Children's home run by Octagon Care Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2548528 1 Registered provider: Octagon Care Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a small private provider. The home provides care for up to for children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, the home was providing care for three children.

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Information about this children’s home

The interim manager has made an 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: 31 October 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2548528 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/10/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/11/2022 Full Good 28/09/2021 Full Good 05/02/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2548528 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good-quality care, which is provided by a consistent staff team. Staff work hard to develop their relationships with children and understand their needs well. Transitions for children both in to and out of the home are planned and supportive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is well promoted in the home. When barriers to learning are identified, the manager and staff are proactive in finding alternative approaches to reduce the impact of these. Two children are currently not accessing further education. However, the manager continues to advocate strongly on their behalf and is working closely with education professionals to identify provisions that meet children’s individual needs. The manager has promptly engaged external professionals to provide one child with alternative options when their further education placement has ended.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are supported and understood by staff. For one child who has a specific health need, staff have accessed related training to ensure that they are knowledgeable around this condition to support the child’s needs. Children are encouraged to attend all necessary medical appointments. When children have chosen not to attend, staff have promoted their well-being by educating them on the importance of prioritising their health and offering additional support as appropriate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children require additional support regarding their emotional health, staff are consistent in their approach. Staff seek out advice and guidance from external therapeutic professionals when this is needed to meet children’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with a range of opportunities to engage in activities in the community. Children have responded well to these, with one child stating, ‘We get to do lots of activities with staff that we have never had the chance to do before.’ Staff have created interactive memory drives for children which reflect their experiences and individual progress. Children can keep these when they move on from the home, which provides them with positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff nurture children’s relationships with their families and friends. This includes facilitating children’s time with their family. Staff regularly transport one child to see their family who live a significant distance from the home. As a result, children can maintain important relationships and develop their networks for the future.

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

Children undergo clear assessments in which individual risk is reviewed and from which staff are provided with actions to follow should incidents occur. Staff are professionally curious and know children well. This means that staff can engage children in open discussions when any concerns have been highlighted. As a result, children are effectively safeguarded in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2548528 4 When risks escalated for one child when away from the home, the manager and staff team took appropriate steps to ensure that the child was safe. The manager engaged with other professionals involved in the care of the child in order to review the concerns and identify clear areas of support, which were then consistently acted on.

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

Staff are skilled in their ability to de-escalate any negative behaviours displayed by the children. As a result, there have been no incidents during the review period, where physical intervention has been required to manage behaviour.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. Since the last inspection, there has only been one incident, which was during planned time with family. This identifies that children are comfortable in the home and adhere to rules and boundaries that are in place.

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

All children have a clear understanding of how to make a complaint. Complaints that have been received have been managed appropriately with multi-agency consultation as needed. Children have been kept fully informed of the progress of any complaints made, which assures them that their views are heard and valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous registered manager of the home has recently changed roles to become the responsible individual. The deputy manager has made an application to Ofsted and is currently interim manager of the home. All children, staff and external professionals were fully informed of the change in management structure which has supported a smooth transition. The manager is ambitious, child focused and leads by example. The manager knows the children well and has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas of development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about working in the home and the support that they receive from management and other staff members. The manager promotes a relaxed and supportive culture in the home, which is well received by both children and staff. Team meetings are regular and well attended. The manager promotes staff engagement in these sessions and values staff input and ideas around practice development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervisions for staff are regular. Records of these sessions document clear reflection on staff practice and discussions around children’s progress. Staff have access to a range of training, which ensures that they have the skills to meet to the needs of the children in the home. The manager has sought additional training where required to meet specific needs of children, specifically regarding an individual health need. As a result, staff have developed a good understanding of the child’s medical condition and are able to offer support to the child as needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback received from professionals and family members is positive about their communication with the home and the care afforded to children by staff. One social care professional stated, ‘The home has stood by [Name of child] and has gone above and beyond to meet their complex needs.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2548528 5 Appraisals of staff are regularly completed by the manager. However, there is a missed opportunity to support staff to reflect on their practice and inform further development, as these do not include the views of children and other professionals. Inspection report for children’s home: 2548528 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should include the views of the children and other professionals when completing appraisals with staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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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: 2548528 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Briony Close, Royton, Oldham, Lancashire OL2 5AL

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Inspector

Carrie Mayes, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2548528 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 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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