Children's Home run by Oak Childcare Plus Limited in Wolverhampton

Inspection report for children’s home: 1273769 1 Registered provider: Oak Childcare Plus Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to three children who may have had adverse childhood experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2023 and is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living in the home, and one had moved out.

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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: 25 February 2025

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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: 1273769 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/02/2025 Full Good 19/12/2023 Full Good 18/10/2022 Full Good 20/04/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 1273769 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since moving into the home, children have made measurable progress. Staff recognise children’s starting points and celebrate their achievements. They demonstrate a good understanding of the children and support them to build and maintain positive relationships. The manager carefully considers children’s needs and the staff team’s skills before any new admission, ensuring the impact on all children is thoroughly assessed and that safe care can be provided. Challenges between children are managed appropriately. Staff use their knowledge of the children to mediate and promote positive interactions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warmly decorated and well maintained. Both children are pleased with their bedrooms, having chosen the style and décor themselves. These spaces reflect their personalities and interests. The manager responds promptly to maintenance needs, ensuring the environment remains comfortable and well presented for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff advocate for children to receive regular, good ‑ quality education. When children have reduced timetables, staff support home learning to minimise lost learning time. Children’s experiences of education are mixed. One child is making clear progress and has been supported to apply for further education, which has increased their self ‑ esteem and optimism about the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with universal health services and attend regular appointments, supported by staff. When children experience low mood, staff encourage conversations and offer reassurance. The manager works closely with external agencies to meet children’s emotional needs. As a result, one child is now engaging in regular therapeutic support, which they look forward to and feel contributes positively to their mental health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to pursue their interests and talents. One child is proud of their musical abilities and enjoys playing a range of instruments, some of which staff have purchased for them. Staff recognise the importance of social inclusion and consistently encourage children to participate in community activities. When children are reluctant, staff use professional curiosity to understand their anxieties and offer reassurance and strategies to help them feel secure outside the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Photographs and videos show staff spending meaningful time with children. Special occasions are celebrated, and staff make efforts to ensure children feel valued. Both children described enjoying the festive period and said that staff helped make this a memorable and positive experience. This contributes to children developing happy memories. Inspection report for children’s home: 1273769 4

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

Since the last inspection, the home has remained settled, and incidents have been minimal. Staff intervene promptly to prevent situations from escalating. They use their trusted relationships with children to respond in supportive and caring ways. As a result, there have been no incidents requiring restrictive practice and no missing ‑ from ‑ home episodes.

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

To keep children safe, staff follow the strategies outlined in children’s individual safety plans. During incidents involving suicidal ideation or self ‑ injurious behaviours, staff review the environment and remove any items that could present a risk. Robust staff responses and effective management oversight have resulted in a reduction in incidents of this nature.

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

Staff understand online risks and implement consistent safety measures to protect children when they use the internet. These plans are discussed openly with children so they are involved in safety planning and understand the risks associated with inappropriate online activity.

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

Staff apply guidance and boundaries consistently, and children benefit from stable routines. Positive behaviour is recognised with rewards and praise. Consequences are used infrequently and are always reviewed by the manager to ensure they are proportionate. This helps increase children’s emotional security and self ‑ worth.

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

Both children told the inspector that they feel safe in the home. Although they do not always feel comfortable approaching staff when upset, they spoke positively about the whole staff team and described having trusting relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is committed to safeguarding children and providing an inclusive and stable home environment. Their leadership contributes to a calm, consistent setting where children are placed at the centre of practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers remain focused on providing children with stability and security. Recruitment checks are thorough and carefully verified so that only suitable adults work in the home. There has been no use of agency staff, and the children are cared for by adults who are familiar to them, ensuring consistency and predictability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is appropriately staffed to care for two children. The manager intends to increase staffing levels before considering the admission of another child, ensuring that the team can meet children’s needs safely and effectively. The manager confidently challenges senior leaders where needed to promote child ‑ centred decision ‑ making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision that focuses on practice and children’s needs. These sessions also offer opportunities for professional development and advice. Records show that the manager appropriately challenges performance issues to improve practice. Staff Inspection report for children’s home: 1273769 5 use monthly team meetings to discuss children’s wishes, review safety plans and contribute to updates. This collective approach ensures that strategies to keep children safe are well understood by all.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals and parents is positive. They say staff communicate regularly and keep them well informed about children’s progress and welfare. One school professional praised the manager and staff for their collaborative approach, which has contributed to improved education outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although leaders and managers undertake audits, these are not always completed in line with company policy. This limits the effectiveness of review systems and can delay action being taken to address shortfalls. For example, updated statutory documents are not always stored on children’s files, which affects care planning and slows the resolution of identified issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some records contain language that is opinion ‑ based rather than factual. This is not child ‑ friendly and does not fully reflect the child ‑ focused care that staff provide. Inspection report for children’s home: 1273769 6

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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 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

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to leaders and the registered manager carrying out regular and consistent auditing and monitoring. 31 March 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that 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. 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 children’s home: 1273769 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oak Childcare Plus Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 3, Oak House, Kingswood Business Park, Holyhead Road, Albrighton WV7 3AU

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Inspector

Latoya Morgan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1273769 8 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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