Children's Home run by Oaktree Childcare Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2651794 1 Registered provider: Oaktree Childcare 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 and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

One child moved from the home on the first day of inspection and one child remained living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home does not currently have a registered manager. An interim manager is in post and has submitted their application 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 good

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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: 29 November 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Serious and widespread concerns were identified at an assurance inspection on 22 March 2024. It was agreed that no compliance work was required. Six requirements were made. Inspection report for children’s home: 2651794 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2651794 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have trusting relationships with staff and feel listened to. Staff take the children on outings and activities in the community. Staff also support children to pursue their chosen hobbies. As a result, children are provided with opportunities to socialise in the community and broaden their experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Endings are a positive experience for children who move out of the home. The manager ensures that children can visit their new home and begin to build relationships with new staff. He ensures that moves from the home are planned. One child, on the day of moving, said, ‘They [staff] couldn’t have done more for me, I’m really happy.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s health needs are met. Staff support the children to attend regular routine and specialist health appointments. Staff provide the children with healthy, balanced meals and encourage them to take part in physical activities outside of the home. This supports the children to lead a healthy lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When barriers to the children attending education are identified, the manager works with external agencies to try to find a solution that works best for the individual child. Consequently, one child who has been out of education for a lengthy period is now sitting their GCSE exams.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise and understand the importance of the children spending time with people who are important to them. Staff support and, when appropriate, supervise family time. This is important to the children’s sense of self and their identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a warm and welcoming environment. Staff help children to personalise their bedrooms according to their individual tastes and interests. There are photos of the children and people who are important to them throughout the home. Any maintenance issues are quickly addressed.

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

Staff have the skills, knowledge and understanding to help children to keep safe. Practice is supported by detailed written information about children from their placing local authorities. Risk assessments are clear, detailed and show a good understanding of children’s needs. Staff keep risk assessments up to date and include learning from any incidents. As a result, staff are consistently following children’s care plans.

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

Staff respond quickly when children go missing from the home and they make persistent attempts to locate the children themselves. Staff talk to the children about their experiences of going missing from the home and they use this information to understand and reduce the risks that the children face.

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

Staff regularly use rewards, de-escalation techniques, and distraction methods to manage children’s behaviour. Consequences implemented by staff are proportionate and Inspection report for children’s home: 2651794 4 appropriate to the behaviour displayed. As a result, there have been no physical interventions.

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

Children’s medication is stored safely. There are clear plans in place for administering medication, with detailed guidance for staff to follow. Records of the medications administered are clear, and daily medication checks are completed.

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

The manager ensures that staff are recruited safely and receive a quality induction. There is a stable staff team who are enthusiastic and passionate about offering high- quality care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is committed to providing high-quality care to the children. He is an ambitious and child-centred leader. He knows the children well and understands their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are effective monitoring and review systems in place. The manager has effective management oversight and understands the home’s strengths and areas for development. The manager identifies and addresses any shortfalls in staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partner agencies and family members say that they are happy with the care provided to the children by staff. The manager advocates on children’s behalf and shares relevant information to keep professionals and family members well informed of the children’s progress. One parent said, ‘They do a really good job of caring for [child’s name]; I have nothing bad to say about them.’ One social worker said, ‘There were issues previously, but they’re all sorted now and there’s things in place.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager prioritises staff development. Staff are provided with a wide range of training to meet the individual needs of the children. The manager completes development sessions with staff individually and in team meetings to improve the quality of care provided to the children. However, one staff member’s qualification remains incomplete. The manager is liaising with relevant professionals and has a plan in place for completion.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they feel supported by the manager. One member of staff said, ‘He’s brilliant, he really pushes me.’ Staff can discuss their care of the children during good- quality supervisions. Recordings of supervisions are detailed and evidence clear discussions about the children. However, on two occasions, supervision has not taken place in the required timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children can identify staff who they would raise concerns with, but do not know how to complain confidentially. Complaints forms are not readily accessible in the home. This means that if children want to make a complaint confidentially they are unable to. Inspection report for children’s home: 2651794 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, 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 registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. 15 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2651794 6 The relevant date is—

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered provider should ensure that children are aware of the complaints procedure and reminded of this where necessary. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 22, paragraph 4.13)

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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: 2651794 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oaktree Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ground Floor, Seneca House, Links Point, Amy Johnson Way, Blackpool FY4 2FF

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Inspector

Leanne Carr, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2651794 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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