Children's home run by Oracle Care Limited in Central Bedfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC408513 1 SC408513 Registered provider: Oracle Care Limited

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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 who may experience emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 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: SC408513 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/08/2023 Full Good 24/05/2022 Full Good 01/09/2021 Full Good 02/01/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC408513 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good-quality care from supportive and nurturing staff. They benefit from positive relationships with staff, who understand their needs. Staff sensitively manage children’s moves into and out of the home to ensure that their experiences are positive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s education and work with schools to identify any barriers to learning. The registered manager has been proactive in sourcing suitable education for children who have not attended school for a considerable length of time. As a result, all children in the home are engaged with education. The registered manager has advocated on behalf of the children to ensure that they can access appropriate learning that meets their individual needs. Staff support children to engage with education in the home and community, which underpins their learning in line with their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to meet their health needs. In-house therapeutic workers regularly provide professional guidance. This enables staff to provide an informed approach to supporting children’s emotional well-being. Staff have developed positive working relationships with external agencies, which enhances the support for children who are receiving specific therapeutic interventions. One professional said, ‘Working with the home is like working with a family.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff regularly seek children’s views. Staff provide support to children in sharing their views when decisions are being made regarding their future. As a result, children are confident that their voices are heard and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s individual identities are well promoted in the home. Staff ensure that children have opportunities to engage in activities that match their interests. Children have been to the gym, swimming, football clubs and community events with staff. Staff encourage children to personalise their bedrooms to reflect their individual tastes and provide them with a sense of ownership. However, children do not have lockable storage in their bedrooms for personal items.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and relaxed. However, maintenance and improvements to the decor are needed in some communal areas, which detracts from the generally homely environment.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the risks faced by children and provide safe care that meets children’s individual needs. Children are supported to reflect on negative behaviour choices by engaging in restorative discussions with staff. This allows children to develop alternative responses and promotes self-reflection.

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

Children regularly engage in direct-work sessions that are tailored to their needs. As a result, children develop their understanding of risk and how to reduce any vulnerabilities. Inspection report for children’s home: SC408513 4 Children understand how to make a complaint. Updates are provided to children throughout any investigation, which ensures that they feel confident their voices are heard. The registered manager responds effectively to any allegations or disclosures and acts in a timely manner so that children are safe.

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

The registered manager ensures that all children have detailed care and support plans in place which provide clear strategies for staff to help children manage their behaviour. There has been a significant reduction in incidents, which has allowed for a reduction to staffing levels for individual children.

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

Children’s individual risk assessments are clear and reflect children’s individual needs, which supports a consistent staff response. The registered manager reviews these regularly. They are reflective of children’s known behaviours and identify the level of risk they face. These assessments equip staff with an understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and set out action to take in response to any incidents.

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

Staff have the skills and knowledge to de-escalate situations. Physical interventions are used appropriately and only as a last resort. When incidents occur, the registered manager carries out a comprehensive review and seeks guidance from the therapeutic team to identify any learning on how to better support the children. However, the recording of the actual physical intervention techniques can lack detail and clarity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a dedicated registered manager, who leads by example and models a child-focused approach. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the support that they receive from the registered manager and have good experiences of working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has safely recruited new staff into the home. Agency staff are rarely used but when they are, the registered manager ensures that they are suitable and familiar to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager uses reflective discussions in team meetings, which are regular and well attended. In-house therapeutic staff regularly visit the home and encourage reflective analysis with the staff team. This promotes a consistent and informed approach to the support provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that all staff have completed the provider’s mandatory training. In addition, staff have completed training that is specific to the individual children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has good oversight of the home. She uses monitoring tools consistently to promptly identify strengths and any areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has carried out a comprehensive reflective assessment in response to one child moving on from the home. This assessment identified training needs for staff to enhance their practice and build their confidence in responding to Inspection report for children’s home: SC408513 5 specific incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular, good-quality supervision from the registered manager. These sessions consistently focus on the children’s needs and experiences, as well as on staff development, which is actively encouraged. However, there is inconsistency in the quality of supervisions when carried out by other senior staff members.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager reviews the care provided to children in the home on a day-to- day basis and the statement of purpose accurately reflects the care provided by the home. However, there was a delay in the registered manager providing the regulator with an updated statement of purpose detailing staff changes during this review period. Inspection report for children’s home: SC408513 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a homely environment for children to live in, with any necessary maintenance or improvements to decor in the communal areas carried out in a timely way. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that all records of restraint include a detailed description of the restraint technique used. This will support the manager to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)  The registered person should ensure that all staff receive good-quality 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.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that the statement of purpose is kept under review and any changes are provided to Ofsted within the appropriate timescales. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)  The registered person should ensure that children are provided with appropriate furniture, such as a lockable cabinet or drawers to securely store personal items, including any personal information. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.19)

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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: SC408513 7

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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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Inspector

Justina Henry, Social Care Inspector Paula Shepherd, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: SC408513 8 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 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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