Children's home run by Oasis Adolescent Services Ltd

Inspection report for children's home: 1278753 1 SC1278753 Registered provider: Oasis Adolescent Services Limited 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 operated by a private organisation. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide specialist care for up to three children who may have experienced social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The children are supported by an experienced registered manager who has been in post since September 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 30 November 2021

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1278753 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/11/2021 Full Outstanding 12/02/2020 Full Outstanding 20/03/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1278753 3

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outstanding

Children in this home are supported by a child-focused staff team who have clear aspirations for children’s futures. As a result, children make significant progress from their starting points.

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outstanding

Staff persistently promote the value of learning and have developed collaborative relationships with education and training providers and employers. As a result, children thrive in this home. Children who have missed a significant amount of school now do well in their education, training or employment. One professional said, ‘It’s amazing the work they have done with [name of child]. He is now a totally different child. He has been out of school for a number of years and is now in a mainstream school.’

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outstanding

Children have the opportunity to learn independence skills which prepare them for moving on from the home. Older children learn to travel independently on public transport, travelling significant distances. Children develop cooking and budgeting skills. They are supported to develop their self-confidence, resulting in them attending job interviews or taking their driving test. This level of support is invaluable and is recognised as such by the positive feedback received from children, their families and professionals involved in the children’s care.

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outstanding

Children engage in a variety of activities and are supported to explore their individual hobbies and interests. Children regularly engage in physical exercise such as playing football and attending the gym. One child also regularly attends boxing classes. Children have opportunities for fun, doing activities such as tree-top climbing, trampolining and going to football matches.

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outstanding

Children are in good health and their health needs are met. They attend routine appointments, access external support and follow advice and guidance given by health professionals. Children want to be healthy, and they take on board the advice and guidance provided by staff in regular direct-work sessions. Staff also benefit from regular consultation and training with a clinical psychologist independent of the home. Children have access to this service should they wish. The clinician has recently delivered training to further develop and support staff practice. This level of service strengthens the support delivered to children in the home.

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outstanding

Staff support children and help them adapt to changes in their circumstances. For example, one child’s care plan changed due to a change in their carer’s health. The staff researched the condition to carry out direct work with the child and support him to understand the illness and why this has impacted on his future plans. Inspection report for children's home: 1278753 4 Children benefit from consistent routines and boundaries in the home. They have clear targets and goals and are consulted about rewards they can earn. Children are engaged with their individual plans and are keen to achieve their goals.

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outstanding

A key strength of this staff team is the work they do in supporting children to maintain relationships with families and carers. Staff go above and beyond to regularly support children’s family time, including organising activities for families to engage in together. This has helped to promote children’s enduring familial relationships and has resulted in children returning to their family home. One professional commented, ‘[Name of child] has made remarkable progress. There is now a plan in place to support [name of child] back to the care of mum, something we did not think possible.’

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outstanding

Children actively contribute to the running of the home. Staff seek children’s views about their care and will often ensure that their suggestions are implemented. Children proudly talked about their bedrooms, which they had been supported to redecorate with staff, at their request. Children can see that their views are listened to and acted on. Children know how to access independent advocacy and how to make a complaint.

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outstanding

Children’s risk management plans and behaviour support plans are comprehensive and individual to them. They include preventative strategies informed by a deep understanding of children’s behaviours and potential triggers. Because of this, children rarely display negative behaviours in the home and there has been no need for restrictive physical intervention. Children are encouraged to be involved in their care. The manager actively seeks their views and opinions to help inform their risk management plans and support plans. This practice helps empower children and educates them further on their risk-taking behaviour and staying safe.

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outstanding

Children do not go missing, however, staff are aware of what to do should this happen. Staff are alert to the risks of criminal exploitation due to children’s vulnerabilities and ensure that they remain up to date with training and their knowledge of local risks.

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outstanding

Staff undertake a range of safeguarding training, including training on child exploitation, radicalisation and e-safety. Children learn about building positive relationships and how to keep safe on social media. Consequently, children’s awareness of risks and how to manage them has increased. This child-centred approach to safeguarding is equally evident in the bespoke direct work staff undertake with children. This includes notable examples of support provided to help children understand the risks of substance misuse, knife crime, gang affiliation and child criminal exploitation. Inspection report for children's home: 1278753 5 There have been no complaints made in the home. Appropriate and thorough steps are taken in response to allegations. The manager keeps all relevant people involved updated throughout the investigation process.

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outstanding

The manager is resolute in his commitment to safeguarding children in the home and there is excellent partnership working with statutory agencies. Through attendance at regular safeguarding meetings, the manager acts as a strong advocate for children, gathering information about the local area and consistently using this to inform risk management plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed by a well-established, knowledgeable and experienced manager, who is supported by a committed deputy manager. The manager works closely with the deputy, which helps to ensure that there is management oversight of all events in the children’s lives. Both the manager and deputy are attuned to the needs of the children and provide constant support in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and staff are flexible to the changing needs of the children, ensuring they always receive the highest level of support. An example of this is how the staff rota is used. One child was successful in finding employment, so the staff changed their rota to support the child travelling to work at an unsociable hour. This level of support demonstrates the staff team’s investment in children achieving positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff all speak highly of the support that they receive from the leadership team, and they are given regular opportunities to reflect on their practice. Targets set for individual progression are reviewed regularly in supervision and excellent practice is recognised and celebrated by the management team. Staff appreciate the consistent level of support from managers. All staff shared positive feedback on both the management support and culture of the home. One member of staff said, ‘The positive outcomes achieved by the children would not have been possible without the excellent management in place. The manager and deputy manager are very passionate about their roles and have been very supportive since I have been at the home.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The training programme for staff is comprehensive. The management team regularly identifies new learning opportunities for staff, which helps them to meet the changing needs of the children effectively. There is a detailed training plan in place. Leaders, managers and staff discuss practice to identify shortfalls and improve practice in the home. This demonstrates a desire to continue to improve the service, maintain standards and adhere to regulations. This serves to improve the protection of children and the overall quality of care they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff meet regularly in team meetings. Consistent, child-focused planning and review of actions set in the meetings mean that the team is always striving for improvement. Staff get together to review assessments completed by professionals in order to provide children with individualised care. The team is proactive in Inspection report for children's home: 1278753 6 recognising times and events that may be particularly difficult for children and putting plans in place to support them through these periods. One professional said, ‘I can speak to anyone, not just the manager. They all know about [name of child] and can tell me what I need to know. They all know him well.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Monitoring and oversight in the home are robust. The manager regularly reviews the quality of care and seeks feedback as part of the review, which then informs the action plan going forward. The home is also visited monthly by an independent person, and the frequency of announced visits was discussed with the manager during inspection. The independent visitor reports meet regulation and identify recommendations that are taken on board by the manager, which means that the care provided is always improving.

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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: 1278753 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oasis Adolescent Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 9 Beacon Grove, Oldham OL8 2XH

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Inspector

Kelly McCurdy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1278753 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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