Royal Oak House
- Registered: 2001
- Registered Places: 3
- DfE Education: Yes
- Assessment/Therapy: Yes
- Step Down Placements: Yes
- Staff Ratio: 2:3
Royal Oak House - A 'Good' Children's Home
" Since the last inspection in January 2024, one child has moved back to their family home. Two children have remained living in the home and are making great progress. Another child has come to live at the home and is settled, which is a significant step for them. Staff are familiar with the children’s individual needs and provide support which follows routine and boundaries. Children have been able to form bonds with trusted adults, which has helped them to feel safe and better regulate their emotions and behaviours.
Children like living in the home and are well listened to. They have lots of opportunity to talk about their ideas for the home and are supported to personalise their bedrooms. This offers children a sense of belonging and pride in their environment.
Children are supported to enjoy a wide range of hobbies and are encouraged to explore their interests and try new things. The children like having time to both learn and play. There are photos of the children scattered around the home, enjoying exciting activities in the community and having fun together.
Managers advocate for children to have access to schools that will best meet their individual personalities and needs. Children have been successfully supported with difficult transitions into new schools, and one child is attending school regularly for the first time.
Staff guide children at a pace which helps them to build self-confidence and keep safe. As a result, children are making meaningful positive progress in all areas of their lives. One child has been helped to learn to use the train and go to a local shop on their own for the first time.
The registered manager is an advocate for the children’s relationships with their families. Support is carefully planned to ensure that children have positive contact with people who are important to them. For one child, special arrangements were made to have quality time with a parent when they came to stay in the local area.
Parents are happy with the quality of care provided to their children and value the progress children have made. One child’s parent told inspectors that they felt staff at the home were ‘encouraging and positive’ and they can see the huge difference in their child."
Ofsted Inspection - October 2024 - Full report available by request
Residential Care
Royal Oak House is registered to accommodate three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.
Since 2009 we have primarily worked with young people with mild to moderate learning difficulties and these young people have gone on to make some exceptional progress in their personal development despite some complex needs and associated learning disabilities.
The home is situated in a largely residential village and is indistinguishable from other family homes and provides a homely environment which is both warm and friendly ensuring that the young people feel safe and secure.
The staff team have received a wide range of training courses to meet the variety of needs that the young people display. The young people benefit from the staff team at Royal Oak having strong links to support their educational and health needs which involves collaborative working with other agencies to ensure that the young people receive the most appropriate service.
We offer personalised care planning and identify clear strategies of support in meeting their complex needs.
The young people receive substantial support to prepare them for a successful transition into their adult life and this support is adapted to meet individual needs to enable each young person to take some responsibility and informed decisions for example using public transport or arranging routine health appointments.
At Royal Oak, the young people benefit from excellent levels of care and support from a dedicated staff team. It is evident that the supportive and warm relationships that exist between the young people and the staff team promote a nurturing environment that enhances the young person’s self-esteem and enables them to grow in confidence and recognises that they are valued and cared for.
The staff team understand the importance of encouraging the young people to take responsibility for their behaviour and decisions supporting them when they make poor choices. The staff team have a good understanding that any behaviour that the young people display is a form of communication and recognise that it invariably reflects their thoughts, feelings and needs. The staff team recognises that by building strong relationship between the young people and themselves contributes to a safe environment where they can express themselves knowing they will be helped and comforted if upset. There is a strong emphasis on inclusion and the young people are routinely involved in contributing to day to day decisions about their progress, which promotes a positive outlook and experience of being looked after and cared for.
Education
The home is directly affiliated to both our DfE registered, specialist SEMH schools: The Davenport Primary School and The Old Priory Secondary School.
The respective school and the home work in close partnership to ensure continuity in respect of learning support, achieving developmental goals and behaviour management.
The Davenport School (Key Stage 2: 7-11yrs) offers a differentiated curriculum in order to meet the individual learning needs of each young person. The school operates with small group settings where children are closely supported and supervised by a qualified teacher and learning support assistants.
The Old Priory School (Key Stages 3 & 4: 11 – 16yrs) offers the national curriculum allowing for GCSE study in essential subject areas, alongside alternative, differentiated curriculums, including ASDAN and City & Guilds NPTC vocational awards, both of which lead to nationally recognised qualifications.
Assessment & Therapy
Children and young people residing in our care have access to a range of assessment and therapy services including:
- Psychological Assessment
- Psychotherapy
- Systemic Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Speech & Language Therapy
- Equine Therapy
- Music Therapy
- Drama Therapy
- Art Therapy
- Play Therapy
All therapy referrals are overseen by the organisation’s dedicated Therapy Services Manager in consultation with the allocated social worker and other key stakeholders as appropriate.
Our assessment and therapy services are an inclusive element of our residential care provision and attract no additional funding requirement.
Health Support
In addition to our therapy services and panel of consultants, each of our homes have direct access to a health promotions worker and, in the event of any significant health concerns arising, oversight from a registered, dual diagnosis nurse. This ensures effective, professional guidance in respect of health profiling, together with the immediate and ongoing health needs of each individual child and young person placed in our care.
Statement of Purpose
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