Children's home run by Oaktree Childcare Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 1253975 1 Registered provider: Oaktree Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned by a private organisation. The home can provide care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2021 and has relevant qualifications.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1253975 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/06/2021 Full Good 04/07/2019 Full Outstanding 17/07/2018 Full Good 03/10/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1253975 3

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improvement to be good

There is only one child currently living in the home. Introductions into the home have been well planned and support children to settle quickly. The moves into the home have allowed children to establish trusting relationships with those caring for them and to feel able to raise any concerns or complaints.

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improvement to be good

The staff support the child currently living in the home to engage in a variety of activities, inside and outside the home. Photographs are displayed in the child’s bedroom showing that the child is encouraged to enjoy their hobbies and interests and supported to participate in activities in the local community.

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improvement to be good

Education is currently supported and encouraged by staff. However, leaders and managers are not proactive in escalating concerns when there are shortfalls in education arrangements. The delay in escalating plans and establishing links with alternative education providers impacts on the opportunity for the child to access full-time education. Additionally, leaders and managers have not planned for any informal learning which could supplement the child’s education.

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improvement to be good

Consultation with the child is not consistent. The child was not invited to attend their review meeting and there was no input from the child as to their feelings and wishes. Furthermore, the child has not been offered an independent advocate and is not actively supported to contribute to their care planning.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to access health services and attend relevant appointments. Additionally, specialist services have been identified to promote good health and meet the child’s individual health needs. Arrangements for managing medication are appropriate and staff were observed taking relevant steps when administering medication during the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Staff are proactive in arranging for the child to have time with family. The child has regular contact with family members. Staff support and encourage relationships with family. Furthermore, staff are able to recognise when these relationships are not working well and will review arrangements accordingly.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager has not ensured that significant incidents have been shared with the regulator and relevant safeguarding professionals. Despite a significant incident involving a child, the registered manager did not complete a notification. Despite the seriousness of the incident, the registered manager did not ensure that the child was spoken to about the allegation they had made. This is not in line with the home’s own safeguarding policies. Inspection report for children's home: 1253975 4 Leaders and managers have not ensured that individual risk assessments are updated appropriately and there is a poor response to risk management. Relevant risk management plans are either missing or out of date and some have not been updated following serious incidents. Individual strategies to minimise and manage risks are not consistently reviewed and updated. This does not ensure that all the adults caring for children are kept updated and informed about risk management

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improvement to be good

strategies. This does not keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff, leaders and managers promote positive behaviours in the home. The use of physical intervention is minimal and it is only used in accordance with the legislative framework. However, the registered manager has not ensured that the child is spoken to after an intervention. This does not enable children to have a say about the intervention and identify any concerns.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager has not ensured that the home is well maintained. There was a significant amount of rubbish at the rear area of the property. Health and safety has not been prioritised. Additionally, many repairs are outstanding and there is damage that has not been suitably addressed.

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improvement to be good

There is a consistent and stable team of staff, who have been employed following careful and safe recruitment processes. The staff ensure that a daily handover takes place and the information shared is detailed and thorough.

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improvement to be good

Investigations into allegations are not appropriate. No investigation was instigated following an allegation of bullying between staff. Staff failed to whistle-blow and when challenged, further allegations were made. Leaders and managers made no record of the concerns or of any action taken.

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good

The home is staffed by a team that feels supported by the registered manager. The staff receive regular supervision and are appropriately skilled, trained and qualified to meet the needs of the children in their care. Supervision records, however, do not demonstrate meaningful discussions relating to children’s progress and development. There is no reflection or evaluation of the care provided.

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good

Team meetings take place in the home and staff are able to add to the set agenda. Actions are identified at the meetings but these are not assigned or allocated to specific staff and are not reviewed at further meetings. Discussions take place around children’s progress, but any new strategies agreed are not then updated in the child’s relevant plans.

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good

Previous recommendations have not been addressed by leaders and managers. The registered manager has not taken action to address previous shortfalls or consider their impact on the quality of care provided. There continue to be shortfalls in record-keeping and the registered manager has not taken sufficient action to assess Inspection report for children's home: 1253975 5 risks for children and update risk assessments. In addition, the registered manager has not ensured that relevant plans are in place that contain essential and up-to- date information.

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good

During the inspection, pertinent information was not always available as the registered manager was on annual leave. The systems put in place by the registered manager mean that important information is not appropriately shared or readily available to the team.

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good

Case records are not up to date and are not always signed and dated by the author. There is also no evidence to suggest that the child has been asked to contribute to their care plans. Leaders and managers are not ensuring that children’s relevant plans thoroughly capture their needs and take into account the local authority plans.

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good

The manager has completed some monitoring in the home, however, this does not evaluate the effectiveness of the care provided or consider the home’s strengths and weaknesses. The manager has not demonstrated any learning from incidents to support and develop the home. The monitoring and evaluation in the home does not include feedback from children.

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good

Leaders and managers are not working consistently with other agencies to ensure positive outcomes for children. In particular, managers are not working collaboratively with education services to consider the needs of the child. Inspection report for children's home: 1253975 6

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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 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

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that the home is appropriately maintained and that any damage or wear and tear is repaired without delay. 30 November

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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

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement. (Regulation 8 (2)(a)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered manager should ensure appropriate learning opportunities are available to the child and advocate for a child’s right to access full-time education. 30 November

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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. 30 November Inspection report for children's home: 1253975 7 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that risks are identified and understood. In addition, staff, leaders and managers should understand their roles in response to these risks.

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and 30 November Inspection report for children's home: 1253975 8 feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the registered manager has oversight of the care provided and is able to reflect on, evaluate and understand the quality of care provided and take action to develop and improve this care.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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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’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(c)(e)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager is to ensure that the child has up-to-date and relevant plans in place. 30 November

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(c)) 30 November

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date; and 30 November Inspection report for children's home: 1253975 9 are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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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;

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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)(b)(e)) 30 November

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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: 1253975 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oaktree Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ground Floor, Seneca House, Links Point, Amy Johnson Way, Blackpool FY4 2FF

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Inspector

Nichola Croft, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1253975 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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