Children's Home run by Oakfields Children’s Care Limited in Tameside

Inspection report for children’s home: SC069176 1 SC069176 Registered provider: Oakfields Children’s Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It offers care for up to 5 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 5 children were living at the home. The inspectors spoke with all the children during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2008.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: SC069176 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/03/2026 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/03/2025 Full Good 20/02/2024 Full Good 28/06/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC069176 3

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home and another has moved in. Leaders and staff are committed to building positive relationships with children, which supports their emotional wellbeing. Children’s education is prioritised. When they are unable to access formal education, they receive tutoring at the home. The home provides children with space to socialise and relax, and they are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms. However, some areas of the home require maintenance. The home benefits from a stable manager who knows the children well. However, some shortfalls have been identified in the consistency of monitoring and review systems. This affects the provider’s ability to demonstrate effective oversight consistently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they like living in the home and enjoy spending time with staff. They can identify staff members they would turn to for support, as well as those they enjoy having fun with. One child described the staff in the home as ‘mint’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into and out of the home are well planned. Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home. Staff warmly welcomed the child and supported them to settle quickly. Another child is preparing to move on to semi-independence. They have been supported by staff to develop their independence skills, including through the use of an annex attached to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff prioritise children’s education. When children are unable to attend formal education, tutors visit the home to support continued learning. As a result, children remain motivated and engaged in their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Consequences recorded in children’s plans do not always reflect practice in the home. In addition, the appropriateness and impact of these consequences are not always fully considered. This includes the use of measures such as restricting access to electrical sockets in children’s bedrooms.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a property of significant historical heritage, with many unique and original features. Children are given the opportunity to personalise their bedrooms, and there is ample space throughout the home for them to relax and socialise. However, several areas require maintenance and improvement. These include external repairs to fascias, soffits and chimneys and the removal of the scaffolding once the works are complete. Door handles require fitting to all internal doors, including children’s bedrooms and the living areas. Repairs are also required to the door and door frame of the upstairs toilet. In addition, all rubbish, including wooden pallets and plastic chairs, should be removed from the garden. The rear courtyard requires weeding and repairs to the fence. Inspection report for children’s home: SC069176 4

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

The home commissions a psychologist and therapy dog to support children’s emotional wellbeing. They visit the home and spend time with children, including going on walks, which provides opportunities to practise mindfulness techniques. This support enables children to discuss their worries and develop healthier ways to manage their feelings and emotions.

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

Staff respond calmly and with warmth when children are upset. This promotes children’s sense of emotional safety and supports them in building trusting relationships with the adults caring for them. As a result, physical intervention is rarely used.

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

Leaders and managers provide staff with risk plans to follow. However, these plans do not always identify all known risks for children or provide clear guidance on the actions staff should take when risks arise. As a result, staff are not always clear about their roles and responsibilities during incidents where children may be at risk. For example, when one child returned home under the influence of alcohol, staff did not seek medical advice and failed to monitor the child’s wellbeing. This shortfall reduces staff’s ability to respond effectively and compromises children’s safety.

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

Leaders and managers have made changes to improve the quality of conversations that staff have with children about risk. These improvements are beginning to have a positive impact. However, restrictions on the use of e-cigarettes in the home are not always applied by staff or clearly understood by children. In addition, staff do not always speak to children about the risks associated with the use of e-cigarettes. This is a missed opportunity to promote children’s safety and support them to make healthier choices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She has a visible presence in the home and is well respected by the staff team. As a result, there is a low turnover of staff, and children are cared for by a consistent staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have received training on therapeutic care and are beginning to embed this into practice. However, leaders and managers have not provided staff with the opportunity to undertake substance misuse training, which is a known risk for one of the children living in the home. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that staff have the skills to recognise and respond to risks for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager receives supervision from a clinical psychologist. However, this is not undertaken regularly and lacks sufficient depth. In addition, not all staff, including the registered manager, have appraisals from leaders and managers. This means that some staff members have not had the opportunity to reflect on their practice, review their progress or identify areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not have robust monitoring and review systems in place. As a result, shortfalls in staff practice and gaps in guidance to manage risk are not Inspection report for children’s home: SC069176 5 consistently identified. Consequently, when incidents occur, opportunities to learn and implement improved strategies to keep children safe are sometimes missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not always ensure that all relevant documentation for children is in place, including education, health and care plans, as well as records of strategy meetings. In addition, there is limited evidence of appropriate challenge or escalation when this information is not received in a timely manner. Inspection report for children’s home: SC069176 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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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) (2)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

staff are provided with training that is tailored to children’s specific needs, including, but not limited to, substance misuse;

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Requirement Due date

robust monitoring systems are in place to identify shortfalls in staff practice or gaps in guidance for staff to follow when managing risks for children.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated. 5 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC069176 7 The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that property maintenance issues are promptly addressed.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated. 5 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

risk plans consider all known risks to children and provide clear guidance for staff on the actions they must take when risks arise;

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Requirement Due date

restrictions on the use of e-cigarettes in the home are applied by staff and understood by children. Staff must speak to 5 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC069176 8 children to ensure that they are aware of the risks associated with the use of e-cigarettes.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (case records) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they receive all relevant documentation for children, including education, health and care plans and records of strategy meetings. 5 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement relates to all staff, including the registered manager and responsible individual. 5 August 2026

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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: SC069176 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oakfields Children’s Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Library Chambers, 48 Union Street, Hyde, Cheshire SK14 1ND

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Inspectors

Ruth Mortimer-Jones, Social Care Inspector Sarah Gilbert, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC069176 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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