Children's home run by Octagon Care Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 2548528 1 Registered provider: Octagon Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The provider states in its statement of purpose that this home provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties. The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2019 and is the owner of the home.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 29 September 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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

Date of last inspection: 5 February 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2548528 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/02/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 2548528 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are settled and happy living in the home. One child said, ‘Living here is the second-best thing to living with my family.’ Another child said, ‘Everything is sweet, I can just be myself.’ Children have good relationships with staff who they trust.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress in a number of areas, including education. One child has recently achieved six GCSEs. Staff encourage children to be aspirational about their future. Good communication with education providers means that children are supported with their individual needs. As a result, children say that they enjoy school and have careers in mind that they are working towards.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between children and their families have improved. Staff have supported positive relationships through clear lines of communication. One parent said, ‘I can’t speak highly enough of the staff and manager, they have made me feel welcome any time, there is open-door communication no matter what time, day or night. I have pretty much been co-parenting with them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported with their health and well-being. They enjoy several activities, including boxing, go-karting, ice skating, visiting Blackpool and the zoo. These activities are captured in photos and then presented for children to take with them when they move on. These experiences and engagement with staff have built positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have reduced their use of cannabis since moving into the home. However, referrals have not been made to support children with smoking cessation. This means that children do not benefit from the research-informed specialists available.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is clean, tidy and comfortable for the children. They enjoy spending time in their bedrooms. Children are encouraged to build on life skills that will be needed when living independently. However, locks on the internal doors prevent children from having free access to all areas of their home.

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

Children say that they feel safe and want to live in the home until they are adults. Staff understand the importance of building relationships with the children and being curious about their friendships outside the home. Staff educate children on the potential risks of choices that they make, but also allow the children to make mistakes. This has led to children choosing to invest in the boundaries in place.

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

Staff support children through more-challenging life events and advocate on their behalf. One social worker said, ‘The support from the team allowed [name of child] to get through with little difficulty.’ One parent said, ‘The times [name of child] could have buckled under the pressure, he has had the manager behind him.’ Inspection report children’s home: 2548528 4 Risk management plans are clear and updated regularly. Staff know the content and work consistently to keep children safe. Plans include strategies for staff on seeking medical advice and monitoring children under the influence of substances. Staff have also received all the training necessary to meet the needs of the children currently living in the home. These steps meet previous recommendations.

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

Staff have received training in understanding child exploitation and county lines. However, staff have not referred children with a history of previous exploitation or criminal activity to the local specialist team. This is a missed opportunity for specialists to build relationships with the children and proactively reduce the opportunities for previous risks resurfacing.

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

Staff are trained in de-escalation. Physical intervention has only been required on one occasion since the last inspection. Sanctions used are also appropriate and efforts are made to keep the sanctions restorative. The manager has had oversight of the physical interventions and sanctions used. However, his evaluations focus on the behaviours displayed by the children rather than reviewing the actions taken by the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. He is child focused and carries the children at the forefront of the decisions as the director of the company. The manager is highly respected by the children, staff, parents and external professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are recruited safely. The manager seeks and verifies references, which meets a previous requirement. The team is consistent. However, exit interviews have not been completed when staff have left the company. This reduces the opportunity to review ways of retaining staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and have monthly child-focused team meetings. New staff feel welcomed to the team and all staff are passionate about improving outcomes for the children. The manager and responsible individual support the team when needed to provide consistent care and support for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has completed a review of the quality of care provided. Feedback has been included from children, parents and professionals, which meets a previous recommendation. The manager also has good oversight of the records in the home. However, evaluations do not offer a thorough review of the staff’s actions. This reduces the opportunities for reflection and learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Independent person visits take place each month. Efforts are made by the visitor to seek feedback from the children and all who are involved in their lives. This gives a holistic view of the care provided. The manager uses the reports to provide scrunty and improve the service. Inspection report children’s home: 2548528 5

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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, the 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the manager proactively working with local teams to risk assess and prevent the likelihood of criminal exploitation, and health services to support smoking cessation.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the manager using escalation processes when necessary to ensure that all working with the children are completing their actions in a timely manner. 19 November

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises— 19 November Inspection report children’s home: 2548528 6 is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to removing internal locks on the doors of communal areas.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that evaluation of incidents, including missing from home, sanctions and restraints, is undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge of staff or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)  The registered person should monitor and review the patterns and trends of turnover of staff, whether agency or directly employed, and be able understand and, where possible, address any negative trends. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.19)

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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: 2548528 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Octagon Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Briony Close, Royton, Oldham, Lancashire OL2 5AL

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Inspector

Sylvia Eboigbe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2548528 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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