Oasis Restore Trust

Inspection report for secure children’s home: 2801375 1 Oasis Restore Trust Registered provider name: Oasis Restore Trust Registered provider address: Oasis Restore, 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

Oasis Restore Trust is dually registered as a secure children’s home and a secure 16-19 academy. It is operated by a charity, Oasis Secure School Trust and 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 second full inspection of the secure children’s home since it was registered with Ofsted in August 2024. There were 10 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 inadequate

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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. Inspection report for secure children’s home: 2801375 2 Date of last inspection: 11 February 2025

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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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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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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

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improvement to be good

Children speak positively about some of their experiences of living at the home. They report feeling well cared for and describe positive relationships with staff. However, children say that sometimes managers make ‘confusing decisions’ and this means that children are not always clear about what to expect.

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improvement to be good

Interventions that help children to understand the reasons why they need secure care are of a good quality. Direct work focuses on building self-esteem and provides a safe space where children feel comfortable to open up. Through this means, children are building trusting relationships with the staff, which is supporting their progress.

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improvement to be good

Although staff document consequences well, they are not always consistently applied. Some staff make efforts to resolve issues with children after incidents, but others use a less restorative approach. This hinders children’s ability to fully understand the impact of their actions and learn how to make amends for their mistakes.

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improvement to be good

There is a clear approach to recognising and recording positive behaviour, with staff offering praise to reinforce children’s successes. Several children told inspectors that they would benefit from worthwhile incentives to help them achieve their goals.

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improvement to be good

There have been some improvements made to the environment. Children have been involved in deciding on which soft furnishings and lighting they would like in their lounges. There are personal touches that have helped the flats feel more welcoming. However, the environment is still not as homely as it could be.

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improvement to be good

In practice, staff approach children with care and nurture. When children are having a good day, the records written by staff reflect this well. However, when children are having a challenging day, the language used is often stigmatising and is not presented in a way that would help a child to fully understand the day’s events.

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

Too few children make substantial and sustained progress in their studies. In many cases, teachers need to return to previously covered materials and reteach them because of substantial gaps in children’s attendance and engagement. This slows the progress that children make in many cases. When their attendance is better, children’s progress is at expected rates. Leaders are aware of this weakness, but their actions to improve attendance have not had the necessary impact.

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

The curriculum is mostly suitable for children’s needs and interests. Leaders offer all children mathematics and English, and a broad array of vocational options. Children attend taster sessions to help them to decide their vocational preferences. However, at Inspection report for secure children’s home: 2801375 5 the time of the inspection, the opportunity to study music was no longer available. One child said that this was a ‘big gap’ for him as he had studied it when he first arrived. There are also no broader academic subjects on the curriculum, for example science, for the few children who are in Year 11 or below.

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

Teachers mostly plan and teach their curriculums well. The personal development curriculum covers those topics most relevant to children. This helps children to develop their social skills and social awareness, as well as supporting them to address behaviours linked to offending.

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

During lessons, most teachers ask useful questions and use prompts well to help children improve their work or think more deeply about the topics being covered. When they attend lessons, children are mostly well engaged and work calmly. They use teachers’ feedback constructively to improve both theory and practical work.

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

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from valuable and effective additional support. SEND specialists provide teachers with well-considered and timely guidance. Teachers use this well during lessons to make suitable adjustments to their teaching and provide children with appropriate support.

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

There is insufficient careers guidance and education to help children to prepare for their next stage of education or training. In the few cases where this is available, children benefit from helpful bespoke support. Leaders have developed plans to improve careers guidance and education, but it is too early to judge the impact of these.

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Children’s health: requires improvement to be good

When children are placed in single separation (where they are locked in an area alone due to being a significant risk to themselves or others), they experience inconsistent health support due to fragmented information-sharing between care and health teams. When health interventions do occur, there is a narrow focus on physical health checks. There is minimal evidence to suggest that there is a comprehensive exploration of the emotional impact on children.

