Children's Home run by Olive Tree Residential Care Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2697535 1

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Olive Tree Residential Care Limited

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in July 2022. It provides care for up to three children who have been affected by adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and complex behaviours. The home is privately owned and forms part of a small social care organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Ofsted visited this home on 23 and 24 November 2022 to carry out a full inspection. The home was judged to be inadequate in all areas and serious concerns were identified in respect of safeguarding children and the leadership and management of the home. Consequently, Ofsted issued compliance notices under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, and regulation 14, the care planning standard. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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This monitoring visit

This visit examined the progress made in meeting the compliance notices raised at the last inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, the registered manager and responsible individual have left their positions. A new responsible individual and manager have been appointed and have made changes and improvements to the home. This has had a positive impact on the children’s care and overall day-to-day experiences.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have taken action to ensure that staff have the skills to safeguard children effectively. For example, they have reviewed staff’s skills and knowledge during probationary reviews. Also, staff and leaders have completed additional safeguarding training and their learning has been tested in supervision and team meetings. These Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2697535 2 actions have assured leaders that staff have the knowledge and skills to safeguard children.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders ensure that steps are taken to address poor staff performance. Since the last inspection, the manager has responded efficiently and taken action to address any concerns raised through the home’s whistle-blowing procedure. This reassures Ofsted that leaders can take action to improve the care received by children.

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This monitoring visit

Management oversight and monitoring processes are improving. This is because senior leaders have made important changes and introduced new systems to enable them to have better oversight of the home. For example, the manager provides weekly management reports to the responsible individual for them to review children’s care. In addition, staff complete weekly safe-and-well discussions with children. These changes and new systems help to improve the quality of care for children.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, the same three children have remained living in the home. However, leaders have carried out a review of the home’s policies and systems for when children move in to and out of the home. This review has led to leaders making changes to systems, which are designed to help the manager to carefully consider children’s risks and needs before they move in to and leave the home. Consequently, leaders now feel more confident in applying the home’s admissions processes to promote children’s welfare.

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This monitoring visit

Overall, leaders and staff ensure that children’s risk assessments are now being regularly reviewed and updated. Also, risk assessments now identify clear strategies for staff to follow to safeguard children. The inspector observed staff following these strategies with children during the inspection. Furthermore, staff have consulted with children’s social workers and the local authority to review risks to children. As a result, children’s plans are current, reflective and provide staff with guidance to keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

However, despite identifying the need to put in place safeguards to protect one child when using the internet, the manager has failed to ensure that this action was completed. Consequently, staff could not assure the inspector that they were confident that the child was safe online.

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This monitoring visit

The manager does not consistently monitor the safety of the physical environment of the home. For example, the inspector identified safety hazards that had not been addressed or picked up by the manager or staff. While the manager acted during the inspection to remove the hazards, these shortfalls are repeated from the last inspection. This lack of oversight of the home’s environment has the potential to compromise children’s safety.

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This monitoring visit

The compliance notices in relation to regulation 12, regulation 13 and regulation 14 have been met. Some of the requirements and the recommendation raised at the last inspection were not reviewed at this visit and have been reissued. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2697535 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 23/11/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2697535 4

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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 achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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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

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders should ensure that they work effectively with placing authorities to assess and understand children’s education needs and find suitable provision to meet these needs. 30 January 2023

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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 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2697535 5 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that children’s risk assessments reflect known risks and provide effective strategies for staff to follow to keep children safe when online and using the internet.

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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

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)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that the maintenance of the home is effectively monitored and that hazards are identified and removed to safeguard children. 30 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, all staff must receive regular supervision in line with the home’s policy to support their development in the home. 30 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and 30 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2697535 6 the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders should ensure that all incidents requiring physical restraint with children are effectively reviewed and evaluated. The registered manager should ensure that they review the effectiveness of the measure used and that staff are routinely spoken to following all incidents.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2697535 7

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2697535 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Olive Tree Residential Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Chantry View, Moat Lane, Newborough, Burton-on-Trent DE13 8SS

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Inspector

Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2697535 9 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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