Children's home run by Optimum Childcare Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2696856 1 Registered provider: Optimum Childcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified.

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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: 2696856 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/04/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2696856 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children enjoy trusting relationships with staff who know them well. Staff offer nurturing, supportive care to the children, who are comfortable with staff members. Staff speak about the children with care and affection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the children to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff welcome children’s family and friends into the home. For one child, this includes overnight stays with family members. This supports the children’s sense of belonging and identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into the home, they are welcomed sensitively and with care. Children visit the home beforehand and meet staff. Endings are a positive experience for children who move on from the home. The registered manager ensures that a clear plan is in place for staff to support the children to move on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are in good health and have no outstanding health needs. Staff support children to attend regular routine health appointments. The children are supported by staff to develop healthy habits that they will be able to sustain once they leave the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When barriers to the child attending education are identified, the registered manager works effectively with external agencies to find a solution that works best for the child. For one child, the registered manager sourced one-to-one tutoring in the home. As a result, the child completed their GCSEs. Staff explore a range of options with the children to attend further education, training and employment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children said they are happy living in the home and that they feel cared for and listened to by staff. The children have clear routines and boundaries in place, which are consistently implemented by staff.

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

Children’s needs are known and understood. Their plans are clear, detailed and have guidance for staff to follow. The children are encouraged to attend multi-agency meetings about their care to share their views and wishes about the care that they receive.

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

There have been occasions of bullying in the home. Staff have been quick to respond to conflict between the children to reduce incidents of bullying. Staff support the children to understand difficult emotions and identify positive strategies to manage these. As a result, incidents of bullying have reduced. Inspection report for children’s home: 2696856 4 Staff physically hold children as a last resort. On one occasion, staff have physically held a child to keep them and others safe. The recording of this incident reflects the actions taken by staff to de-escalate the situation. There is clear management oversight and scrutiny as to the appropriateness and proportionality of the restraint used.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff immediately follow the children’s missing-from-home assessments. Staff are proactive and persistent in their attempts to locate children. Records of the missing-from-home incidents are detailed and include actions taken by staff to return the children safely home. Staff talk to the children to understand their experiences of going missing from the home and use this information to reduce the risks that children face.

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

Staff are professionally curious about risks to the children when in the community. The registered manager works effectively with external professionals to implement creative strategies to reduce risks to the children. Staff carry out direct work with the children to develop their knowledge of risks they may face and to understand how to keep themselves safe and make positive life choices.

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

When searches of children’s bedrooms are required to safeguard children, staff do not always respond in a timely manner. This means that children are at risk of harm for longer than is necessary. These shortfalls are not always identified by the registered manager through her monitoring and review systems.

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

Leaders and managers do not always ensure that robust and impartial recruitment procedures are followed. This does not ensure that staff are recruited safely and without prejudice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She is aspirational about the children’s futures and is child centred. She knows the children very well. She leads by example to create a nurturing environment for the children. Staff say they enjoy working in the home and feel well supported by the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager communicates very well with partner agencies. She advocates for the children and escalates concerns when the children’s needs are not being met. Professionals said that the staff are providing excellent care for the children. One social worker said, ‘They go the extra mile.’ Another social worker said, ‘They never give up on [name of child].’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager prioritises staff development. Staff are provided with a wide range of training to meet the individual needs of the children. The registered manager carries out appraisals of staff’s practice annually.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they have lots of opportunities to discuss and reflect on their care of the children during regular team meetings and supervision sessions. However, records of team meetings do not evidence in-depth discussions about the children or staff’s Inspection report for children’s home: 2696856 5 learning and development. This is a missed opportunity for the staff to discuss the quality of care they provide to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Throughout the inspection, shortfalls have been identified in the quality of children’s records. Several records lack sufficient detail, context and rationale for decision-making. This is a missed opportunity to capture the progress and experiences for the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2696856 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi)(vii)) 15 November 2024

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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; and

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 15 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2696856 7 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that monitoring and review systems identify and address shortfalls in staff practice to improve the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s records contain sufficient detail and include rationale for decision-making.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure robust scrutiny and impartiality when undertaking recruitment procedures.

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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: 2696856 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Optimum Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Beckett Rawcliffe Limited, Unit 17, Sovereign Court, Wyrefields, Poulton Industrial Estate, Poulton-le-Fylde FY6 8JX

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Inspectors

Leanne Carr, Social Care Inspector Chrisoula Contoyianni, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2696856 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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