Oasis Restore Trust

Inspection report for secure children's home: 2801375 1 Oasis Restore Trust Sir Evelyn Road, Rochester, Kent ME1 3ND

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this secure children's home

This secure 16-19 academy is operated by a charity, Oasis Secure School Trust. It is approved by the Secretary of State to restrict children’s liberty.

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Information about this secure children's home

The secure children’s home can care for up to 22 children aged between 12 and 18 years. All places available at the home are commissioned on a contractual basis by the Youth Custody Service.

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Information about this secure children's home

The commissioning of health services in this home is the statutory responsibility of NHS England under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

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Information about this secure children's home

This is the first secure 16-19 academy to be operational and this is the first inspection of the secure children’s home since it was registered with Ofsted in August 2024. There were 16 children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

Children's education and learning requires improvement to be good Children's health requires improvement to be good How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The secure children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected Inspection report for secure children's home: 2801375 2 Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for secure children's home: 2801375 3

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improvement to be good

Arrangements for ensuring that children are receiving consistently good care are not yet embedded. Consequently, children’s experiences vary in quality.

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improvement to be good

The environment is well maintained, safe and secure. However, communal areas are not decorated in a way that makes them feel homely, and most children’s bedrooms do not have personal items that reflect their interests and identity. As a result, children do not have a sense of ownership and pride in their surroundings. One child said that the environment brings back difficult memories of time spent in a clinical setting.

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improvement to be good

Children do not always receive predictable support from staff. Children told inspectors that staff do not have consistent boundaries and expectations. Staff feel disempowered because of a lack of clear incentives for children. These factors are having a negative impact on some children’s ability to learn how to build and maintain positive relationships with each other and with staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff are knowledgeable about children’s strengths and vulnerabilities, and children’s care and support plans accurately reflect their needs and most-relevant risks. However, not all children’s plans sufficiently explain children’s faith or cultural identity. This has inhibited the ability of the staff team to provide sensitive support that meets children’s cultural needs and confidently promote equality and diversity.

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improvement to be good

Children say that they can speak to staff if they have any worries or concerns. Children benefit from key-work sessions that reflect their personal circumstances and help children, particularly those who are at the home for longer periods, to achieve meaningful goals. One child spoke with pride about the progress that they have made. The child described resilient support from staff. The child said, ‘At first, I tested staff by rejecting their help, but they kept coming back and I realised that they weren’t giving up.’

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improvement to be good

Working in partnership with people who are important to the children is given high priority. Staff are committed to maximising opportunities for children to spend time with their families. Staff advocate effectively for children to have more family time when this is in children’s best interests.

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improvement to be good

Family assessment work is undertaken by a designated team of practitioners. The service was developed by a working group that carefully considered the feedback from a parent with lived experience of having a child who received care in a secure environment. Family members who agree to engage in the assessment process help the multi- disciplinary team to have a well-rounded view of children’s needs. Individualised support packages that are beneficial for children and their families are created as a result. Inspection report for secure children's home: 2801375 4

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Children's education and learning: requires improvement to be good

Senior leaders, managers and staff use the information from assessments of children’s skills in subjects including English and mathematics, as well as education, health and care plans, to identify what children already know and can do when they arrive at the home. Staff work with children to identify their educational goals and aspirations. Staff plan learning activities that will prepare children well for when they leave the home. Staff make sure that appropriate learning support is in place where required. However, teachers do not consistently support children to develop appropriate behaviours. For example, they do not persistently challenge inappropriate and discriminatory language.

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Children's education and learning: requires improvement to be good

Not all tutors use the information available to them to plan learning that is aspirational, so that it meets children’s needs. A minority of children make good progress from their starting points. For example, they develop their vocabulary, sentence construction and confidence in interpreting information. In carpentry, children learn how to use hand tools and interpret drawings. In culinary skills, children learn how to make a range of sweet and savoury meals. However, attendance at lessons is not consistently good for too many children.

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Children's education and learning: requires improvement to be good

Senior leaders and managers have planned a curriculum that allows children to study a wide range of personal, cultural, health and economic and vocational subjects and topics. These support children’s personal development and help to broaden their career aspirations. They explore areas such as barbering, carpentry and cookery. However, the breadth of the education curriculum is not sufficient to meet the needs of children of compulsory school age. Too many teachers plan courses based on the requirements of the awarding body syllabus. There is insufficient inclusion of broader topics, such as science, history and geography. Those children who are ready for examinations have undertaken and achieved functional skills qualifications.

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Children's education and learning: requires improvement to be good

Senior leaders and managers plan learning that supports vulnerable learners and enables them to participate in education. For example, vulnerable learners are taught mathematics and English in the residential area if this is required. Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and are effective in working with colleagues to plan a personal curriculum that supports them to develop educationally, personally and socially. For example, children with complex needs are supported to self-regulate through song writing and rapping, which enables them to express their emotions.

