Oasis Restore Trust

Inspection report for secure children’s home - monitoring visit: 2801375 1 Oasis Restore Trust

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Provider address: Oasis Restore, Sir Evelyn Road, Rochester, Kent ME1 3ND

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this 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 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. There were nine children living in the home at the time of this visit.

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Information about this 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 children’s home

The secure children’s home has been registered since August 2024. The registered manager has very recently left the home. Recruitment for a replacement is underway.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was undertaken after concerns were received by Ofsted about children’s safety and well-being.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have recognised that a high number of internal doors need to be replaced. This is because they are not sufficiently robust and do not prevent children from passing through them when they are locked, particularly when children are upset or frustrated and are demonstrating this through their behaviour. Replacement doors have been ordered, but due to their specialist nature, they are unlikely to be ready for fitting for two months. Inspection report for secure children’s home - monitoring visit: 2801375 2 Whenever doors become damaged, action is taken to ensure that they are repaired as swiftly as possible. However, some internal doors in the flats have now been damaged beyond repair and can no longer be locked. Consequently, children can move around more freely than usual in some areas. Leaders have ensured that doors to particularly high-risk areas have been strengthened and made safe.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have also reduced the number of children living at the home and the number of flats being used. They have increased staffing levels and carefully risk assessed which children stay in which flat to ensure that their needs are compatible with each other and with the environment. These measures have significantly reduced the risk to staff and children.

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This monitoring visit

Several doors were badly damaged during a short period. This caused some anxiety for children and staff. There has been an increase in instances of children making weapons out of everyday items. Some children say that this is because they have not always felt safe recently. Managers are aware that there is a risk of this behaviour increasing and are taking steps to eliminate this risk as much as possible. For example, they are facilitating an amnesty, making robust risk-led decisions about the items that children have access to and increasing searches of children and their rooms when there is evidence to suggest that weapons are present. Additionally, the frequency of community meetings has increased so that children have more protected opportunities to share their feelings and identify how they would like to be helped and supported. There have been no incidents of children harming others using weapons.

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This monitoring visit

When behavioural incidents occur, staff respond without delay and take effective action to ensure children’s safety. On occasions when physical restraint is necessary to stop children from harming themselves or others, staff hold children for the shortest amount of time possible. Children receive nurturing care from staff following incidents, including when staff are injured. All incidents of physical restraint are subject to robust management monitoring and, when appropriate, learning is identified to improve staff practice.

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This monitoring visit

Several requirements and recommendations were set following the home’s first full inspection. These were not considered in detail during this visit. They are restated and will be reviewed at the next full inspection. However, during this visit, some progress towards meeting the requirements was noted. This includes some changes to the environment that make it more child friendly, actions being taken to improve staff confidence to manage difficult situations and improved communication between senior leaders and the staff team.

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This monitoring visit

There is one new requirement. Leaders have not completed a review of the quality of care provided to children, even though the home has been operational for over six months. This means that leaders have not demonstrated that they have a well- rounded view of the experiences of the children and the impact that the care is having on their outcomes. Inspection report for secure children’s home - monitoring visit: 2801375 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/02/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for secure children’s home - monitoring visit: 2801375 4

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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 with 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 - monitoring visit: 2801375 5 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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Requirement Due date

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)(b) (2)(c)(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 - monitoring visit: 2801375 6 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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

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 - monitoring visit: 2801375 7 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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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and 31 May 2025 Inspection report for secure children’s home - monitoring visit: 2801375 8 any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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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)  The registered person, alongside other senior leaders, should ensure that records of consequences demonstrate that their effectiveness is monitored. Any consequences used to 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)  The registered person, alongside other senior leaders, should ensure that the

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Recommendations

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) Inspection report for secure children’s home - monitoring visit: 2801375 9  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

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for secure children’s home - monitoring visit: 2801375 10

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Inspectors

Helen Simmons, Social Care Regulatory Inspection Manager Tash Williams, Social Care Inspector Daniel Carrick, Children’s Services Inspector, Care Quality Commission Inspection report for secure children’s home - monitoring visit: 2801375 11 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 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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