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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC447457 1 SC447457 Registered provider: Oakley House Children’s Home Limited Full inspection 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 for three children who have experienced childhood instability resulting in trauma and associated complex behaviours .

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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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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 7 December 2021

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 7 and 8 December 2021, Ofsted carried out a full inspection. The home was judged inadequate. As a result, two compliance notices were issued, under regulations 12 and 13.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 10 January 2022, Ofsted carried out a monitoring visit to review the progress in completing the actions set out in the compliance notice raised under regulation 12. Inspection report for children’s home: SC447457 2 The inspector found that not all steps in the compliance notice had been met. As a result, the compliance notice under regulation 12 was reissued.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 13 February 2022, Ofsted carried out a monitoring visit to review the progress in completing the actions set out in the compliance notices raised under regulations 12 and 13. The compliance notices were met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC447457 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/12/2021 Full Inadequate 19/12/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 29/05/2019 Full Good 20/08/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC447457 4

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the registered manager has not been responsive in bringing about sustained improvements to the home. Several requirements have been raised at this inspection; two of these are restated from the last inspection.

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improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. This child moved into the home in an emergency. The child has made limited progress from their starting point. Another child has moved out of the home. This was planned and they had a successful move into a foster family.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure the child attends routine medical appointments. However, staff do always demonstrate they have the relevant skills and knowledge to help the child understand and work with them to change negative behaviours in areas of their health and well-being. For example, staff have not been effective in supporting one child when they had concerns about their smoking, vaping and unhealthy diet. This means that children do not always receive advice and guidance regarding their healthcare, which has the potential to compromise children’s well-being.

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improvement to be good

Staff use rewards and sanctions to encourage children to display positive behaviour. However, some sanctions are punitive rather than restorative in nature. For example, one child was expected to contribute from his pocket money towards the cost of a replacement or repairs if they damaged the television. This does not help children to recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others and the wider community.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager and staff use monitoring and surveillance of children without good reason. For example, the front door is fitted with an electronic monitoring device. This places unnecessary restrictions on children to move freely in their home and infringes on their privacy. This does not create a homely environment.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide good educational support to one child who has not been in education for some time. This child is making slow progress. However, the registered manager has liaised with education providers to provide a tutor and secure a suitable provision. This means disruption is reduced to the child’s learning and development.

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improvement to be good

The home is not yet welcoming and inviting throughout. The child’s bedroom is personalised. However, staff do not always ensure that other aspects of the home are to the same standard. For example, bedrooms have not all been prepared for children to move into, and the garden path is hazardous. Furthermore, maintenance required in the home has not all been completed in a timely manner. Inspection report for children’s home: SC447457 5 The registered manager and staff do not always consult with the local authority and children’s family members who hold parental responsibility. For example, the registered manager did not seek consent from the local authority and one child’s parent when using use monitoring and surveillance. The registered manager acknowledged this shortfall, and put plans in place to prevent this happening again in the future.

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improvement to be good

Staff have worked hard to support the child to maintain important relationships with family members. They have a good understanding about children’s family time and communicate well with social workers to review the arrangements for the child to spend time with their family. Consequently, this promotes the child’s mental health and well-being.

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improvement to be good

Safeguarding arrangements in the home are not always good. The registered manager does not always ensure risk assessments reflect children’s known and emerging risks. Therefore, they fail to provide staff with guidance, advice or strategies to follow. For example, one child’s risk assessment did not include information about ligature risk. Furthermore, the inspector identified ligature risks in the home that the registered manager was not aware of. The registered manager took some action during the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always use key-work sessions well to help children keep safe. For example, staff do not always support children by talking about their trauma and risk. As a result, children do not receive good enough care to help them stay safe and progress.

