Children's Home run by Omega Care Group Limited in Knowsley

Inspection report for children’s home: 2717322 1 Registered provider: Omega Care Group Limited 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 provider. It provides care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted on 23 February 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home and one child has moved in. There were two children living at the home at the time of the inspection. The inspector spoke to both children about their experiences of living at 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 outstanding

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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: 3 September 2024

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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: 2717322 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/09/2024 Full Good 30/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2717322 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children say they are happy and feel safe at this home. Relationships between children and staff are natural and shared laughter is commonplace. One child said that they ‘love all the staff.’ These positive relationships enable children to feel secure and provide stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff know the children well and speak about them warmly. Staff and children celebrate achievements and milestones with enthusiasm and enjoy shared experiences, such as trips to the hairdresser’s and the gym.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to try new things and are regularly offered opportunities to take part in a range of activities. While children tend not to engage in these, they acknowledge that they have lots of opportunity to try things should they wish.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s views are regularly sought and acted on where possible. When children’s wishes have not been acted on, the rationale and explanations are provided. This shows children that they are important, and their views are listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported with their education, and learning is promoted at the home. Staff sit with children to work through schoolwork and practice exams to best prepare them to succeed. Children are also encouraged to develop their independence skills to help them prepare for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is maintained to a high standard with photos of the children displayed around the home. Children can personalise their bedrooms to their own tastes. One child enjoys having a small pet at the home and carries out all its care, providing an opportunity for the child to learn new skills and responsibility.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Records are generally comprehensive, and the manager ensures that all documents relevant to children and their care plans are available and up to date. However, some records are inconsistent or inaccurate.

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

The registered manager and staff have a good understanding of children’s risks and know how to keep them safe. Incidents are sporadic, and when these do happen, responses are thorough and child centred, with support sought from external agencies if required. This provides children with a well-rounded response from relevant professionals to ensure that their needs are met holistically.

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

Risk management plans are frequently updated to ensure that they remain relevant and useful. Staff have regular conversations with children about risks. This ensures that children know how to keep themselves safe at home and in the community. Inspection report for children’s home: 2717322 4 Children are cared for by a consistent team of staff, who they have good relationships with. This provides children with safe people who they can talk to about any worries or concerns they have. This gives children stability and security, and they know that they are supported by people who care about them.

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

Training for staff is specific to children’s needs and is well attended. The registered manager demonstrates good multi-agency working and strong communication with other agencies to support children. This includes working with mental health services and local police community support officers and sourcing additional training and information through these services to better meet the needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed by an experienced and dedicated registered manager. Staff and children say that they feel very supported by the manager, and positive relationships at the home are evident. The registered manager knows the children and staff exceptionally well. He ensures that he has an excellent oversight of daily life for children and of all incidents at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is aspirational for children. He advocates for the children and prioritises their well-being. Leaders and managers are excellent advocates for children. This ensures that children’s needs are met consistently. Staff, professionals, and children are very positive about the leadership at the home, and this supports stability for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers ensure that there are strong monitoring and reviewing systems to drive positive performance and address any shortfalls swiftly. The home has a positive culture, driven by managers, and staff are supported to develop their skills to carry out their roles to a high standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Supervision sessions, appraisals and team meetings take place regularly across the staff team. These provide an opportunity for reflection on children’s progress, training, areas for development and celebrating achievements. Children’s views are sought before team meetings to ensure that their opinions are heard and considered across the staff team. This promotes individualised and child-centred care of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No requirements were made during this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2717322 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff keep accurate records about children and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child and should be consistent and accurate across all records. (‘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 children’s home: 2717322 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Omega Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 40-42 Kemble Street, Prescot L34 5SQ

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Inspector

Danielle Allen, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2717322 7 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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