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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC356327 1 SC356327 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 is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to three children. Children may experience complex social and emotional difficulties and require attachment-aware, trauma-informed care and support.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 6 May 2022. She has an appropriate qualification and is suitably experienced.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 31 January 2023

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC356327 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/01/2023 Full Outstanding 13/04/2021 Full Good 07/01/2019 Interim Not judged 07/11/2018 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC356327 3

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outstanding

There are three children living at the home. Since the last inspection, two children have moved out of the home and two children have moved in. Transitions are exceedingly well planned. The manager and staff visit children to discuss the home, and children are invited for visits and sleepovers at the home before they move in. Children say that they were made to feel welcome when they moved in. The staff continued to support a child after they had left the home to ensure that they had the best opportunity for success. As a result, the child moved seamlessly into supported accommodation and is thriving. Another child successfully moved back to their home area. Both children have stayed in touch with the home and update staff on their progress and achievements. As a result of well-planned moves, children settle quickly into the home.

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outstanding

Children benefit from a caring and nurturing home environment, where there are lots of laughter and warmth. Staff show genuine care and affection for children and build lasting, positive relationships with them. All children say that they feel safe, listened to and have people they can speak to at the home. A child said: ‘To you these are staff, to me they are my family. I love them and I love this home. Out of ten I would give it one hundred. It’s amazing.’

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outstanding

Professionals unanimously say that children receive high-quality care from the staff and are making excellent progress. A social worker said: ‘The quality of care is fantastic. They know her so well. Her behaviours have greatly improved at home and in school.’ Another social worker said that their child is ‘the best she has ever been’.

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outstanding

Children enjoy high-quality celebrations and activities that are planned for and invested in. Children hosted a Halloween party at the home and they invited children from other homes to attend. The staff went over and above to ensure that this was a success with games, food and elaborate decorations. A child made a presentation to senior managers with a proposal, which included costings, for a garden project. The child remained engaged over a long period and successfully grew vegetables, which they enjoyed cooking for evening meals. The child also enjoyed exchanging vegetables with a neighbour. All children enjoy a variety of activities including day trips out to theme parks and pamper nights with staff. Children also enjoy fun activities that expand on their understanding of diversity and other cultures. For example, on World Braille Day, children enjoyed decoding messages and sensory activities.

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outstanding

The manager has worked to build positive relationships within the community, and the staff and children enjoy interactions with the neighbours on their street. Neighbours have fed back that they feel the staff are approachable and that the children are doing well. Children have enjoyed helping with neighbourhood tasks, Inspection report for children’s home: SC356327 4 including helping with gardening, and a child enjoyed washing cars. Neighbours are considerate towards children, for example a neighbour gave the children gifts and cards at Christmas. As a result, the children feel valued within their community.

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outstanding

Children’s relationships with people who are important to them are exceptionally well supported. The manager has gone above and beyond to ensure that time spent with family is prioritised for children. The manager has built on these relationships by funding activities and providing additional time with family according to children’s needs. As a result, a child now enjoys regular time with their parent and their relationship is flourishing. A child’s parent said: ‘The home is absolutely brilliant.’ She said that she is ‘over the moon’ that her child is there.

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outstanding

All children attend mainstream school. Communication between staff and schools is excellent and regular meetings ensure that children’s existing and emerging needs are met. An education professional referred to the home as ‘exceptional’. A child said: ‘School and my carers have really pushed to get me the support I need at school. They always ask me if I need any help.’ A school professional commented: ‘They have the exact right balance between nurture and high expectations for standards and behaviours.’ They remarked that staff and the manager are highly aspirational for the child and that this is crucial for the child. A professional from another school commented on the high-quality care the child receives and described communication with staff as ‘brilliant’. As a result, all children are making progress from their starting points.

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outstanding

Children benefit from a highly effective behaviour support programme. This programme focuses on understanding the antecedents for behaviours, and supports staff to develop individual strategies with children to help them to manage and respond to situations. As a result, incidents are quickly de-escalated and there have been no physical interventions with any of the children. This is a significant reduction for one child.

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outstanding

Children’s plans are highly personalised and have been created alongside children. Staff are focused on creating positive routines for children and not just responding to behaviour. For example, staff have overcome settling issues by dimming the lighting in preparation for bed. A child has been provided with distraction devices to aid with their emotional regulation. Another child has worked with staff to plan out what works best for them and is offered a choice of a walk, a cuddle or a scream when they are experiencing difficulty. The child said this works well for them. As a result, children are better able to manage their own behaviour and incidents are reducing.

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outstanding

Risk assessments provide clear and detailed guidance for staff and incorporate therapeutic approaches, which work well for children. Two children who were at high risk of going missing have not gone missing since they moved into the home. The staff also respond well to emerging risks and ensure that appropriate external Inspection report for children’s home: SC356327 5 services are swiftly involved. A social worker commented that when a child was experiencing disordered eating, the staff were proactive in seeking advice, completing training and worked closely with the child around nutrition with the support of external professionals. As a result, the child has been discharged from the service they were referred to, is managing well and is healthy.

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outstanding

Positive relationships are utilised well and ensure that children share their concerns. A child said: ‘I can speak to everyone. I tell them everything. It’s like a proper family home and I love it.’ An open and honest relationship with children enables risks to be appropriately identified and responded to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leadership and management is exceptionally strong and helps to create a nurturing environment in which children thrive. The ethos of positivity that the manager both models and drives is reflected by the staff and contributes to a warm, welcoming and uplifting atmosphere in the home that all present benefit from.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There have been some changes in the staff team. However, there is a core group of staff who are qualified and experienced. The manager is highly aspirational for the staff and drives their development through regular, high-quality supervision and targeted plans. Staff understand their areas for development and are motivated to achieve their targets. As a result, staff make progress and children benefit from support by a highly motivated and consistent team of staff who know their roles well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager’s auditing and oversight in the home is excellent. Monthly audits consider all aspects of children’s care and enable the manager to detect trends and needs. The manager is also highly effective at evaluation after incidents and is focused on how learning from incidents can be applied to lower future occurrences. Learning is shared well with the team, through team meetings and supervisions, and is consistently updated into children’s plans. As a result, staff understand what strategies are effective to support children and risks are well responded to and are reducing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager continually seeks to improve the home and is highly proactive. The manager both brings in research and facilitates staff to develop the skills to seek out and implement research-informed practice in the home for the benefit of the children. For example, the manager has tasked staff with developing files on specific areas relevant to their roles. At each team meeting, a staff member gives a presentation on an area of research and these presentations are reflected on in supervisions. These presentations are set according to areas of focus or need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The responsible individual meets regularly with the manager and has positive relationships with the children and staff at the home. He has good oversight of recruitment and works alongside and supports the manager. Having another person with oversight in the home provides an extra layer of security for children. The manager benefits from consistent support. Inspection report for children’s home: SC356327 6

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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: SC356327 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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Inspector

Laura Norcop, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC356327 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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Inspector

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