Children's Home run by Oasis Adolescent Services Ltd in Oldham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2591400 1 Registered provider: Oasis Adolescent Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company and provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were three children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in May 2020.

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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 outstanding

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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: 6 December 2022

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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: 2591400 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/12/2022 Full Good 19/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2591400 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well and act as positive role models for the children. They always place the well-being of individual children at the centre of their practice. Their sustained positive support of the children has resulted in the improvement of the children’s lives. Children spoken to said that they enjoy living in the home and that there is nothing they would change about it.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make sure that the children’s religious and cultural needs are met. One child is supported to take part in Islamic lessons, visit the mosque and to take part in community-based charity fundraisers. This supports the children’s sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide the children with ample opportunities to express their views, wishes and feelings through children’s meetings and direct-work sessions. Children’s meetings are also used as an opportunity to educate the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s time with family and friends is supported by the staff team, in line with their agreed plans. Staff support children to travel to see family and friends and also welcome them into the home. This helps children to maintain relationships which are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage the children to attend school or college. Children are learning and are making good progress, taking account of their individual starting points. Staff are ambitious for children, when children have faced difficulties with their education the manager and staff have worked alongside education providers to support children’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming, there are photos of the children around the home and it is a nice place for children to live. There are some displays on the walls which give one room an institutional feel. In addition to this, there is a downstairs toilet which is not open to the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage the children to develop their independence skills; this is done in a way which is tailored to the child’s age, ability and emotional needs. This targeted work helps prepare them for adulthood and independent living.

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

Each child’s individual risks are detailed in their risk management plans. These are detailed documents, which are frequently updated. However, these are also used as a chronology of events and, due to the large amount of information included within these plans, they are not easily accessible for staff.

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

Staff understand the children’s history and how this can impact them. They know and understand the individual risks for each child and are consistent in their Inspection report for children’s home: 2591400 4 responses to children. They work in partnership with external agencies, and as a result, there is evidence that children’s individual risks are reducing.

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

Staff complete regular direct-work sessions with the children. They cover relevant topics and current risks, focusing on known vulnerabilities for the children. Sessions are completed frequently, and topics are revisited over a period of time. These sessions help the children to understand how to keep themselves safe, how to prepare for adulthood and how to understand the consequences of significant events.

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

When children have been missing from care, staff have taken appropriate action to locate them and return them to the home as quickly as possible. There are missing from care plans in place, which include clear guidance and strategies for staff to follow. The manager and staff work collaboratively with external professionals, such as the local police and missing from care team, to ensure that there are well- coordinated responses when children go missing from care.

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

Children’s health needs are met. One child has diabetes. There is a diabetes management plan, which the staff understand and put into practice. The staff have worked proactively with the child to educate them on their condition and to support them to reduce the effects of it through diet and exercise. As a result of this, the child has lost a significant amount of weight. Staff have educated the child on the condition, which means that they feel empowered to make informed decisions around what is best for their own health. The child said, ‘I feel healthier and more energised.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is led by an experienced manager who is passionate about achieving positive outcomes for the children. Managers lead by example and are inspirational in supporting the children. Staff spoken to spoke highly of the manager and said that he is readily available to provide support and guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has high expectations for the staff. Staff benefit from supervisions, which reflect on staff practice and include an action plan to support improvement and ongoing development. Staff have their ability to perform the role appraised annually, in order to support them in identifying any learning needs or development opportunities. This supports the staff to deliver high-quality care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager makes use of the extensive internal and external monitoring systems to ensure that there is excellent oversight of the home. The manager understands the home’s strengths and can evidence sustained improvements in the care provided. The manager has created a workforce development plan and a home development plan. These clear plans set out expectations, successes and progress made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team embraces the opportunity to seek feedback regularly from involved agencies and family members. The whole staff team reflects and acts on Inspection report for children’s home: 2591400 5 the feedback given to ensure that there is continuous improvements to the quality of care they provide.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers have excellent working relationships with partner agencies, schools and family members. This ensures that children are at the centre of a network of support and have the best possible experiences living in the home. One parent said, ‘The manager and staff are very responsive and deal with all matters effectively.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home has a stable staff team. Staff trust the manager and feel secure in their roles and in the quality of care they offer to children. Children know the staff who are caring for them extremely well. The stable staffing arrangements and consistent rota system provide a predictable environment, which helps children to feel safe and secure. Inspection report for children’s home: 2591400 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic, homely environment, information displays should be removed from lounge areas and this information be made available through more discreet methods. Children should be able to access all shared areas of their home, including the downstairs toilet, unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraphs 3.9 and 3.10)

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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: 2591400 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oasis Adolescent Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 9 Beacon Grove, Oldham OL8 2XH

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Inspectors

Katie Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Michelle Greenhalgh, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2591400 8 regulates and 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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