Children's Home run by Oracle Care Limited in Central Bedfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC421531 1 SC421531 Registered provider: Oracle Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. It provides care and clinical support for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 2 November 2021.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC421531 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/06/2022 Full Good 25/05/2021 Full Good 27/11/2019 Full Outstanding 04/07/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC421531 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home and one child has moved on. During this inspection, two children were living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are nurturing, patient and kind with the children. They have children’s best interests at heart. Both children speak positively about the trusting relationships that they have with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A child’s relative said that their child has settled very quickly at the home and appears so much happier since moving in. This relative spoke about how well staff ensure that the child has family time despite the significant distance that family members live from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A child, who has now moved on from the home, achieved GCSE qualifications and enrolled at a college before moving on. Another child has an education place at an alternative provision that can meet their needs. Staff understand the barriers to education and persistently encourage the child to engage. Another child, who recently moved into the home at the time of this inspection, has an education, health and care plan and is engaging with a home tutor. A specialist provision has been applied for that can meet the child’s needs. The manager and staff hold education in high regard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities. One child attends a boxing academy. Children enjoy swimming, theme parks and day trips. Parties are hosted at the home for Halloween and Christmas, which gives children opportunities to socialise with children who do not live there.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff regularly consult children about their wishes. The children benefit from therapeutic key-work sessions that cover important topics, such as emotions, safety, sex education and health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into and out of the home are gradual and managed sensitively whenever possible. One child who moved on from the home benefited from an independent advocate. Despite the child moving on in difficult circumstances that were beyond the manager’s control, staff ensured that the child had a leaving meal and created a memory book for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and well decorated. There are photos of the children displayed around the home, and children’s bedrooms are personalised.

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

The manager and staff have taken appropriate actions to help keep children safe. Despite every effort being made to keep children safe, situations out of the staff’s Inspection report for children’s home: SC421531 4 control have meant that, at times, children have been exposed to risky situations. Social workers are impressed with how well safeguarding incidents are managed. The staff are confident and well equipped to manage these incidents.

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

There have been several missing-from-home incidents. Staff have managed these well. Staff follow children and welcome them when they return. Children are offered independent return home interviews. Staff generally record all relevant information. However, on one occasion, some information was not recorded. This did not present a clear timeline of actions.

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

The manager shares risk assessments with all relevant professionals so that children who are at risk of exploitation are safeguarded. Reviewing the risks that children are exposed to and agreeing protocols through joined-up working enable an effective multi-agency approach to safeguarding children.

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

On one occasion, staff used low-level physical intervention, which was appropriate and proportionate. The manager reviewed the record and spoke with the child to ensure good oversight.

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

Behaviour support strategies are effective. One child has been helped to understand their emotional response to anger and to recognise early signs of feeling angry. The child can now safely manage difficult emotions and has self-soothing strategies.

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

The manager has received limited information on the behaviours and needs of one child who has recently moved into the home. This has not enabled sufficient consideration to be given to how this child’s needs can be managed alongside the needs of the other child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The experienced registered manager holds a relevant level 5 qualification. Staff say that the manager is competent and has high expectations of the quality of care provided. Children benefit from a stable and consistent staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular and effective supervision sessions. These help with their professional development. The manager is dedicated to helping the staff to develop and progress. The staff feel invested in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff and the manager benefit from regular consultations with a psychotherapist to discuss the children. The consultations help staff to understand the impact of trauma on children. The consultations look at agreed ways to best meet the children’s needs. This intervention enables staff to work in a therapeutic way to support the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent person’s reports are of good quality and make appropriate recommendations. These help the manager to make improvements to the quality of care that children receive. Inspection report for children’s home: SC421531 5 Three members of staff currently hold a relevant level 3 qualification. One staff member has not achieved the qualification within the required time frame. The provider is supporting them to attain this necessary qualification and is giving them time during working hours to study.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

On two occasions, the manager has failed to notify Ofsted of significant incidents without delay due to not having notification arrangements in place over a weekend. On one occasion, the manager failed to notify Ofsted of a significant incident. He has acted to safeguard children. However, failure to notify reduces Ofsted’s ability to monitor the home’s safeguarding arrangements effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: SC421531 6

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all information relating to risks to children is explored and that risk assessments are clear and help to reduce risks. 5 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e)) 5 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). 5 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC421531 7 The requirements are that—

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. In particular, ensure that children’s missing-from-home records contain all relevant information. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC421531 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oracle Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suites 1 and 5, Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Milford, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0RN

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Inspector

Amy Miles, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC421531 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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