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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2697535 1 Registered provider: Olive Tree Residential Care Limited Full inspection 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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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

Date of last inspection: 23 November 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: 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.

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good

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. Inspection report for children’s home: 2697535 2 On 11 January 2023, Ofsted carried out a monitoring visit to review the progress made in meeting the compliance notices raised at the last inspection. The compliance notices in relation to regulation 12, 13 and 14 have been met. Inspection report for children’s home: 2697535 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/11/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2697535 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, the same three children have remained living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and well decorated with soft furnishings, which creates a homely feel. The children’s bedrooms are of a good size and are personalised to their taste. The introduction of pets to the home, such as dogs and fishes, has supported the children to settle and develop a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are nurturing and show warmth towards the children. During the inspection, the inspector observed positive relationships between the children and staff. Children can share their views, wishes and feelings and have an input into decisions about living in the home. This helps children to feel welcome by people who care for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to take care of their health and personal hygiene. The staff encourage the children to lead a healthy lifestyle and have healthy diets. All children are registered with healthcare professionals. The staff work hard to encourage children to attend all medical appointments; however, children are reluctant to do so.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All three children have been out of school for an extended period. The manager understands the importance of education and has worked hard to ensure that the children’s educational needs are met. Two of the children have access to tutoring, and one child is working with the home’s maintenance team to gain work experience. When children are not in tutoring sessions, staff carry out educational activities with them. For example, one child had attended a musical workshop. This supports children to achieve their educational potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work alongside the children’s families to help them to maintain important relationships with the children. Staff support the children by taking them to spend time with their families. One parent told the inspector, ‘Staff always make you welcome when you visit the home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been times when the children have not got along with each other, which has resulted in them being verbally and, on occasions, physically aggressive towards each other. Overall, staff have responded to keep children safe. However, they do not always carry out work with the children to help them to reflect on their relationships with each other and how their relationships can be improved.

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

Children’s risks and behaviours are known and understood by the staff. Risk assessments are clear and provide staff with guidance on how to manage risks. Risk assessments are reviewed regularly and updated when new risks and changes emerge. This ensures that staff can continually meet children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2697535 5 Medication is safely stored. During the inspection, the staff were able to demonstrate to the inspector that they can administer, check and record medication safely. This ensures that the children receive the correct medication at the appropriate times and contributes to the children’s overall well-being, health and safety.

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

Physical intervention is used appropriately and as a last resort to keep children safe. Following a hold, the staff have a debrief with a manager or senior staff member, and the children’s views are sought. This helps the manager to understand the incident and prevent future occurrence.

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

The number of missing-from-home incidents for one child has reduced. When such incidents have occurred, staff have worked effectively with other professionals, such as the police, to ensure that the children are returned home safely. Return home interviews take place, which helps to reduce the risk to children.

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

One allegation has been made since the last inspection. The manager responds to allegations appropriately and shares information with the relevant professionals. Investigations are carried out in a timely manner, and children and staff are supported during this time.

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

There are some monitoring systems in place to keep children safe online. These include parental controls and age restrictions. However, the manager has not ensured that these measures are in place for children’s mobile phones. During the inspection, the inspector observed one child accessing illicit music on his mobile phone. The manager took steps to manage the situation; however, it was evident that this was not the first time the child had accessed this type of music.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is currently without a registered manager. A manager is in post, and he has submitted his application for registration. The manager was previously the deputy manager. He is suitably experienced, qualified and knows the children and staff well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular supervision sessions and team meetings. These provide them with the opportunity to reflect on their practice and support management oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is sufficiently staffed for the children currently living in the home. There is a stable staff team in place, which helps to give consistency for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the home’s strengths and weaknesses and has plans in place for the ongoing development of the home. Since the last inspection, notable improvements have been made and all requirements and recommendations have been met. Inspection report for children’s home: 2697535 6 The responsible individual is present in the home. They know the children well and maintain ongoing oversight with the manager and staff to keep up to date with children’s progress in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most of the staff hold the required level 3 diploma. A small number of staff are currently working to achieve this, and plans are in place to ensure that they complete this within the required time frame. Staff are provided with a wide range of training that informs their practice and meets children’s individual and diverse needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2697535 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children have access to the internet to support their education and learning unless there are specific safeguarding reasons why this would be inappropriate. In such cases, the home should consider whether and how it can support the child to access the internet safely. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.19)  The registered person should ensure that children are encouraged to develop positive relationships with others inside and outside the home. However, staff should be alert to the possibility that children may be at risk from such relationships, including with other children in the home, and should take appropriate steps to protect a child where there are concerns for a child’s safety. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.13)

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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: 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

Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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