Children's home run by Octagon Care Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2548528 1 Registered provider: Octagon Care Ltd

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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 owned and managed by a small private provider. The home provides care for up to 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, the home was providing care for 4 children. All 4 children spoke with the inspector.

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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 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: 13 November 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: 2548528 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/11/2024 Full Good 31/10/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/11/2022 Full Good 28/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2548528 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good-quality care from a staff team that works hard to understand and support their individual needs. Staff focus on developing positive relationships with children, which enables them to provide individual, child-focused support. Children can identify trusted staff and feel confident in the predictable care that staff provide.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 2 children have moved into semi-independent accommodation. A third child returned to live with their family following a planned, gradual transition, supported by staff. Three children have since moved into the home. All moves have been well planned and child centred. Staff create an individualised memory package for each child capturing their journey at the home, which is shared with children when they move on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children have faced barriers in accessing education. The manager has worked closely with schools and education professionals to advocate for learning arrangements that best meet children’s individual needs. As a result, 2 children have successfully returned to full-time education after a significant period of non-attendance. For one child who recently moved into the home, staff are working with their placing authority and local schools to identify a provision that meets their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s health needs well. Children are registered with relevant health services and are encouraged to attend appointments. When children choose not to attend, staff complete direct-work sessions to help them understand the importance of looking after their health. When there are concerns regarding children’s emotional wellbeing, staff seek support from clinicians and adapt their practice based on therapeutically-informed guidance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with opportunities to engage in activities both in the home and in the local community. Staff actively seek children’s views and plan activities around their individual interests. Children enjoy regular one-to-one time with their key workers to ensure that their views are heard. Staff also promote group activities with other children in the home, to develop relationships where appropriate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively promote children’s independence skills. Children are encouraged to take part in cooking and other household tasks. Where appropriate, children are also supported to make their own appointments, to develop their skills to prepare them for independent living.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children maintaining their relationships with family and friends. Staff promote children’s time with their loved ones and have worked hard to develop positive relationships with family members to support this. Inspection report for children’s home: 2548528 4

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

Staff have a good understanding of the individual risks faced by children and of the strategies in place to support their needs. All children have a comprehensive risk management plan that is reviewed by the team on a monthly basis. This ensures any new or emerging risks are communicated well and supports consistent practice across the staff team.

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

Children rarely go missing. There has been only one such incident since the last inspection. Staff responded effectively, ensuring that the child was located and returned as soon as possible. Staff listened to the child’s views on their reasons for going missing and shared these responses with professionals involved in the child’s care. Subsequently, no further incidents have occurred.

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

Significant incidents in the home are responded to in a predictable and consistent manner. Staff focus on educating children about the impact of negative behaviours and use high levels of praise and reward to reinforce positive choices. Staff are therapeutic in their approach and use their positive relationships with children to de-escalate any incidents.

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

Children understand how to make a complaint. When one child said they were unsure of the process, staff reviewed the information previously shared and ensured the child had a clear understanding. When complaints have been made, they have been managed effectively, with children’s safety and wellbeing prioritised. Children have been kept fully updated throughout investigations and have received appropriate support from the manager.

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

A new member of staff worked at the home before receiving an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service certificate. Although the manager ensured that there were clear supervision arrangements, including a non-lone working agreement, this does not meet safer recruitment requirements. The manager and responsible individual acted during the inspection to ensure that effective changes were made to staff recruitment procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a dedicated and suitably qualified registered manager who leads by example and models good practice. She is supported in her role by a deputy manager who is equally driven to support positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are positive about working in the home and enjoy coming to work. Staff say they have consistent support from the management team and feel confident that any issues or concerns will be dealt with in an effective manner. There is a positive and supportive staff culture, with several core staff members having worked in the home for a number of years. Inspection report for children’s home: 2548528 5 The manager is a strong advocate for children and shares progress and updates with staff during regular team meetings and consultations. Staff are encouraged to review children’s plans and assessments regularly and to ensure actions are met by all agencies. When this has not happened, the manager and staff have actively promoted children’s needs and requested further information and updates from external professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision that reviews their professional progress and identifies any areas where support or further development may be needed. Staff are encouraged to reflect on the children’s current needs and to consider if additional support may be helpful. Staff receive appropriate training that enables them to meet the needs of children living in the home. Most staff have completed the relevant qualification, with newer members of staff working towards this within appropriate timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has completed regular reviews of the quality of care for children. However, these reviews do not include clear actions outlining how she intends to maintain or improve practice. This is a missed opportunity to identify areas for development in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager regularly completes appraisals of staff practice. However, as identified at the previous inspection, these do not include the views of children or external professionals. The manager and deputy manager reflected during the inspection on how to gather these views and have put actions in place to ensure that these are included in future appraisals. Inspection report for children’s home: 2548528 6

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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 registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may permit an individual to start work at the home despite the fact that the requirement in paragraph (3)(d) has not been met if—

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information in respect of the individual has been obtained in relation to the matters in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) 3(a)(b)(c)(d) (7)(b)) 5 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2548528 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff members hold a current enhanced criminal record certificate before working in the home in any capacity.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when completing a review, identified actions to improve or maintain the quality of care provided to children are clearly documented. 30 April 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should include the views of the children and external professionals when carrying out appraisals with staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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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: 2548528 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Ashdown Way, Shaw, Oldham OL2 7LZ

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Inspector

Carrie Mayes, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2548528 9 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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