Children's home run by Omega Care Group Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2559317 1 Registered provider: Omega Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for one child who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2020. There was one child living in this home at the time of the inspection. The child spoke with the inspector about their experiences living in the home.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2559317 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/04/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/01/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2559317 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home is warm and welcoming. It is personalised and reflects the interests of the child living here. The child’s photos and artwork are displayed around the home. The child said that they feel happy because staff are supportive and know how to help them when things feel overwhelming.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff offer the child a variety of activities and outings. The child said that they have had the opportunity to try lots of new things and visit new places. Staff also support the child to get involved in local community projects. Staff ensure that the child has plenty of photos to remember these experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff celebrate the child’s achievements. They consistently remind the child how proud they are of every step of progress the child makes. Staff provide the child with daily photos and reminders of the positive things they have done throughout the day. This supports the child to develop a more positive sense of self-value.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child to remain active and to prioritise their health and hygiene. When needed, staff take the child to health appointments and ensure that the child takes their medication. Staff have been strong advocates in ensuring that the child’s emotional health needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to spend time with people who are important to them. Family members come to visit the child in the home and staff support the child to spend time with their family in the community. This helps the child to maintain positive relationships.

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

The child said that they feel safe and can identify staff in the home who can help them with their worries. The child does not wish to change anything about this home and understands why rules and boundaries are in place.

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

Paperwork is updated regularly and generally provides staff with clear strategies to follow to keep the child safe. There is a court order in place to help keep the child safe from harm. This is used effectively by an experienced staff team. However, the paperwork is not clear about when restrictions should or should not be used. This could lead to unnecessary restrictions if staff who are unfamiliar with the child are caring for them.

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

Staff know the child well and are responsive to their changing needs. Staff are consistent in their responses, providing clear boundaries along with nurturing care. Due to the positive and trusting relationships staff have developed with the child, risks and challenges are well managed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2559317 4 Due to clear safety planning, the child rarely goes missing from the home. When this does happen, staff are proactive in searching for the child and working with others to find them quickly. Effective staff responses to significant risks have helped to keep the child safe.

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

Staff use physical interventions as a last resort and only when needed to keep the child safe. When staff do have to hold the child, they record this clearly and talk to the child afterwards about what happened. Allegations of harm do not happen often. When this has happened, appropriate procedures have been followed and other professionals have been kept informed.

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

The child knows how to make a complaint but has not felt the need to do so. The child said that staff always respond if they ask for things to change or improve. This enables the child to feel heard and valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This home is managed by an experienced and suitably qualified manager. The manager is dedicated to the role and is passionate about providing the best opportunities for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is supportive of staff, with one staff member saying, ‘I have a manager who actively listens and is open to any new suggestions in the way we as a team can help support [the child]’. Staff consistently said that they feel supported, valued and cared for by their manager and the senior management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is experienced and stable. Staff work together well and between them have a wealth of knowledge, which is used to benefit the child. Staff receive regular supervision and attend monthly team meetings that provide them with the opportunity to reflect on their own practice and to learn from each other. Staff are provided with excellent training opportunities that are relevant to the needs of the child living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff working with the child are appropriately qualified and safer recruitment practices are followed. The manager is clear in his expectations of staff and will challenge practice that does not meet those expectations. This ensures that all staff are suitably knowledgeable and safe to work with vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good internal monitoring systems and makes good use of independent monitoring to ensure that staff provide consistently good care to the child. This oversight promotes the safety and well-being of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff team have a good understanding of the child and have high aspirations for the child’s future. The staff team has shown exceptional resilience and commitment to the child, and is dedicated to providing high-quality, nurturing care. One professional said, ‘They are one of the most committed and receptive staff teams I’ve come across.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2559317 5 There is genuine care for this child among the staff team. One member of staff said, ‘The love that this team shows to that child is just amazing. There’s nothing the manager won’t support us with; if you need him, he’s there. He’s so dedicated to the staff team and to the child. He goes above and beyond and will do anything to make sure [the child] is cared for. The support here is amazing; we actually are like a family.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2559317 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that clear guidelines are in place when making decisions to manage risk. This specifically applies to welfare checks on children when safeguarding concerns arise, and when to implement restrictions permitted in a court order. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 2559317 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Omega Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 40-42 Kemble Street, Prescot L34 5SQ

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Inspector

Aislinn Cooper, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2559317 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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