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Children’s health: requires improvement to be good

When children arrive at the home, a timely comprehensive health assessment tool (CHAT) is completed; however, the quality of the information available is limited. The lived experiences of children are not fully explored, and professional curiosity is not consistently evident. This reduces the effectiveness of the assessment to inform personalised care and support planning. As a result, children’s health needs are not always fully understood, which means opportunities to tailor interventions are missed.

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Children’s health: requires improvement to be good

The newly appointed family therapist builds trust with children at the earliest opportunity and personalises plans using tools such as social stories to cater to the child’s communication style. Inspection report for secure children’s home: 2801375 6 Children have access to a broad range of health services to ensure their needs are assessed and managed. This includes access to GPs, nurses, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and substance misuse support. Universal services such as dental care, optician appointments and immunisations are also provided on site. Recent improvements have strengthened the delivery of universal health promotion. For example, members of the health team have co-delivered personal, social and health education lessons within the education setting.

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Children’s health: requires improvement to be good

Children now experience safer, more consistent medication support following a service transformation. Staff are trained and assessed for competency, ensuring children receive medication from trusted, knowledgeable adults. Medication is explained in age- appropriate ways, helping children feel informed and reassured. Errors are reported and addressed through clear processes that prioritise learning and safety. These improvements mean children feel listened to and involved in decisions about their health, supporting their overall well-being and trust in the service.

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Children’s health: requires improvement to be good

Children who may have neurodivergent needs are well supported through a clearly defined neurodevelopmental pathway. The health team completes timely assessments and helps children make informed decisions about medication and support options. The approach reflects a strong understanding of neurodiversity and means children have their needs identified and then met at the earliest opportunity.

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Children’s health: requires improvement to be good

Children benefit from a dedicated and knowledgeable health team that demonstrates an ambition to improve care and to get it right for children. Health staff said that they feel supported through supervision and training, which is helping to create a more cohesive and responsive healthcare service.

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improvement to be good

While there are examples of single separation being used appropriately, records do not fully describe the rationale for the use of the measure or how it is being regularly reviewed to ensure that the legal criteria continue to be met throughout the incident until it ends. Although separation is used appropriately, it is used more frequently to keep children safe due to the compromised internal doors.

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improvement to be good

Children say that they feel safe but are often frustrated by inconsistent messages and decisions made by staff and leaders. When children make complaints, they are not always made aware of the actions that have been taken to resolve or respond to them. Although staff are knowledgeable about children’s vulnerabilities, the absence of clear direction and strategies for staff to follow has led to inconsistencies in the management of risks and resolution of concerns.

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improvement to be good

There are occasions when staff use restrictive physical interventions appropriately to protect children and others from harm. At times, staff have used holds that are not recognised as part of the chosen training system and the quality of debriefs is variable. Inspection report for secure children’s home: 2801375 7 This reduces the capacity of leaders to identify areas for staff development, explore the risks around unsanctioned techniques and consider how to reduce the risk of a recurrence. Furthermore, health outcomes for children are not always recorded on the restraint record after children have been seen by the health team, which reduces leaders’ oversight of the care that children receive.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the risks associated with children’s interpersonal conflicts. With support from networkers (staff focusing on resettlement) and sport mentors, these issues are approached with sensitivity and managed well, by using activities such as football as a means to repair and strengthen relationships. Despite good practice in this area, poor management oversight means that there is insufficient learning identified that can be applied to reduce the risk of recurrence.

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improvement to be good

Staff and managers work effectively with external agencies to address children’s specific vulnerabilities. Staff have carried out some meaningful direct work with children to help them understand how criminal and sexual exploitation affects them. Through collaboration with social workers, police, youth offending services and other support agencies, they have developed a more comprehensive understanding of the concerns and the support networks available to children.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment practices are thorough, which means that the checks undertaken mean the right people are employed to work with vulnerable children. Beyond the statutory checks, screening of social media and enhanced vetting for staff with previous employment in prison settings is undertaken to reduce the potential for unsuitable adults to be employed at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders have not fully addressed the requirements from the last inspection and most have been restated. Plans have been formulated to address the issues, but these have not demonstrated meaningful impact.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Communication and dissemination of information has consistently and pervasively been highlighted as a failing by staff, children and external stakeholders. Children feel that they receive mixed messages from staff about day-to-day decisions, which impacts on their relationships with staff and hinders their experiences and well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