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improvement to be good

While staff carry out some good work with children to help them understand when behaviour is unacceptable, this is inconsistent. For example, discussions about alcohol misuse and under-age smoking are not always progressed to carry out further work with the child. This inconsistency in staff practice means children do not develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from damaging or harmful behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Staff fail to follow the child’s deprivation of liberty order to ensure that they are supervised by the required number of staff. Also, the registered manager failed to consult with a child’s social worker and children’s guardian before reducing supervision to the child. Furthermore, when staff accompany one child in the community, they do not understand their role and responsibility to keep the child safe.

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improvement to be good

The recruitment of staff is not safe. The registered manager has failed to complete necessary checks to ensure that all staff working in the home are safe and suitable. This does not ensure that staff working in the home are suitable to work with children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC447457 6 When children go missing from the home, staff respond quickly and follow the missing-from-care protocol to reduce the risk to children. Staff liaise with the social worker and police to coordinate a safety plan to find the child and return them home safety. This shows that children’s vulnerabilities are the focus for staff when children are in the community.

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improvement to be good

The child told the inspector that they feel safe and could identify a trusted adult they could speak to. In addition, the child felt listened to and did not raise any concerns about the care they receive.

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good

The registered manager has not developed an in-depth understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. This inconsistency in leadership means that they are not always effective in their monitoring and oversight of the home. As a result, the inspector identified shortfalls that the registered manager had not identified. This limits the capacity of the home to improve.

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good

Most staff hold appropriate qualifications for their roles. However, the registered manager has not ensured that all core staff complete a range of refresher mandatory training to care for children. For example, one staff’s training in deprivation of liberty, criminal exploitation and missing from care and understanding depression and suicide had expired. This omission has the potential to compromise the child’s safety and the staff’s ability to develop their knowledge and skills.

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good

The internal monitoring systems used by the registered manager are not effective. For example, the registered manager does not always ensure they consistently review and update children’s risk assessments. Information about one child’s known risks was not fully included in the child’s risk assessments. Furthermore, the registered manager has not updated the home location risk assessment. This document does not contain information and clear guidance to staff. As a result, staff lacked knowledge and understanding about how to manage and reduce all known risks to promote the child’s welfare.

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good

The registered manager does not notify Ofsted of all serious incidents that occur in the home. This means that the regulator cannot review whether the appropriate action is taken in response to these incidents and whether lessons are learned to reduce the risk of the same thing happening again.

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good

The statement of purpose is not updated in line with the regulation. The registered manager has not updated the document to reflect the changes in staff. This means that Ofsted and local authorities do not have the most up-to-date information.

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good

Staff receive regular practice-related supervision and appraisals. As a result, staff can discuss their performance and learning needs. In addition, they review and develop their practice to better support children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC447457 7 There are very positive partnerships with other agencies, such as the local authority, education providers, the youth offending team, police and services that support the child’s mental health. These ensure that the child benefits from tailored support to support them to stay safe and to make progress. Inspection report for children’s home: SC447457 8

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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

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

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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 the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (1)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that those who hold parental responsibility for children are consulted. 10 June 2022

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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

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate 10 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC447457 9 according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to staff supporting children to explore their emotions and build positive relationships.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(d)) 10 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC447457 10 This particularly refers to staff ensuring they follow children’s risk assessments and that these are reviewed and kept up to date.

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Requirement Due date

It also relates to ensuring that all aspects of the home are welcoming and free from hazards.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(a)(b)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the registered manager ensuring that all staff receive refresher mandatory training.

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Requirement Due date

And, to ensuring they use internal monitoring systems more effectively. 10 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than 10 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC447457 11 necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that monitoring or surveillance of children is for the purpose of safeguarding.

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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

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Requirement Due date

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

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)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that all employment checks and information about staff are received before they start work in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 10 June 2022

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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

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring 10 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC447457 12 all safeguarding concerns are reported to Ofsted in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the statement of purpose is reviewed and kept up to date. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)  The registered person should ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that children are helped to understand the importance of a healthy diet. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)

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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 for children’s home: SC447457 13

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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

Patrick McIntosh, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC447457 14 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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