Children's Home run by Oracle Care Limited in Bedford

Inspection report for children’s home: SC389698 1 SC389698 Registered provider: Oracle Care Limited

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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 is registered for three children who require care, education and clinical support.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager at the home since 28 February 2023. A manager has been appointed and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: SC389698 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/05/2023 Full Good 07/04/2022 Full Good 21/07/2021 Full Good 16/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC389698 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were two children living at the home at the time of this inspection. Two children have moved into the home since the last inspection and two children have moved out of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress in their education. One education professional described the staff as strong advocates for children. Another education professional said that the staff work closely with children and schools and, as a result, a child’s education attendance had significantly improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of children’s health needs. They work closely with external agencies to support children with health concerns. They also support and encourage children to attend health appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in activities that they enjoy. Children talk positively about the activities that the home provides. When asked what they like about the home, a child said, ‘The things I get to do.’ One child attended an England football match at Wembley stadium. They said they really enjoyed it, and this was their favourite activity. Staff also support children to develop age-appropriate independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children influence the design and decoration of their bedrooms. One child spoke about how they chose the colour and decoration of their bedroom. Another child’s bedroom was decorated when they first moved into the home. Children were proud to talk about their bedrooms.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When safe and appropriate, the staff advocate for, and support children with, family time. This means children can maintain links with those who are important to them. One child was supported to return home to live with their family after living in the home for five years.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from professionals is positive. One social worker said that they were happy with the care provided to children. Another professional said it is clear that the staff take good care of their child, as the child is vocal about the relationships they have built with the staff team.

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and the risks that they may be exposed to. There are systems in place for staff to monitor children’s mobile phones and devices that have internet connection. There have been no missing from care incidents. Overall, staff keep children safe and take action to ensure that children are protected. Inspection report for children’s home: SC389698 4 Staff have completed mandatory safeguarding training. They have a clear understanding of the home’s whistle-blowing policy. They know how to escalate concerns appropriately and understand their child protection responsibilities.

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

Feedback from professionals compliments this practice. One social worker said they had ‘no concerns with how their child is safeguarded’. Another professional said their child was ‘definitely safe and happy living in the home’.

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

When children are involved in incidents, these are managed well by staff. When children raise concerns, these are effectively managed and investigated.

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

The children’s guide is child friendly and gives children a sense of what it is like living in the home. The guide also contains information to help children understand who to speak to if they are worried or if they need support outside of the home. Children also know how to make a complaint if they need to.

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

The organisation’s approach to safe recruitment reduces the risk of inappropriate people gaining employment in the home. Staff are assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A manager was appointed in February 2024. They are experienced and working towards completing their level 5 diploma. They have applied to register with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home’s previous registered manager resigned from their role in February 2023. This means there was no registered manager running the home for a year. During this period, there was a lack of consistent oversight of physical interventions. Consequently, leaders and managers did not show the necessary curiosity to satisfy themselves that the physical interventions were appropriate. During this period, leaders and managers also failed to complete and submit a quality-of-care review to Ofsted. This means Ofsted was unable to monitor the quality of care provided by the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

On one occasion, although leaders and managers took action to safeguard children, they did not notify Ofsted of an allegation made by a child against a member of staff working in the home. This is despite deeming the incident serious enough to contact the local authority designated officer. Failure to notify Ofsted reduces Ofsted’s ability to monitor the home effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The language used by staff when issuing children with consequences is not always child- centred. This could affect children’s feeling of being supported if they read their records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The new manager works closely with the responsible individual and, together, they are developing systems to monitor the quality of care in the home. These systems are still being embedded into the home, but have the potential to contribute to the improvements neccesary. Inspection report for children’s home: SC389698 5 Feedback from staff is positive. One staff member said, ‘I am happy with how things are going, things are much more organised since the new manager and responsible individual arrived.’ Another staff member said, ‘The manager is determined to give everyone a good environment, not just for the children, but for the staff to work in.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive a thorough induction. This includes completing mandatory training before they begin working in the home. Most staff hold a relevant level 3 diploma. Those who do not hold a relevant qualification are enrolled once they have completed their probation. Staff say that they receive good guidance and have regular supervision sessions which are helpful, the managers are supportive, and they feel listened to. Inspection report for children’s home: SC389698 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential;

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that physical intervention records are clear, and physical interventions are reviewed by the manager for effectiveness and appropriateness. 10 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. 28 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC389698 7 After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Recommendations

 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. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to them. In particular, ensure that consequences issued to children are written in a non-punitive manner using language children can understand. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious. In particular, ensure that

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Recommendations

Ofsted is notified when there is an allegation made by a child against someone working in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: SC389698 8 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: SC389698 9

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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

Anver Rose, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC389698 10 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children’s home: SC389698 11

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