While departmental leaders meet regularly to discuss the strategic and operational management of the home, they cannot demonstrate that health colleagues are consistently receiving information to ensure that children’s health needs are responded to following incidents, including physical interventions and single separation. The systems in place to ensure that such pivotal information is shared are not working as intended, and this has not been addressed sufficiently. Furthermore, children’s views are not consistently taken account of in strategic planning such as the health and well- being strategy. Inspection report for secure children’s home: 2801375 8 Quality assurance of records relating to physical interventions and single separation does not provide sufficient scrutiny to ensure best practice. Additionally, managers do not always proactively consult with the local authority designated officer (LADO) to

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

obtain an independent view that would strengthen decision-making about staff conduct. There is also a missed opportunity to seek children’s views around these experiences and identify practice learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Formal supervision and appraisals are not being carried out at intervals deemed appropriate by leaders. When supervision does occur, records do not demonstrate that staff’s views are acted upon. As a result, staff do not feel valued or feel that their views are important. In one example, a staff member contacted the senior leadership team to suggest that incident reviews were shared more promptly so all staff were aware of children’s current risks. However, the staff member did not receive a response from the leadership team and saw no evidence that it had been acted upon.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the last inspection, a high number of internal doors have been damaged and require replacement. Leaders have taken action to minimise the risk to children, including reducing the number of children who are living at the home. The average occupancy of the home since the last full inspection is 58% pending replacement of the internal doors.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A new manager has been appointed and is planning to register with Ofsted. Alongside other senior leaders, he is motivated to address the identified shortfalls. 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)) Restated

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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, including prompt liaison with the LADO service.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person, alongside other senior leaders, should ensure that any required response from the healthcare team following the use of restrictive measures is reliably communicated. 1 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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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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; 1 August 2025 Inspection report for secure children’s home: 2801375 10 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

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)(e)(f)(h)) Restated

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person, alongside other senior leaders, should ensure that communication from leaders is clear and supports staff to provide consistent messages and care to children.

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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 is 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, alongside other senior leaders, should ensure that all restrictive measures and practice concerns are scrutinised through a curious lens so that appropriate actions can be taken.

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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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understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare; 1 October 2025 Inspection report for secure children’s home: 2801375 11 provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice;

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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. (Requirement 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iv)(vii)(viii)(ix)(c)(i)(ii)) Restated

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person, alongside other senior leaders, should ensure that there are continued improvements made to the home environment and that children have appropriate incentives and consequences in place to promote positive behaviours.

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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; 1 August 2025 Inspection report for secure children’s home: 2801375 12 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)) Restated

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person, alongside other senior leaders, should ensure that records demonstrate that single separation is used and reviewed according to the legal criteria. Child and staff debriefs should be completed and recorded in a timely manner for any restrictive measure used.

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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)) Restated 1 October 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— 1 October 2025 Inspection report for secure children’s home: 2801375 13 that staff—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(ix)(x))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children benefit from high-quality and impartial careers education and guidance that supports them to prepare for their next steps. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.13)  The registered person should ensure that staff conduct comprehensive health assessments for children upon arrival that are in keeping with the required standards and provide a springboard for personalised care and support planning. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 36, paragraph 7.22)  The registered person should ensure that all staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non- stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information.

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Recommendations

In particular, information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, 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 secure children’s home: 2801375 14

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Secure children’s home details

Registered provider: Oasis Restore Trust

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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

Tash Williams, Social Care Inspector (Lead) Thirza Smith, Social Care Inspector Jo Birtwhistle, Social Care Inspector Leanne Lyon, Social Care Inspector Saul Pope, His Majesty’s Inspector, Further Education and Skills Harriet Doran, Children’s Services Inspector, Care Quality Commission Inspection report for secure children’s home: 2801375 15 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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