Children's Home run by Oaktree Childcare Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2764939 1 Registered provider: Oaktree Childcare Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection and was spoken to by inspectors.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2024.

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2764939 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child who is living in the home is making good progress from their starting point. Interactions between the child and staff are warm and mutually respectful. The child said that they like living at the home and spoke positively about the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the child’s restrictive legal order and implement it with care and sensitivity. The staff support the child to understand the reasons for the restrictions and ensure that the child is safe. The child is meaningfully involved in planning how the restrictions are applied to their day-to-day life. This ensures that the child feels listened to and understands the worries about them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child benefits from coordinated care where staff work in partnership alongside a range of professionals. They support the child to attend appointments and seek additional guidance from specialist professionals. This strengthens the child’s safety and ensures that the child has independent professionals to talk to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s time with family is supported in line with the local authority agreed plan. When concerns arise during family time, staff work with partner agencies to develop appropriate plans. This helps to maintain and develop relationships, which is important for the child’s sense of self and identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child takes part in activities they have identified that they enjoy, such as boxing and playing pool. However, staff do not consistently plan activities to ensure that the child has meaningful engagement and opportunities for development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child receives education from a tutor who visits the home three times a week. Before moving into this home, the child had experienced significant gaps in their education but is now making progress to catch up. However, staff do not provide a consistently structured routine to support the child’s informal learning and overall development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health is supported. Staff understand the child’s health conditions and support the child to attend appointments. However, the child uses a vape and there have been no conversations about the health implications or encouragement to stop.

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

The child said that they feel safe in the home. Staff show consistent understanding of the child’s risks and vulnerabilities. They confidently implement plans that help to manage those risks. Plans are well written and clear, providing staff with practice guidance and strategies that help the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2764939 3 Staff manage missing-from-home incidents well. These are reported appropriately and staff are proactive in trying to locate the child. The child’s professional and family networks are updated and a warm and supportive welcome is offered when the child returns. This reassures the child that they are valued and cared for.

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

The quality of direct work with children is a strength of this home. Staff are confident to have open and honest conversations with the child. Staff sensitively support children to understand the long-term impact that some of their choices may have on their future. This supports the child to make informed decisions.

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

The use of physically holding the child has not been required, which is evidence of the staff’s skills and ability to form positive relationships with the child. Furthermore, rewards and consequences are used effectively to enhance the child’s learning and understanding.

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

When there are concerns for the child, room searches are undertaken in a timely manner. These are proportionate and help to keep the child safe

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

Staff like working in the home. They say that they feel supported in their work and highlight the collaborative team-working as a strength. They are committed to improving outcomes for the child.

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

Staff receive regular supervision, which is reflective and offers positive feedback and encouragement. However, the registered manager has not completed training in order to provide supervision to staff. Team meetings are held regularly and support staff to work in a consistent way.

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

The home is staffed by permanent staff members, but there are shortages within the team. Gaps are covered by the existing staff team or bank staff from other homes who know the children, which helps to minimise disruption. However, due to shortfalls in staff sufficiency, staff are at risk of burnout and say that they have difficulty managing their work-life balance.

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

The home requires some decorative improvements to create a warmer, more inviting atmosphere. The home lacks a consistently homely feel and does not provide a well- decorated environment tailored to the child’s needs or wishes.

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

The availability of leaders and the registered manager is limited due to their responsibilities in other areas of the organisation. The registered manager has oversight of significant events in the home, but this is done remotely and the manager is not consistently present in the home. This means that opportunities to support staff and the child are missed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2764939 4 Staff have undertaken training bespoke to the child’s needs. However, gaps in staff training mean that not all staff have the required skills to fully understand all the presenting needs of the child in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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

The registered manager’s monitoring and review systems are not consistently effective. There have been missed opportunities to address shortfalls in staff practice and make improvements to the care that children receive. Issues with staff practice are identified but not challenged, meaning there is no opportunity for staff to learn or reflect on their practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2764939 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

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) (2)(a)(b)(d)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must always ensure that the home’s staffing levels are sufficient to meet operational needs. 24 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2764939 6 In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff practice is challenged when required and lessons learned are captured.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered manager and responsible individual need to be present in the home more frequently to ensure effective safeguarding, oversight and support.

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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. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 24 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(v)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that when children are not in education, there is a clear and structured plan in place for the child each day. 24 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10(1)(c)) 24 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2764939 7 In particular, the registered manager must provide proactive support to help the child reduce and cease their use of vape products.

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Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that all staff are up to date with their training in line with the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that children are able to experience living in a home that is homely. The home’s registered person should seek as far as possible to maintain a homely environment. (‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that children are consistently offered a wide range of activities both inside and outside of the home and are encouraged to participate in these activities. (‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 31, paragraph 6.5

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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: 2764939 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oaktree Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ground Floor, Seneca House, Links Point, Amy Johnson Way, Blackpool, Lancashire FY4 2FF

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Inspectors

Sally Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Vicky Wainwright, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2764939 9 and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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