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Children's education and learning: requires improvement to be good

A strong enrichment programme, partly provided by external partners, is available to support children's wider social, emotional and physical development and well-being. However, senior leaders do not have sufficient oversight of children’s attendance at these enrichment courses. As a result, they are unable to assess the effectiveness of these courses in developing children's skills, confidence and social skills. Too many children miss these sessions. Senior leaders have taken action, such as implementing training for residential staff. This training covers strategies to support children to develop the behaviours expected, such as being punctual and attending all lessons. However, it is too early to see the impact of this. Inspection report for secure children's home: 2801375 5 Senior leaders provide teaching staff with a well-planned, continuing personal development programme. This supports the development of knowledge and skills in, for

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Children's education and learning: requires improvement to be good

example, behavioural management strategies and sharing good practice in teaching and learning. However, senior leaders do not focus training enough on improving teachers’ teaching and assessment skills. Consequently, teachers do not use teaching and assessment strategies sufficiently well to ensure that children master new skills and remember what they have learned.

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Children's health: requires improvement to be good

There are areas of the home that are dedicated spaces for health appointments and consultations. These areas are clinical and not decorated in a child-friendly way. This has the potential to prevent children from feeling comfortable and hinder children’s willingness to participate in their health consultations and appointments.

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Children's health: requires improvement to be good

Only a small group of staff have received training that equips them to safely store, administer and record medication. These staff are also expected to undertake a range of other duties and therefore do not have sufficient time to dedicate to these tasks. Consequently, there have been several medication errors. Examples include a child receiving medication that should have been discontinued, a child receiving the wrong dose of medication, and staff not signing for medication that had been administered several hours earlier. These errors had the potential to have a negative impact on children’s health and well-being, but this has not occurred.

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Children's health: requires improvement to be good

When children arrive, they are assessed by a healthcare professional using the Comprehensive Health Assessment Tool. This helps to identify current and previously unidentified health needs. The assessment then informs next steps, such as help with dental care, appointments with the on-site GP or an audiology referral. Health professionals routinely visit children in the residential areas to ensure that children’s existing and emerging physical and mental health needs continue to be identified and met.

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Children's health: requires improvement to be good

When children’s presentation indicates that they require assessment for neurodiversity, this is actioned without delay via the in-house neurodiversity pathway. This means that children who might have autism and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can be diagnosed at an early stage in their stay, or have their specific needs met in other ways. Where necessary, children are also assessed by speech and language and occupational therapists. As a result of this responsive approach, children’s individual care and support needs are fully understood. This helps them while they are staying at the home and will contribute to improving their health outcomes when they leave.

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Children's health: requires improvement to be good

Children moving on from the home benefit from thorough transition planning by the multi-disciplinary team. This starts from the time that children arrive. Transition plans clearly describe the actions that adults need to take to help the child to stay healthy in the future. The plans are written collaboratively with children and, where possible, their parents. Empowering children to have a view about how their own health needs can be Inspection report for secure children's home: 2801375 6 met, and thoughtful transition planning, help children to feel better prepared for moving on from the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s safety and well-being are priorities for senior leaders. However, managers and staff working directly with children do not demonstrate an approach to safeguarding children that is consistently good.

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improvement to be good

When managers or staff make senior leaders aware of incidents where children are at risk of harm, senior leaders take swift and decisive action to ensure the safety of children. On one occasion, staff and managers failed to recognise a safeguarding concern. Consequently, this was not escalated to senior leaders. The child did not come to harm during the incident, although there was potential for them to do so.

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improvement to be good

Senior leaders have provided managers and staff with training in best practice, including the legal criteria that determine the circumstances when single separation, where children are locked into an area alone, and being managed away, where children are locked into an area but always with staff present, can be used with children. However, the use of these measures for short periods in recent days has not been recognised and recorded as such by managers and staff. As a result, they have not been robustly scrutinised by senior leaders.

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improvement to be good

When consequences are used in response to behavioural incidents, they are not reliably captured in records. Some records are incomplete, some do not demonstrate that consequences are relevant to the incident and not all records include children’s views. This shortfall in recording undermines senior leaders’ ability to understand the consequences used and ensure that they are fair, effective and applied consistently.

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improvement to be good

Positive behaviour is promoted through helping children to develop self-control, resilience and an ability to learn new strategies to manage their emotions. When incidents between children occur, staff respond sensitively and make effective use of de-escalation techniques. As a result, the need for physical restraint is kept to a minimum and is proportionate. When it does occur, children are seen by a member of healthcare staff. Comprehensive debrief sessions are held with all the staff and children involved to identify areas for staff development and consider how to reduce the risk of a recurrence.

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improvement to be good

Staff recruitment records demonstrate that safe recruitment practices are understood and implemented by the manager and staff responsible for this area of practice. This reduces the potential for unsuitable adults to be employed at the home.

