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 privately run children’s home offers care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a registered manager who is suitably qualified.

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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: 18 October 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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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

18/10/2022 Full requires improvement to be good 09/06/2021 Full good 04/07/2019 Full outstanding 17/07/2018 Full good Inspection report for children’s home: 1253975 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child was living in the home at the time of this inspection. The staff know the child well. Staff use the child’s preferred methods of communication. As a result, the child is able to contribute to decisions made about all aspects of their care. The child’s views are sought regularly and acted on by the manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff nurture relationships between the child and their family. This includes facilitating the child’s time with their family, sending updates, and including family in children’s celebrations. For example, the manager advocated for the child’s mother to attend a school graduation event.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the individual health needs of the child well. Staff support the child to attend health appointments and work with health professionals to ensure that the child’s individual needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have high aspirations for the child and support them with their education. The child attends education and completes learning activities at home. One school key worker stated that she and the staff share monthly targets for the child to provide consistency.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child to take part in individualised and group activities. As a result, the child has formed friendships with other children and is enabled to pursue interests and hobbies. Staff support the child to learn life skills. This includes supporting the child to become more independent and to take manageable risks in line with their development, such as using public transport and accessing local activities.

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

Staff understand the child well. Staff ensure that the child’s emotional needs are met. For example, the child is supported to identify his own emotions and develop strategies to manage difficult feelings. Boundaries for the child are clear and behaviour is managed well. Staff ensure that the child has many fun activities to keep them engaged, and that positive behaviour is rewarded.

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

Staff have a clear understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. Individualised plans are regularly updated to reflect any changes for the child. The child’s plans capture all known risks and provide staff with clarity in respect of actions that they need to take to keep the child safe. The known risks for the child have reduced as a result of the care provided by staff.

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

The use of physical intervention is as a last resort to ensure the child’s safety. The manager ensures that incident records are detailed, and that debriefs take place Inspection report for children’s home: 1253975 4 with the child and staff after any incident. This ensures that practice in this area remains safe and appropriate.

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

The home environment is physically safe and secure. The home is spacious, and the child benefits from a welcoming and cosy living environment. In some communal areas within the home, there are cracks in the plaster. The manager has taken action to ensure that this is repaired.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is visible and leads by example. The manager has a good understanding of the child’s needs and the impact of the care provided on the child’s outcomes. The manager has effective monitoring systems in place and takes decisive action to address shortfalls in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has built effective working relationships with other professionals. The manager has used appropriate escalation when the child’s needs have not been met. For example, the manager has escalated concerns to the local authority because of an avoidable delay in progressing with a change in school. As a result, the matter has been acted on by the child’s advocate and independent reviewing officer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has created a culture of high expectations and ambition. Staff say that they enjoy working in the home and feel that the manager supports them. Staff morale is exceptionally high. The manager closely monitors the care that staff provide and delivers constructive challenge to inform staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff access regular supervisions and team meetings. This supports staff to reflect on the child’s evolving needs and contribute to decisions about changes in practice. Staff access a range of training, which gives them the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the child. The manager implements activities with staff, such as team quizzes, to support them to transfer learning into the care they provide for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are no shortfalls identified following this inspection and no breaches in regulation. As a result, there are no requirements or recommendations made. Inspection report for children’s home: 1253975 5

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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 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oaktree Childcare Ltd

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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

Sally Griffiths, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1253975 7 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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