Children's Home run by Oaktree Childcare Limited in Blackpool

Inspection report for children’s home: 2706013 1 Registered provider: Oaktree Childcare 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 one of several owned and operated by a private company. The home can provide care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager’s post is vacant.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2706013 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2706013 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transition planning for children moving into the home is good. The manager and staff visit children and encourage them to visit the home before they move in. This provides children with a positive experience and helps to ease any anxieties they may have.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with explanations of the role of an advocate, and children understand how to make a complaint. However, staff do not always revisit the complaints procedure with children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living in the home are happy. Staff spend time with them. They listen to children, protect them and promote their welfare. The manager and staff are proud of children’s progress and achievements. As a result, children can develop a sense of permanence and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend school. Staff actively promote attendance and engagement. The manager makes use of incentives and reward systems to encourage children to attend school. Children’s attendance has improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health. They are registered with local health services and attend appointments with staff. Staff support children to understand their health needs and to manage any lifelong conditions they may have. There have been occasions when some children have struggled with their mental health and well- being. The staff and manager have ensured that appropriate referrals are made to external agencies to seek additional support. As a result, children are receiving specialist help that is individualised to their needs.

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

The manager and staff know children’s risks and understand them. Together, they identify and appropriately assess new risks for children. The manager ensures that risk management plans are individualised, up to date, clear and directive. However, staff do not always follow all the recommended strategies detailed in children’s risk management plans.

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

There have been occasions when children have displayed self-injurious behaviour. The records of these incidents are clear and evidence what steps staff have taken to support children. The manager ensures that effective liaison takes place with relevant professionals. This ensures that the most appropriate safety plans are in place to support children.

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

Staff respond appropriately to any children who have been missing from this home. There are appropriate safety plans in place that help staff to manage and reduce risks. When a child has been missing from home, incident reports are detailed and Inspection report for children’s home: 2706013 4 include the action that staff have taken to locate the child. As a result of this, missing-from-home incidents are significantly low, and children are safer.

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

The manager has implemented a surveillance and monitoring system in the home. Staff use this system to manage and reduce risk during the night time. However, the manager has not consulted with children or obtained consent from the placing authority to use this surveillance and monitoring system.

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

The manager makes effective use of internal systems to monitor health and safety within the home, including fire safety. Children are aware of how to safely evacuate the home and regularly practise this with staff. However, staff often wedge the fire doors open during the day. As a result, this restricts the measures in place that help to reduce the spread of fire.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is ambitious, passionate and child-focused. She has high expectations for children and what they can achieve. She leads by example and is enthusiastic about the staff team’s development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that supervision takes place regularly and in line with the home’s statement of purpose. The manager provides staff with opportunities to reflect on their practice and the care that they provide to children. Regular team meetings also take place. These meetings are reflective and provide the staff team with opportunities to appropriately challenge practice and discuss the individual needs of each child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that the home is appropriately staffed to meet the needs of the children. Staff are suitably vetted, and the arrangements for recruitment are robust. This ensures that only suitable people work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is experienced, stable and consistent. They are clear about their responsibilities and accountabilities. Staff feel valued and supported by the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the skills, knowledge and expertise of the staff team. All staff working in the home complete mandatory training. The manager provides additional training for staff that is in line with children’s individual needs. However, there are some gaps, and not all staff have completed self-injurious behaviour training. Inspection report for children’s home: 2706013 5

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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 registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance; and

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that consent from the placing authority has been received when planning to use bedroom door alarms. That there are suitable risk management plans in place and that direct work has also been completed with children, to ensure that they are supported to understand the reasons for their use. 12 May 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Specifically, the registered person should ensure that all strategies advised in risk assessments and safety plans used in risk assessments to manage self-injurious behaviour, should be followed by staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered provider should ensure that children are aware of the complaints procedure and reminded of this when necessary. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 22, paragraph 4.13) Inspection report for children’s home: 2706013 6  The registered provider should ensure that all staff are up to date with their training, specifically in relation to self-injurious behaviour training. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 53,

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Recommendations

paragraph 10.11)  The registered provider should ensure that there are appropriate fire precautions and suitable measures in place to reduce the spread of fire, particulary ensuring that fire doors are not wedged open. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2706013 7

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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

Kimmy Feeley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2706013 8 inspects 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit

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Inspector

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspector

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Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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