Children's Home run by Oak Childcare Plus Limited in Wolverhampton

Inspection report children's home: 1273769 1 Registered provider: Oak Childcare Plus Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children who have experienced childhood instability leading to trauma and associated complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since June 2021. A new manager has been appointed. The manager will apply to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Ofsted last visited this home on 28 and 29 April 2021 to carry out a full inspection. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Inspection dates: 16 and 20 September 2021

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection dates: 16 and 20 September 2021

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 1273769 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Four requirements made at the last inspection have been met. Children’s files now have all essential records from their placing authorities. In addition, children have furniture for their bedrooms that is not broken. However, managers have failed to ensure that the two remaining requirements have been met. Failure to meet previous inspection requirements has resulted in two compliance notices being issued following this inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers are unable to show that staff are safely recruited. Of the four members of staff who have joined the home since the last inspection, the file for only one of them holds information on relevant safe recruitment checks. Files for the other three staff members are empty. This means that it is unclear if adults working in the home are suitable to do so. This is a repeated shortfall from the earlier inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There are continued failings in staff supervision. Managers fail to ensure that all staff receive supervision in line with the organisation’s supervision policy. For example, only one member of staff received supervision during June 2021. Furthermore, the manager has only received three supervisions since she began employment on 2 June 2021. This is despite an organisational expectation of fortnightly supervision for new staff. This lack of oversight leaves managers unable to demonstrate how they have supported staff to reflect on and improve their practice to ensure that children receive safe care.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children know how to complain. However, children are not always aware of the outcome of the complaint and follow-up actions are not always completed. Children are not helped to understand the impact of their behaviours on themselves or others. In addition to this, not all complaints are recorded within the home. For example, the inspector was provided with an electronic copy of a complaint handwritten by a child on 23 August 2021. There is no record of this complaint within the home and no details about how this was addressed. This lack of reporting means that children may be faced with safeguarding incidents that go unreported.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children do not live in a homely and nurturing environment. Two children do not have curtains or a functioning blind for their bedroom windows. This is despite one child making requests since April 2021 for a blackout blind to help him sleep. This lack of action by staff and managers does not help children to strengthen their sense of belonging and have pride in their bedrooms.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Management oversight and monitoring is still poor. The home has been without a registered manager since June 2021. Despite the recruitment of a new manager, Inspection report children's home: 1273769 3 who joined the home in June 2021, Ofsted has yet to receive an application to register. The provider is also without a responsible individual, as the previous one left at short notice. There are shortfalls in management monitoring systems. For example, managers were not aware of the whereabouts of several records at the time of the inspection, including recruitment files and children’s complaint records. This lack of oversight means that sensitive and confidential data is removed from the home without the manager’s knowledge.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers report safeguarding incidents to Ofsted on most occasions. However, there has been one occasion when the home has not notified Ofsted of a serious incident. This does not ensure that Ofsted has a good overview of safeguarding concerns between inspections.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Despite the significant shortfalls found during this inspection, children make some progress. All three children have maintained good school attendance. Previous conflict incidents between children have reduced and there have been no incidents requiring physical restraint. Inspection report children's home: 1273769 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/04/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/02/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 07/05/2019 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 1273769 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, 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—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the standard of children’s bedrooms. 31 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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— 31 October 2021 Inspection report children's home: 1273769 6 help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to children’s requests for improvements to their bedrooms that have not been listened to.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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 each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to children being informed of outcomes following complaints and being helped to rebuild relationships with others. 31 October 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

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))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers having effective monitoring tools in place and ensuring that all records are accessible in the home. 31 October 2021 Inspection report children's home: 1273769 7 An individual may only carry on a children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5).

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Requirement Due date

An individual may only carry on a home with another individual or other individuals, otherwise than in a partnership, if that individual and each other individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit to carry on the home; and

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Requirement Due date

the individual is financially fit to carry on the home.

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of the matters in paragraphs 1 and 3 to 6 of Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

satisfy the requirements in paragraph (5)(a) to (c); and

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (1) (2) (5)(a)(b)(c)(d) (6)(a)(b) (7)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that individuals responsible for the running of the home are suitably assessed as appropriate. 31 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

*The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or 31 October 2021 Inspection report children's home: 1273769 8 if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the safer recruitment checks that are required to be completed and that should be accessible in the home.

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Requirement Due date

*The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff receiving supervision in line with the organisation’s own policies. 31 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that complaints made by children are recorded and accessible in the home. 31 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; 31 October 2021 Inspection report children's home: 1273769 9 an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that Ofsted is informed of significant incidents in the home.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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: 1273769 10

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Inspector

Kev Brammer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 1273769 11 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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