Children's Home run by Omega Care Group Limited in Cheshire West and Chester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2599183 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

The home is owned by a private provider and offers care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 12 July 2021.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2599183 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/05/2023 Full Good 06/04/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/01/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2599183 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy living in this home. They are supported by staff to make progress in all areas of their lives. Staff form positive relationships with children by being open, honest and calm in their responses. This helps children to know that staff care about them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and children spend time together enjoying positive activities. Children’s achievements are celebrated by staff, who provide consistent encouragement. This helps children to develop essential social skills and build their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff prioritise the individual needs of each child. When one child developed a medical condition, managers and staff were proactive in seeking support from external professionals to increase their knowledge of the condition and their skills to support the child. Staff supported the child and other children in the home to understand the medical condition. This meant that the child could feel confident in talking about their diagnosis and increase their independence around managing their condition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s education. When children are not able to access mainstream education, managers and staff explore alternative educational opportunities. Staff successfully encourage children to study in the home. This ensures that children are equipped with the skills they need to make good progress in their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff support children to have relationships with people who are important to them. Staff work with the children and their families so that they can spend positive time together. This means that children have a strong sense of identity and support outside of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has areas for children to relax as well as socialise with one another. This provides opportunities for the children to build relationships with each other as well as staff. However, some areas of the home, including the hallway, landing walls and fixtures in both bathrooms, appear tired need maintenance or repair. This does not ensure that children live in a well-maintained home or support them to take pride in where they live.

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

Children are safeguarded effectively. Staff know how to identify and respond to risks. As a result, risks have reduced for all children since living in the home.

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

Staff hold important conversations with children about risks they may be exposed to. Staff discuss topics such as substance misuse and child exploitation in factual and child- focused ways. This helps children to develop their understanding and awareness of risks while also enjoying their independence. Inspection report for children’s home: 2599183 4 Staff work collaboratively with external professionals and specialist services to safeguard children. Through engaging with specialist services, children are helped to build networks in the community that support them to make safer choices.

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

Staff receive training that is tailored to the individual needs of each child. This includes training on topics such as internet safety and child exploitation. Therefore, staff have the specific skills and knowledge to keep children in their care safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is committed to achieving positive outcomes for the children in her care. Staff feel well supported, and she is held in high regard by other professionals. The manager provides effective leadership and ensures that the children receive the best possible care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that children are heard and that their wishes and views are acted on. They provide effective professional challenge and escalate concerns appropriately to ensure that children are involved in their care planning and that their needs are being met. This enables children to feel listened to and involved in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that staff receive regular supervision and opportunities to reflect after incidents. However, some staff supervision records lack detail and do not reflect the detailed discussions that take place. This is a missed opportunity to demonstrate the reflective practice and support offered to staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers continually strive to improve the quality of care provided to children. Internal and external monitoring systems are effective and enable managers to identify ways to develop the service at the earliest opportunity. This ensures that there is continuous improvement in the care provided by the team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2599183 5

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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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them 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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered manager must ensure that the home is decorated, furnished and maintained to a good standard throughout and that damaged walls are repaired, the hallway, bathrooms and landing are decorated to a high standard, and that fixtures in the bathrooms are replaced. 12 July 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that systems are in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. Records of supervision sessions should be clear and detailed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3) Inspection report for children’s home: 2599183 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: 2599183 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 to 42 Kemble Street, Prescot L34 5SQ

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Inspector

Sarah Gilbert, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2599183 8 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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