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improvement to be good

When staff identify shortfalls in the practice of their colleagues, they report them to senior leaders without delay. Concerns are taken seriously, investigated and acted on. This culture of openness helps to keep children safe. Inspection report for secure children's home: 2801375 7

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Senior leaders have faced significant challenges since the home was registered. There have been difficulties with recruiting and retaining managers and staff who have suitable skills, experience and the values and attitude that senior leaders are seeking. This has affected the quality of management monitoring and oversight, and the morale of the staff team. Senior leaders, managers and staff have minimised the impact of the difficulties on children effectively. Senior leaders are aware of, and committed to addressing, the gaps in specialist expertise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Not all line managers have the skills and experience that they need to scrutinise staff performance and take decisive action when practice needs to improve. This means that, on some shifts, there are not enough strong role models to provide advice and guidance to less-experienced staff and ensure that high standards of care are being maintained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Senior leaders are actively recruiting to fill staff vacancies. In the interim, they are making sure that there are sufficient staff to safely care for children by accommodating fewer children than the home is currently registered for. Senior leaders take other steps to seek to mitigate any negative impact on children, such as arranging for external companies to provide suitable enrichment activities. Children speak positively about the range of activities on offer. Despite the actions of senior leaders, several staff members told inspectors that they are deeply concerned about the current staffing arrangements. This demonstrates that there is a disconnect between the views and experience of staff and the senior leadership team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff are not receiving supervision and appraisals at the frequency deemed appropriate by senior leaders. As a result, staff do not have regular opportunities to reflect on their practice or discuss their professional development. Not having protected time with their line managers is particularly significant for the staff at this setting currently, due to the inexperience and low morale of the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The statement of purpose has not been subject to meaningful review since the home opened. The children’s guide contains complicated language that makes it unlikely to be accessible to all children. These shortfalls risk staff and children being unclear about the home’s intended aims and objectives, and children not fully understanding their rights.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There has been a significant change in use of a neighbouring building since the home opened. Senior leaders have assured inspectors that they have carefully considered whether this poses any risk to children and concluded that it does not. However, the home’s location risk assessment has not been updated and therefore does not demonstrate that sufficient thought has been given to ensuring that there is no negative impact on children’s safety and well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Senior leaders and managers work in partnership with other professionals effectively. Managers proactively advocate for children and challenge decisions made by other professionals when they believe that those decisions are not made with children’s best interests in mind. Inspection report for secure children's home: 2801375 8 Senior leaders understand many of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. While many of the challenges that they face are similar to those that exist in other settings caring for children, this is the first ever secure academy. Therefore, some of the challenges are unique to this setting and so leaders and managers are tackling them for the first time. They are committed to developing the service to achieve the best outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Senior leaders have recognised that, at these early stages of the home's operation, more needs to be done to ensure that staff can fully understand and implement the therapeutic model of care and provide consistently good care, education and healthcare to the children. Inspection report for secure children's home: 2801375 9

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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

that the home's day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person, alongside other senior leaders, should ensure that all safeguarding concerns are recognised as such and are appropriately managed. 31 March 2025

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person, alongside other senior leaders, should ensure that all line managers have the skills and experience that they need to scrutinise staff performance and take decisive action when practice needs to improve. 31 March 2025 Inspection report for secure children's home: 2801375 10 Leaders and managers should ensure that they fully understand, and address, staff concerns that there are not enough suitably skilled staff to consistently provide the support that children need to enhance their experience of care.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person, alongside other senior leaders, should ensure that management monitoring and oversight of children's records are sufficiently robust to ensure that they are clear and accurate and that they fully describe the actions taken in response to concerns about children's safety and well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children's home. (Regulation 23 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person, alongside other senior leaders, should ensure that there are sufficient staff who are suitably trained to safely administer medication to children. 31 March 2025

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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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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)(i)(ii)) 31 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills. (Regulation 9 (1)) 31 March 2025 Inspection report for secure children's home: 2801375 11 In particular, the registered person, alongside other senior leaders, should ensure that children's faith and cultural needs are explained in their plans.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child's behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person, alongside other senior leaders, should ensure that all incidents of single separation and managing away are recognised and recorded as such. 31 March 2025 Inspection report for secure children's home: 2801375 12 The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

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

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that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(b)) 31 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 31 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 31 March 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person, alongside other senior leaders, should ensure that they further improve the quality of education, by ensuring that teachers plan learning that is aspirational for all children, making sure that children consistently attend lessons and remember what they have learned as a result of attending lessons. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 26, paragraph 5.2)

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Recommendations

 The registered person, alongside other senior leaders, should ensure that records of sanctions demonstrate that their effectiveness is monitored. Any sanctions used to Inspection report for secure children's home: 2801375 13 address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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Recommendations

 The registered person, alongside other senior leaders, should ensure that the children's guide is age-appropriate, provided in an accessible format and explained to each child to make sure that they understand it. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 24, paragraph 4.21)

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Recommendations

 The registered person, alongside other senior leaders, should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home's location, and strategies for managing these. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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 secure children's home: 2801375 14

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Secure children's home details

Registered provider address: The Oasis Centre, 1 Kennington Road, London SE1 7QP

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Inspectors

Helen Simmons, Social Care Regulatory Inspection Manager Thirza Smith, Social Care Inspector Tash Williams, Social Care Inspector Gemma McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Carolyne Brownsea, His Majesty’s Inspector, Further Education and Skills Daniel Carrick, Children’s Services Inspector, Care Quality Commission Inspection report for secure children's home: 2801375 15 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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