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

Inspection report for children's home: SC421531 1 SC421531 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. It provides care, education and clinical support for up to three children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 2 November 2021.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC421531 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/05/2021 Full Good 27/11/2019 Full Outstanding 04/07/2018 Full Good 24/01/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC421531 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home. Since the last inspection, two children have moved into the home and two children have moved on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have built trusting relationships with children and they know them well. One child said that the staff are great, that they listen to him and he feels able to talk to openly with them. Children feel listened to and understood by staff who really care about them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children have education places. One child is working towards his GCSE exams and making excellent progress. The manager and staff advocate for children. The deputy manager challenged educators appropriately when she felt that a child should be receiving additional support. As a result, the child has been provided with a tailored timetable. This has increased their interest and engagement with education. Staff understand barriers to education and are committed to helping children achieve their educational potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to take part in a variety of activities. One child plays football, enjoys boxing and is part of his school athletics team. He has represented his school in an athletics competition. Children go on day trips and a staycation is planned for the summer holidays. Children have opportunities to pursue hobbies and experience enriching activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have regular one-to-one and group discussions with children about important topics. Children talk openly with staff about topics including identity, health and consent. Children feel at ease talking to staff and are helped to understand themselves, how to keep themselves safe and the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to spend time with their family and friends. The manager and staff communicate well with parents. One parent said that staff go above and beyond expectations to make sure that she gets to spend time with her child. She said that the staff make her child feel safe, well cared for and loved. Parents feel reassured that children receive good care in a safe, family-style environment. Children see the people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is generally well kept and feels homely. There are photos of children making memories displayed around the home. The children have various communal rooms to relax in. However, some of the flooring in communal areas needs revarnishing, bathroom floor tiles have cracks in and there is a small amount of redecorating needed, which detracts from an otherwise well-kept environment. Inspection report for children's home: SC421531 4

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

Children said that they feel safe at the home. Staff understand safeguarding procedures and have appropriate training. Social workers are impressed with how well staff manage risks to children. Children are safeguarded effectively.

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

One physical intervention has been used since the last inspection. It was appropriate and proportionate. Staff use their positive relationships with children and therefore the need for physical intervention is rare.

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

Staff use positive reinforcement and praise. Children have a good balance of monetary rewards, verbal praise and recognition of achievements. Children respond well to the rewards system and feel validated. Sanctions have not been needed to manage behaviours.

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

There has been one allegation since the last inspection. The actions taken by the manager following the allegation were timely and appropriate. The deputy manager identified that the incident that led to the allegation should have been managed differently. She undertook a lessons-learned exercise during a staff meeting. Actions were identified and practice has been improved. Being open to reflection on incidents continues to improve practice.

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

There have been some incidents of children going missing from the home. Staff manage these incidents well. On one occasion when a child was missing, the police informed the staff that a welfare check would be carried out at the known address the child was at. The police did not carry out the welfare check. The manager has changed procedures to ensure that staff will carry out welfare checks in the future. Children are nurtured and welcomed back home by the staff. Children have return interviews and their views are listened to. There has been an overall reduction in missing-from-home incidents.

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

The manager has a detailed location risk assessment. The assessment identifies relevant risks in the local area and how the risks are mitigated. The children have had input into the assessment. However, external professionals have not contributed to the assessment. Not consulting with other professionals could mean that opportunities are missed to include valuable information and relevant risk-reduction strategies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager holds a relevant a level 5 qualification in health and social care. He is a positive role model for the staff and expects a high standard of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the staff benefit from the support of a psychotherapist, who provides consultations to the staff. These consultations help staff to understand children’s life experiences, past trauma and behaviour. The consultations also provide the staff with a reflective space to review and develop their practice. Inspection report for children's home: SC421531 5 Staff said that the manager is supportive and approachable. Staff have regular and effective supervision meetings. Supervision provides the staff with a range of learning goals and monitors their professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses a range of monitoring tools to review the effectiveness of the home. He uses information from reviews to develop and implement an action plan. The manager has creatively collated feedback from social workers using an online survey. He continually makes improvements at the home and improves the quality of care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager obtains regular feedback from children. He reviews the feedback and responds to each child. When it is not possible for him to act on children’s requests, he sensitively explains to the child the reasons why. Children’s views and wishes are listened to and acted on whenever possible.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff generally have good training opportunities. Most staff hold a relevant level 3 diploma. Two staff members are working towards a diploma within the agreed timescales. However, staff are not given substance misuse training, despite substance misuse being a risk for one child. Inspection report for children's home: SC421531 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing environment that meets the needs of the children. In particular, ensure that flooring is replaced where needed and that the home is decorated to a good standard throughout. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. In particular, provide staff with training in managing substance misuse. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year and include feedback from relevant professionals. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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: SC421531 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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Inspector

Amy Miles, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC421531 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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