Children's Home run by O’Connell Care Group in Worcestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2744065 1 Registered provider: O’Connell Care Group Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded. The care and experiences of children and young people are poor, and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2744065 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/06/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2744065 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

During the inspection, the child living at the home spoke with the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children who live in this home are not always kept safe, and they do not always receive safe care. This, combined with the poor leadership and management of the home, negatively impacts children’s experiences and progress. These shortfalls have contributed to the overall judgement of inadequate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Two children have moved into the home since the last inspection. Ineffective care planning, poor decision-making and a failure to assess risks effectively resulted in the children having to move out quickly because the staff were unable to keep them safe. One child lived in the home for three days. They had previously harmed another child, but this risk was not assessed before they moved in. Multiple serious incidents occurred, which significantly affected a child who already lived in the home and increased their vulnerability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Another child, who was extremely vulnerable to harm, lived in the home for six weeks. They consumed large volumes of alcohol and attempted to harm themselves. Staff were not sufficiently skilled or confident to support the child in times of crisis and meet their needs. The child moved on after six weeks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

One child has lived in the home for 12 months. While this milestone was recognised and celebrated with a gift and card, the child has felt unsafe in their home due to the behaviour of another child. Despite the challenges, the child is making some progress from their starting point. The child is learning important life skills as they prepare for adulthood. This includes using public transport to visit their friends. Their confidence is growing, which promotes their well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff understand the importance of education. They understand the child's barriers to learning and are working hard to help them reframe their thoughts about it. Staff are aware of the child's wishes and are actively exploring alternative education and work experience opportunities. The child is happy about this, as they want to pursue a career in the beauty industry. The two children who moved on quickly did not access any education and did not make any educational progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The atmosphere at the home is warm and friendly. The environment is clean and well maintained, and it is safe for children.

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

Staff do not consistently safeguard children who live at the home, and they do not always adhere to safeguarding procedures. For example, when a staff member told the manager they had purchased vape juice for a child, no action was taken for two weeks. Inspection report for children’s home: 2744065 4 The staff member continued to work with children during this time, and information was not shared with external safeguarding agencies to protect children. This leaves children vulnerable to harm. The interim manager took action to address this shortfall during the inspection.

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

In stark contrast, when a child made an allegation about staff practice, safeguarding information was shared quickly. Staff members concerned did not work with children during investigations. This safeguarded the children and the staff.

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

The use of physical intervention is rare. However, on one occasion, a child’s safety and well-being were not promoted. A staff member held a child using an unapproved technique, which compromised the child’s safety. Leaders failed to identify and challenge this poor practice. Records of restraint are not always maintained, and other records are poorly written. Leaders do not scrutinise or evaluate the incidents to ensure that the restraint practice is fair, necessary and proportionate. This is also a missed opportunity to identify and amend any shortfalls in staff practice.

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

Leaders have failed to assess and reduce risks to children. Some significant risks, such as missing from home, self-injurious behaviours, and alcohol consumption, are not assessed, and staff are not provided with adequate guidance to manage them. Additionally, the quality of the children’s plans varies. This hinders staff’s ability to keep the children safe.

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

Staff fail to follow safety plans for children, which compromises children’s safety. Some serious incidents could have been avoided. On one occasion, a child obtained prescribed medication because staff did not store it securely. The child took an overdose of tablets, which posed a risk to their health. This poor practice has not been addressed with the staff involved to improve safety following this incident.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been fewer instances of children going missing from home. When this happens, staff search for children and warmly welcome them home on their return. However, leaders do not evaluate the incidents to consider trends and themes for children or identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff. Return home interviews for children do not take place to ensure that their views and experiences are captured to inform safety planning and keep them safer.

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

Despite the shortfalls in staff practice, the child who remains living at the home told inspectors that they feel safe and have positive relationships with staff. The direct work staff carry out with the child helps them manage their feelings and emotions. These positive experiences build trust and provide children with the necessary guidance during their most vulnerable times. As a result, the child is making some positive life choices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been no registered manager at the home since June 2024. A manager was appointed, but they failed to apply to register with Ofsted during their 10 months of employment. They were not at work while safeguarding investigations were taking place, Inspection report for children’s home: 2744065 5 and they chose to resign from their role with immediate effect. The responsible individual also resigned just before this inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

An acting manager, who was previously the deputy manager, is currently leading the home as an interim measure, and she feels well supported. Plans are in place to stabilise and strengthen the leadership team. However, the management changes have been unsettling, which contributes to the instability and inconsistency in children’s care and safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that they have effective monitoring systems. Shortfalls are not identified, and poor practice goes unnoticed and unchallenged due to the lack of robust quality assurance systems. There is a significant lack of reflection and learning to promote children’s safety and welfare. Over the last six months, there has been insufficient action to make improvements at the home. This does not assure Ofsted that leaders can take action to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders have failed to ensure that staff have the skills to meet children’s needs and keep them safe. Training has not been provided to help staff meet the children’s individual requirements, including those with autism. As a result, leaders cannot be assured that staff have the necessary skills to provide effective care for children. This places children at risk of harm because staff lack the necessary knowledge and skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home fails to notify Ofsted of all serious incidents. This compromises external oversight of safeguarding practices in the home. Furthermore, Ofsted has not received the home's revised statement of purpose. This means the placing authorities will not know what is happening for their children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The interim manager advocates for children and has challenged a decision they feel is not in the child’s best interests. This shows her dedication to wanting the best outcomes for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is a core group of staff. This means the child receives consistent care from familiar staff during this unsettled time. Staff enjoy their jobs, and they feel supported. They receive supervision, which they say is helpful to them and provides time and space to reflect on their work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Due to the significant shortfalls identified as part of this inspection, three compliance notices and a notice restricting accommodation have been issued. Inspection report for children’s home: 2744065 6

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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

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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the homes child protection policies;

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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 effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

all staff, including leaders, are aware of their roles and responsibilities to protect children. Safeguarding policies must be followed; 20 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2744065 7 all individual risks are assessed, and guidance is in place for staff to follow to keep children safe;

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Requirement Due date

leaders scrutinise restraint practice to ensure that it is safe, fair, necessary and proportionate to promote the safety and well- being of children. Any learning must be shared to inform practice.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, when children go missing from home, information gathered from return home interviews must inform safety planning to keep children safe.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for 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

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

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that quality assurance systems are robust and effective to support the continual 20 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2744065 8 development of the home in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Prompt action must be taken when shortfalls are identified to ensure that children’s safety and welfare are promoted.

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Requirement Due date

Staff must be skilled and competent to meet children’s individual needs.

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Requirement Due date

*The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that before a new child moves into the home, all known risks are thoroughly assessed. This includes assessing how a child will live safely with children already accommodated, taking into account children’s views.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the skills and abilities of staff must be considered during care planning to promote the safety and welfare of children.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 20 July 2025

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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

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. 20 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2744065 9 (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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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 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 20 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2744065 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: O’Connell Care Group

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Inspector

Amy Richards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2744065 11 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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