Children's Home run by Oasis Adolescent Services Ltd in Oldham

Inspection report for children’s home: 1278753 1 Registered provider: Oasis Adolescent Services Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private provider. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living at the home. All children were spoken with.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1278753 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/03/2026 Full Good 05/02/2025 Full Good 13/02/2024 Full Good 10/01/2023 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 1278753 3

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Summary of findings

A lack of coordinated care planning is stifling children’s ability to make better progress in their lives. This has affected children’s experiences from the outset of moving into the home. There is good collaboration with children’s respective local authorities and input from specialised mental health practitioners. However, despite these efforts, there is a failure to translate this input into meaningful and progressive care planning concerning the children’s day-to-day care.

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improvement to be good

A lack of effective planning results in the manager and staff not being sufficiently prepared when children first move into the home. Additionally, known risk factors in each child’s life are not properly evaluated or planned against. In one instance, this contributed to one child abruptly moving on from the home. Consequently, this resulted in this child moving into an unregistered children’s home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s care plans contain an array of broad, sweeping and hard-hitting statements that do not clearly define what the child’s support needs are. Neither do the children’s plans prompt staff to be curious about the background and characteristics that make up the child, such as their heritage. Worryingly, children are expected to read and sign their care plans despite the content being poorly written and unhelpful to them.

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improvement to be good

Although there are systems in place for staff to communicate important information to one another about the children’s care, this is not always done effectively. In one instance, this resulted in the police receiving inaccurate information that impeded their enquiries. This unhelpful exchange negatively affected the professional relationship between the 2 parties.

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improvement to be good

Educational progress has been achieved for some children. However, it is unclear how children are being supported to move towards accessing full-time education. Again, the lack of implementing a progressive and clear support plan raises the risk of children’s academic potential being unfulfilled.

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improvement to be good

Staff are motivated about their role and enjoy being with the children. One child said that they ‘love’ spending time with staff and enjoyed lots of activities in the community. Importantly, staff take photos of memorable moments that children enjoy, enabling children to have the opportunity to fondly look back on positive experiences. Inspection report for children’s home: 1278753 4

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improvement to be good

Although staff are mostly responsive to managing significant concerns associated with the children’s behaviour, there are fundamental flaws that need urgent attention. Children’s risk assessments and missing-from-home protocols are vague and contain sensitive information that is dated and inaccurate. Consequently, neither staff nor other safeguarding agencies, particularly the police, can rely on this information to better protect children.

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improvement to be good

The day-to-day administration of controlled prescribed medication is clearly recorded. However, this is not the case when controlled medication is taken out of the home for someone else to administer to children. In one instance, this resulted in a police custody nurse having no confidence to administer a child’s medication. Furthermore, there is no written record of the decision-making around this.

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improvement to be good

Staff mostly carry out searches of children’s bedrooms when they have a credible concern about a child’s welfare. However, the practice around this is inconsistent. Furthermore, the written records concerning these events are vague. This makes it unclear whether staff took the necessary steps to safeguard children. Neither are effective steps taken to compile a credible support plan going forward to reduce known risks associated with children’s bedrooms.

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improvement to be good

Staff hold important conversations with children around an array of sensitive issues where children need adult guidance. However, there is not enough forthright action taken to support children to have consistent access to independent advocacy. This is a gap in ensuring children have access to independent support they might benefit from.

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improvement to be good

When poor staff practice is identified, the manager communicates effectively with the local authority designated officer about their action plan. This results in transparent risk management and decision-making associated with specific incidents of concern. Furthermore, effective steps are implemented to determine the suitability of particular staff to continue working with children.

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

Systems to assist the manager’s ability to effectively evaluate the progress of the children’s care are ineffective. Consequently, the children’s care cannot be sufficiently reviewed and adapted to respond to the children’s fluctuating needs. This means some poor practice goes unchallenged, and children’s experiences are not positive.

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

The recording systems in the home are poorly organised and chaotic. This means that information can be hard for staff to retrieve. Leaders and managers have already identified this and have a plan in place to address this by switching to an electronic recording system. Inspection report for children’s home: 1278753 5 There is good input from the children and adolescent mental health services and the organisation’s independently sourced therapist. However, this specialised intervention is not fully garnered as it fails to consistently influence the children’s day-to-day care. Furthermore, children do not have sufficient information before moving into the home that could better aid their understanding of a therapist’s role and what the potential benefits on their lives could be of meeting with a therapist.

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

Team meetings are frequent and well attended. The manager makes a concerted effort to make team meetings an event, which staff appreciate and value. The manager introduces research as well as galvanises staff to share their views on the children’s care. However, agreed outcomes do not consistently pull through to the children’s care plans. This is a further example of a lost opportunity to review and plan the children’s care effectively.

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

Staff are proud to complete their respective diploma awards. Furthermore, staff have meaningful annual appraisals of their performance with clear objectives set around their individual professional development. Staff value their individual supervision sessions.

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

Notably, the manager is enthusiastic and keen to develop their role and experience. The manager encourages learning opportunities, both their own and as a collective team. This will provide the grounds for a learning culture that will inspire reflective practice. In doing so, children are more likely to achieve the outcomes that the team is aspiring to. Inspection report for children’s home: 1278753 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 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(vi)(vii)(b)(e)) 1 October 2026

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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

promotes their welfare. 1 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 1278753 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

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 work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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; and

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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)(a)(b)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, asset out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed; and

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(c)(f)) 1 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 1278753 8 The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s records clearly show which staff member took controlled medication out of the home for another person to administer in an alternative setting. Additionally, the records must show the named person given responsibility to administer the medication and a recording of any reason why the medication was not administered. 1 October 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide helps children to understand the role of therapists and the potential benefits of this, including confidentiality arrangements. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)  The registered person should ensure that there is a progressive plan in place that aims to ensure that children are working towards being in full-time education. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s written records are 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 11.4)

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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: 1278753 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oasis Adolescent Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hobart House, Oakwater Avenue, Cheadle Royal Business Park, Cheadle SK8 3SR

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Inspectors

Steve Guirey, Social Care Inspector (lead) Chrissie Edmonds, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1278753 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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