understanding of how to manage risks and behaviours. Physical restraints and incidents are recorded in detail and restraints are proportionate. Carers listened to a child and adapted physical holds, and the accompanying policy, to ensure that the child felt safe and secure when physical holds became necessary.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Safety plans, alongside key-work sessions, help children form healthy relationships as they mature. One example shows that carers have a good understanding of the risk factors; they recognise vulnerabilities and work collaboratively with education and health services to ensure a consistent approach. This has allowed the child to feel safer and be clear about how she can access support, should the need arise. The quality of key work is excellent and evidences the careful and sensitive discussions with the child, supporting safer relationships in the future through developing confidence and self-esteem. The child allows her carers to check her mobile every night, demonstrating strong and trusting relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager was registered with Ofsted in January 2021. She has adapted to her new role and displays strong leadership and management skills. Her nurturing and child-centred approach ensures that she has high expectations for positive outcomes and experiences for children in her care. The manager is supported by an equally nurturing deputy manager. Together, their strong leadership ensures a consistent management approach. Managers and carers have an in-depth understanding of the needs of children in their care. Inspection report children’s home: SC408513 5 The manager is highly organised, and all the children’s paperwork is updated. There is excellent management oversight and additionally, the manager adds an evaluation and context at the bottom of each record of key-work sessions. This demonstrates the understanding of the importance and purpose of key-work sessions to support children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Social workers report excellent communication with the home, and updated progress reports are sent in a timely manner. There is excellent partnership working with key stakeholders. The manager has a warm and friendly approach towards professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All carers adopt a therapeutic and warm approach and view the home as their own. The stable and secure environment supports the well-being and progress of children. Safeguarding measures are understood, and carers use these to promote the safeguarding of all children, including those external to the home. There is evidence of good challenge to key stakeholders to support the best interest of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The outcome of a complaint by a child towards a carer has been managed effectively. This has resulted in a refresher for all carers, about the company’s policies relating to relationships, physical contact and professional boundaries.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A recommendation has been made so that the home maintains a professional appearance in the residential community and ensures that carers do not smoke in the street outside the home. Eliminating this helps to ensure that carers enforce positive role models to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager utilises all internal and external monitoring effectively. Any recommendations from the independent monitoring are actioned efficiently. The review of the quality of care report now falls within the company’s policy of publication. Inspection report children’s home: SC408513 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff challenge the child’s education or training provider if the child does not receive sufficient support to progress as outlined in their relevant plans. One child requires an education, care and health plan. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.11)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s home complies with relevant health and safety legislations and that staff do not smoke within proximity of the home. This is to ensure positive role modelling for children and setting a good standard for the home within the residential community. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that children are encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’, and supported to view and contribute to

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Recommendations

the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. Children should have a care plan that is accessible and child friendly. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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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: SC408513 7

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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 & 5, Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Milford, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0RN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jodie Whitehouse

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Inspector

Kamal Bhamra, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC408513 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 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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