Children's Home run by Oracle Care Limited in Central Bedfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC421531 1 SC421531 Registered provider: Oracle Care 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

The home is owned by a private company. It provides care and clinical support for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 19 June 2025.

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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 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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC421531 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/10/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/10/2023 Full Good 06/06/2022 Full Good 25/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC421531 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were three children living at the home at the time of this inspection. Two children have moved in, and no children have moved out since the last inspection. Two children spoke to the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care. They have a say in how their bedrooms are designed and decorated. One child’s bedroom is based on their favourite music artist. There are photos of the children and staff around the home, which contributes to a homely feel and helps to give children a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children said that they can talk to staff if they are worried or upset. Positive, warm and nurturing interactions were observed between the children and staff, with lots of laughter and staff being responsive to the individual needs of the children. The children are very comfortable in the company of the staff and have built trusting relationships with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in activities they enjoy and speak positively about these activities. One child had a holiday booked to Spain, which they were happily looking forward to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote and support children to develop age-appropriate independence skills. Positive relationships with the staff have contributed to the progress that the children have made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education and encourage children to persevere with this. When children have faced challenge or setbacks in education, the home proactively advocates for them. One child has made significant progress with their education attendance. Their attendance was 16% before moving into the home; however, this has been 100% since they started living at the home. Education professionals speak positively about the support children receive from staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to ensure that when children see their families, this time is meaningful. This helps children maintain links with those who matter to them. One child was supported to connect with paternal family members they had not met before, which was a positive experience for them. Another child was supported to re- establish links with their siblings, who are very important to them.

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

Staff have completed the organisation’s mandatory safeguarding and whistle-blowing training. This supports them to provide safe care for the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC421531 4 Staff have a good understanding of the children and risks posed to them. They are sensitive in how they approach and support children to identify and understand these.

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

Professionals are positive about the safeguarding practice at the home. They said they had no concerns with how their children are cared for and safeguarded. The children spoken to said they feel safe living at the home.

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

The children’s guide is child friendly and gives children a sense of what it is like living at the home. The guide also contains information to help children understand who to speak to if they are worried or if they need support outside of the home.

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

Leaders and managers ensure that safe recruitment practices are followed. Staff are assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed. These procedures help to promote the safety of the children by reducing the potential of unsuitable adults working with them.

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

There have been no missing-from-home incidents or complaints from children. The positive relationships staff have built with the children have helped the children feel safe around the staff. They know how to raise concerns and feel listened to. This has helped to create an environment where physical interventions and allegations against staff are rare. When they do occur, they are managed effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified. She has high aspirations for the children. Staff are positive about the manager and the support she provides. The manager was present during this inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have built positive working relationships with professionals involved in the children’s lives. Feedback from a range of external agencies is consistently good. This includes responses from social workers, education staff and parents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have effective management systems. Records are of a good standard and provide information about the care provided to children. Leaders and managers complete regular audits of care practice and the operation of the home, with actions and learning identified to help address shortfalls.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular team meetings and have regular supervisions that are helpful and meaningful. These provide staff with opportunities to discuss their development and any issues or concerns they have. Staff do not always receive annual appraisals of their performance, which means opportunities may be missed to further support staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff complete the organisation’s mandatory medication training. However, there have been delays in updating administration guidance records when medical Inspection report for children’s home: SC421531 5 professionals have made changes to medication doses. This means new staff or staff from sister homes who work at the home may not be aware of the most up-to-date guidance for medication administration. Inspection report for children’s home: SC421531 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. In particular, they should ensure that any medication administration changes recommended by medical professionals are reflected in records and guidance in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. As part of the performance management process, poor performance should be addressed by a timely plan to bring about improvement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

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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: SC421531 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oracle Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suites 1 & 5, Riverside Business Centre, Foundry Lane, Milford, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0RN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Samantha Mitchamson

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Inspector

Anver Rose, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC421531 8 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 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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