Children's Home run by Olive Grove Learning Ltd in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2691034 1 Registered provider: Olive Grove Learning Ltd Full inspection 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 is registered to care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 2691034 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/08/2024 Full Good 22/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2691034 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy living at this home. Children have trusted relationships with staff and benefit from staying connected with the adults who cared for them long after children move on from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make lots of progress while living at the home. They are treated as individuals and are supported to become more independent. This results in children developing essential skills for adulthood. One child said they feel the home has stabilised them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is a priority for staff, who provide clear expectations to children about engaging in their education. Staff consistently encourage children to go to school, promoting a positive attitude to learning. When children cannot go to school, staff support them to complete schoolwork in the home to help maintain their learning. One professional said that staff have provided fantastic support for children and their educational needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to a range of enjoyable experiences. Staff ensure that children have access to activities they want to take part in. Children are comfortable asking staff to go to activities they want to enjoy and have confidence that staff will listen to them. This helps children to know their voice can influence the experiences they have.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff spend additional time gathering the children’s views, wishes and feelings. When children’s wishes are not acted on, staff do not always tell children the reasons why. This can leave children feeling confused and uncertain about broader aspects of their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has multiple repairs that need to be completed. Most of the repairs have been reported to the landlord. However, some areas of disrepair have not been identified and there is no plan to rectify this. Some pose a risk, such as cracked tiles and mould in bathrooms. Additionally, some areas of the home are not sufficiently cleaned, including the children’s bedrooms.

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

Staff help children to understand their own risks. Children are supported to develop essential knowledge, skills, and strategies to keep themselves safe. For example, children are developing better coping strategies to manage difficult emotions. There has been a reduction in incidents of going missing from the home for one child.

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

Room searches are appropriately carried out when there are concerns that children may be at risk. Searches are effective in helping to manage unsafe situations. Staff’s approach is sensitive. They see children’s privacy and dignity as significantly important. Inspection report for children’s home: 2691034 4 Staff ensure that children are present or made aware of all searches that are carried out. This well-managed practice is helping children to be safer.

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

Concerns regarding staff conduct and practice are investigated and managed appropriately. Investigations are effective and completed in a timely manner, and outcomes are communicated with the relevant people. Any actions identified from investigations are carried out as soon as possible, so that children are safeguarded.

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

Risk assessments are detailed and provide staff with direction about the actions they must take to keep children safe. Staff know the children’s risks. However, risk assessments do not reflect all of children’s risks and therefore do not give staff all the information they need to meet the children’s needs.

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

Leaders and managers are committed to the care and well-being of children. They have high aspirations and are proud of the children’s progress and achievements. Their ethos, and their commitment to the children, is present throughout the staff team.

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

Monitoring systems to support management oversight of the home are not effective. As a result, the manager does not have consistent oversight of practice, resulting in some concerns not being identified and a subsequent lack of direction for staff.

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

The manager does not always recruit safely to the home. There are gaps in the checks completed on staff prior to them working at the home to assess their suitability to work with children.

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

Staff manage incidents where children are at risk quickly and effectively to safeguard children. However, the manager has not always notified the regulator of significant incidents. This prevents regulatory oversight. Additionally, important information that comes to staff’s attention about children’s safety is not consistently shared with social workers.

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

Managers advocate for children. They challenge decisions relating to the children’s care to ensure that they have the support they are entitled to. One child said this is the first time they have felt advocated for. Leaders’ and managers’ working relationships with external agencies secure better outcomes for children and contribute to their progress.

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

Staff enjoy working in this home. Regular, practice-related supervisions provide safe spaces for staff to reflect on their practice and the progress children make. Team meetings provide dedicated time for staff to collectively develop their skills and knowledge and identify training opportunities. Inspection report for children’s home: 2691034 5

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished, and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)(d)) 7 August 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— 7 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2691034 6 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(b) (2)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they consider any increased risks associated with children or concerns regarding staff practice when notifying HMCI. 7 August 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are able to see the results of their views, wishes and feelings being listened to and acted on. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 23, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2691034 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Olive Grove Learning Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 35 Newbury Street, Sunderland SR5 1NG

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Inspector

Sarah McGow, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2691034 8 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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