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

Inspection report for children's home: SC455338 1 SC455338 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

This home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 3 April 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: 21 November 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: SC455338 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/11/2022 Full Good 11/01/2022 Full Good 27/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC455338 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, there were three children living at the home. Since the last inspection, one child has successfully moved out of the home into supported accommodation and one child has moved in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make very good progress in all areas of their lives. They receive nurturing, long-term care. Staff provide consistent, individualised support and are committed to providing the best care for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s relationships with staff are based on mutual respect and trust. Staff know children well and speak about them fondly. Staff use small and meaningful gestures to ensure children’s needs are met, such as taking a blanket on a long car journey for a child to keep warm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and comfortable. Photos of children are displayed on the walls. The staff understand the importance of providing a warm and loving environment. Children and staff enjoy social mealtimes around the table. One child has a settling routine that helps them to feel secure at bedtime. The staff offer boundaries and structure that help children to feel secure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good educational progress. All children attend school daily. Children’s achievements are celebrated. The manager reviews children’s education with partner agencies to remove any barriers to learning and ensure that children maximise their potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in stimulating and purposeful activities, such as weekly swimming lessons and singing in a choir. One child has significantly progressed in their horse- riding abilities. These activities provide children with constructive ways to spend their time and they build their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to maintain connections with people in their lives who are important to them. Staff help children to make plans and support them to spend time with their families and friends. This means that children maintain networks of people around them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are empowered to challenge professionals. One child was helped to contact the Children’s Commissioner about the local authority plan to move them before they felt ready. As a result, the child was able to stay at the home until they felt able to move into supported accommodation. This gave the child a significant say in important decisions about their life. Inspection report for children's home: SC455338 4

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

Staff are aware of how children’s feelings and past experiences affect their behaviours. Staff use this knowledge to have reflective conversations with children which support them to understand their own feelings. The therapist meets monthly with staff to hold reflective discussions with them. This helps to embed the home’s trauma-informed approach to children’s care.

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

Following recent incidents at the home, managers have increased the supervision of children when necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of all children. Managers review how they can continue to support children to live together happily. This promotes safe family living.

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

The use of restraint is rare, as staff support children’s behaviour by using praise and encouragement to build on their strengths. When restraint has taken place, it is proportionate and clearly recorded. Staff and children receive reflective and supportive time with managers to debrief following incidents.

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

Risk assessments are updated after incidents and take account of all risks, including those that are emerging. This means staff have reliable and up-to-date instructions on how to help children when they need it most.

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

One allegation has been made by a child. This was against a member of staff following a restraint. This was dealt with swiftly, involving the local authority designated officer and the allocated social worker. This ensures external scrutiny is provided to safeguard the child.

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

One child’s self-harm episodes have reduced. Staff identified a pattern to this behaviour and provided the child with a clear bedtime routine that met their need for connection with adults. This helps children to understand their own thoughts and feelings and provides healthy coping strategies. However, self-harm is not recorded as such; it is recorded as an accident. This does not recognise the intention behind the behaviour and does not fully recognise the thoughtful action that staff have taken to minimise the behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is a strong leader who is highly experienced, knowledgeable and well qualified. She is a tenacious advocate and ensures that the children receive excellent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is very well regarded by the staff team. She is influential and inspirational. She provides high-quality support to staff and the staff feel valued. As a result, staff are motivated and enthusiastic and enjoy working at the home. Staff retention is good and agency staff are not used, meaning that children have consistent adults working with them. Inspection report for children's home: SC455338 5 The manager has good oversight of the home. She makes purposeful use of the audit tools and support systems in place. She fully understands the home’s strengths and weaknesses. She regularly reviews the quality of care provided. This means she is able to take swift action to make improvements when needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Care plans for children are comprehensive and meet their individual needs. The manager supports staff to understand these. The plans consider where children are in their journey and the impact of their lived experiences. This means staff are very well informed about how to meet children’s needs effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Supervision sessions and appraisal take place regularly and are of an excellent standard. The manager identifies poor practice quickly and supports staff to learn from incidents that have occurred. This strengthens the ability of staff to meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Feedback from professionals is exceptional. One social worker said, ‘I’m very pleased with them as a placement. They are child-centred.’ A school headteacher said, ‘It’s nice to see a child in care feel loved and cared for.’ Inspection report for children's home: SC455338 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that episodes of self-harm are recorded appropriately, in a way that acknowledges the behaviour. (‘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: SC455338 7

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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 & 5, Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Milford, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0RN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Chelsea Lightfoot

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Inspector

Hannah Phillips, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC455338 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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