Children's Home, Residential special school run by Overley Hall Limited in Telford and Wrekin

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC020558 1 SC020558

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Registered provider: Overley Hall Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to 22 children with severe learning disabilities, sensory impairments and autism. At the time of the inspection, 16 children were living at the home. The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2025 and is experienced and suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is situated on the same site as a special school. A separate residential home for young adults, registered with the Care Quality Commission, is on the school grounds. The inspector only inspected the children’s social care provision at this site.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was undertaken to address specific concerns or allegations received by Ofsted in relation to the management of children’s medication.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s health and well-being are supported generally through the safe administration of medication; however, medication records are not maintained well.

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This monitoring visit

Medication is stored safely in a dedicated locked room; a new large cabinet has enhanced the storage space. The stock of medication is well organised, and each child has a labelled basket for their medication currently in use. Staff are familiar with the process for preparing and administering medication to children. Medication is taken to children to be administered in their location securely.

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This monitoring visit

Staff receive suitable training for the safe administration of medication and are assessed by managers for their competency prior to being able to do this independently. Furthermore, training for specialist health and medical care, including gastronomy care and epilepsy, is provided to staff. Overall, this equips them well for meeting children’s health and care needs. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC020558 2 Managers have established a good working relationship with the pharmacy, following their move to a pharmacy that specialises in catering for residential homes. As a result, medication supplies are well managed. Furthermore, there is excellent partnership working with the local children’s mental health service. They visit the home frequently to review children’s medication.

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This monitoring visit

While relevant training and processes are in place for medication management, there are areas of shortfall in practice and record-keeping. This could result in errors and harm to children’s health.

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This monitoring visit

There are shortfalls in the quality of record-keeping in relation to the administration of children’s medication. Children’s records are not consistently completed in accordance with expectations. For example, there are occasional gaps in records. There is no explanation documented for these omissions. As a result, it is not known if medication was administered or not. This could have a serious impact on children’s health and well-being.

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This monitoring visit

The use of ‘as and when required’ medication is inconsistent. Overall, staff understand this medication and administer accordingly, for example for pain relief. However, there are some children who are given ‘as and when’ medication routinely. While this may be in line with their needs, this is not in accordance with the prescription. This has not been followed up in a timely way with the prescriber.

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This monitoring visit

There are times when handwritten medication administration records are in place. However, these do not consistently detail what month and year they relate to. This reduces the accuracy of children’s records and could lead to errors.

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This monitoring visit

Management oversight has failed to identify the shortfalls in medication practice and records. Furthermore, action is not always taken by managers to address known issues. For example, they do not always request amendments to the pharmacy issued charts. As a result, they do not always accurately reflect current prescriptions. While these are usually amended by hand, this could easily result in errors in medication administration.

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This monitoring visit

Requirements made at the last inspection are outside the scope of this visit. These will be reviewed at the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC020558 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/06/2025 Full Good 30/09/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 31/10/2023 Full Good 01/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC020558 4

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for

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Requirement Due date

whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that medication is given in accordance with the prescription. In particular, this relates to the managers ensuring that staff understand medication that is prescribed on an ‘as and when required’ basis and administer this according to the child’s plan. Furthermore, this relates to the managers ensuring that any required changes are discussed with the prescriber in a timely way.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to managers having effective oversight to ensure that children’s records of administration of medication are accurate. 31 December 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— 29 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC020558 5 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

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff receive safeguarding children training, as well as any additional training, to ensure that they have the skills and knowledge to meet the individual needs of all the children in accordance with the home's statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained-

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part time basis. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff caring for the children achieve a relevant qualification within a specified time frame. 29 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC020558 6 In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child's placing authority effectively in the child's care, in accordance with the child's relevant plans (Regulation 5 (a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the legal status of children is thoroughly explored, considered and understood when making decisions about the children who live at the home, in line with the home's statement of purpose. 29 August 2025

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC020558 7

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Overley Hall Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Overley Hall School, Overley, Telford, Shropshire TF6 5HE

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Inspector

Alison Snell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC020558 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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