Children's home run by Oak House Children's Home Limited in Redbridge

Inspection report for children’s home: SC467847 1 SC467847 Registered provider: Oak House Childrens Home Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to five children who experience social and emotional difficulties. The provider has another children’s home in the area and there are close links between the two homes.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since October 2021. A new manager has been appointed and started working at the home in February 2023. The manager has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home. The inspector spoke with all three children during the inspection.

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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: 19 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: SC467847 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/10/2021 Full Good 11/11/2019 Full Good 03/01/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC467847 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive child-centred care. The committed staff know the children well and are passionate about caring for and supporting them. Staff speak positively about the children and describe the progress that they make. Weekly update reports are shared with social workers to ensure that there is good communication about children’s needs and development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively promote children’s relationships with their families. Children are supported to spend time with their families and the people who are important to them. Parents provide positive feedback about their communication with the manager and staff team. Staff are aware that having meaningful interactions with family is important for children’s identity and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a voice in the home. Regular children’s meetings offer children the opportunity to share their feelings and contribute to decisions about meal planning and activities. Staff respond quickly to children’s views and wishes. When children want to decorate and personalise their bedrooms, staff quickly act on this. Managers’ and staff’s swift response results in children feeling heard and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to participate in activities that they are interested in, such as ice skating, boxing and music. A personal trainer visits the home weekly to encourage children to engage in physical activity. Staff and managers understand that engagement in extra-curricular activities helps to build children’s self-esteem and sense of achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children’s physical health and emotional well-being. Children’s medical appointments are up to date, and staff keep good records of the outcome of each appointment. A therapist provides weekly in-house therapeutic support for children. Staff also work closely with child and adolescent mental health services to support children. Children make good progress through the support of staff and other dedicated professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to education at the home’s on-site independent school. Staff work together with school professionals to provide educational opportunities for the children. However, not all the children engage in education.

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

Children are safe and say that they feel safe. They can identify a trusted person to talk to when they have any worries or concerns. Staff place children’s well-being at the centre of their practice and ensure that they are meeting children’s day-to-day needs. A parent spoken with stated that she had no concerns about her child’s safety or well-being. Inspection report for children’s home: SC467847 4 Children’s safety and well-being are prioritised. Managers implement safer recruitment policies when appointing new staff by carrying out all relevant checks. When agency staff are used, it is to supplement the permanent staff team. Managers work with one agency to ensure that only known agency staff are used to provide consistency for children. Children benefit from knowing the staff who care for them.

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

Managers and staff understand the known and potential risks to the children. Risk assessments are clear and detailed. Regular key-work and one-to-one sessions are effective ways of speaking with children about their risks. Staff read and sign off on all documents relevant to children’s safety, which helps them to keep children safe. The manager reads and reflects on all key-work sessions . This ensures a coordinated response for staff when safeguarding children.

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

Episodes of children going missing from home are managed well. Staff follow appropriate procedures and work collaboratively with other professionals when children go missing. Missing-from-home interviews are prioritised as a way of preventing further incidents. As a result, there has been a decrease in the number of incidents of children going missing from home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a clear vision for the home and taking it forward. The newly appointed manager demonstrates a genuine commitment to the children in her care. The manager has focused on building up a team of staff who are child- centred and committed to meeting the needs of children well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is positive. Staff report feeling supported by managers and describe a culture of teamworking. New staff members receive a comprehensive induction that includes trauma-informed practice. All staff have access to regular training that is relevant to the needs of the children in their care. The manager is proactive in securing training for staff when a need arises.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. However, supervision would be strengthened by ensuring that the progress and needs of children are discussed. Permanent staff receive their annual appraisal. However, appraisals could be strengthened by including the views of children and the professionals who have worked with the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Emphasis is placed on team cohesion. Twice-weekly team meetings are an effective space for staff to share their views about children’s progress and to be creative in finding ways to support them effectively. The home’s therapist attends some team meetings, which provides learning and development opportunities for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff members spoken to demonstrate a strong understanding of whistle-blowing policies and safeguarding procedures. When concerns arise, staff share these with the relevant agencies. Inspection report for children’s home: SC467847 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, The 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 must ensure 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

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)) 30 November 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff appraisals take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and of children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional. Supervision would be strengthened by ensuring that the progress and needs of children are discussed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report for children’s home: SC467847 6 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: SC467847 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oak House Childrens Home Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: A B C Care Solutions, 249 Cranbrook Road, Ilford IG1 4TG

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Inspector

Julie Cresswell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC467847 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 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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