Children's home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd in Cheltenham

Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Children and young people demonstrate a resilience that helps them to cope with changes in the home.  Children and young people make good progress across all aspects of their lives.  The atmosphere is the home is now less confrontational and is more relaxed.  Young people have good relationships with their carers.  Staff support access to activities and hobbies and encourage personal interests outside the home.  Young people are facing up to the challenges of independence through their engagement in work experience and other learning activities.  Young people do not go missing, nor are they at risk of exploitation, as a result of the care they receive.  Staff advocate on behalf of young people when they are unhappy with the responses of other agencies.  Managers do not follow safe recruitment processes.  The process for the use of agency staff is not robust.  Some staff have yet to complete basic mandatory training as part of their

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The children’s home provision is good because:

probation.  Staff turnover is high and there are currently three vacancies in the staff team.  Staff are not receiving supervision in accordance with the provider’s own standards.  The home is in a poor decorative state.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meets the Care Standards Act 2000, 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

6. The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, with particular reference to the decorative state of the home, the registered person must ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(b)(vii) provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. 10 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to the safety of the home’s day-to-day care, the registered provider must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(b) 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. 10 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

13. The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with particular reference to staffing, skills and monitoring and review systems, the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child (d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. 10 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual has the appropriate experience, qualifications and skills for the work that the individual is to perform, and full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the 10 July 2016 matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (3)(b) and (d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 32 (4)(b)) 10 July 2016

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children with emotional/behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

25 January 2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

Outcomes for children and young people are uniformly positive. This is a testament to the resilience of children and young people, in response to recent changes within the home. The quality of individualised care is good. This is a real achievement, considering the wide age range and the distinct needs of children and young people at the home.

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Good

The progress that children and young people make in relation to their education, and their emotional, social and psychological well-being, is better than at any point since the home was established. The older young people in placement are both engaged in preparation for adulthood and independence, whilst their younger peers in the home are regular school attenders who are achieving well. Education and training on weekdays is followed by shared mealtimes and chores. Two young people receive extra tutoring to help them to achieve their academic potential.

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Good

All young people have regular, safe and good quality contact with family members. This means that young people’s relationships with loved ones are maintained.

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Good

The views of children and young people are taken into account in the planning of how they will spend their time, either inside or outside of the home. Evenings and weekends are fully occupied with activities in the community, chosen by the young people themselves. These include a range of active pursuits that are enjoyed both individually (sea cadets and gymnastics) and as a group (paintballing and Laserquest). A recent weekend away at a holiday camp gave young people some time away from the home, where they took advantage of the many sports and activities on offer, such as swimming, trampolining and go-karting. These experiences provide physical exercise and social stimulation for the children and young people.

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Good

Although there is evidence of progress by all of the young people at the home, the influence and impact of the home on one young man in particular has been considerable. He lived in seven placements in the eight weeks prior to arriving at the home. His extreme and risky behaviours, at a time of crisis in his life, provided multiple challenges for previous carers. In the six months since arriving at the home, he has developed positive attachments to staff and other young people. His contact time with family members is relaxed. His schoolteacher describes him as ‘an absolute pleasure to have in (the class).’ He is making excellent progress in all of his subjects at school. The effect of the home has been transformative. His mother has seen the transition from the agitated, scared boy on admission to the home, to the happy and settled boy he is now. Praising the work of the staff, the boy’s mother said, ‘What they have done is amazing. They have given my son back

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Good

The lives of other young people have also improved. One young person who was on bail is no longer involved with the youth justice system. He has three separate interviews organised, which he hopes will secure him an apprenticeship. The confidence of another young person has improved considerably. So much so, that he is actively pursuing a place in further education, in another part of the country.

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Good

Relationships between staff and the children and young people are positive. There is a more relaxed atmosphere in the home, reflected in the gentle teasing banter between staff and young people. New staff have had to make relationships quickly. Young people show trust in building relationships with staff, irrespective of whether the staff are longstanding or relatively new in post.

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Good

Although staff have worked hard to prepare young people for their futures by arranging training courses, apprenticeships and other learning opportunities, young people have not always availed themselves of these chances. As they approach adulthood, young people now demonstrate a greater understanding of the responsibilities they will face as they move towards independence.

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Requires improvement

Recruitment processes are not robust. Managers fail to ensure that the proper reference checks are completed on new staff being appointed. This places children and young people at risk from potentially unsafe adults.

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Requires improvement

Managers fail to demonstrate rigour in their use of agency staff. These staff are chosen without a clear understanding of their previous knowledge or experience. For example, an agency member of staff was employed in a temporary capacity, on the basis of limited details from the referring agency. The staff member’s work history did not specify the individual’s experience in physical intervention. No efforts were made by managers to ascertain the exact nature of this experience, and whether or not the techniques used were compatible with those used by the wider staff team in the home. The staff member did subsequently intervene, using a method of restraint that his colleagues were not familiar with. Such a basic lack of consistency in terms of practice poses risks to staff, children and young people.

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Requires improvement

The unsatisfactory use of agency staff impacts on the safety of the day-to-day arrangements of care. Staff and young people in the home were left vulnerable when an agency waking night worker abandoned her post in the middle of the night. This left the home unsecured, left sleeping-in staff unsupported and left children and young people unsupervised.

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Requires improvement

Some staff have not undertaken even the basic requirements of online safeguarding training as part of their induction process. They have not demonstrated that they are equipped with the skills or knowledge on how to keep children and young people safe. Instead of reducing risks for young people, this situation adds to risk for young people.

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Requires improvement

Staff are effective in identifying, understanding and managing behaviours and risks. Support provided helps children and young people to become increasingly aware of their own responsibility to keep themselves safe. This contributes to a feeling of well-being and security for children and young people, which is reflected in their settled behaviours. The support provided means that missing from home episodes do not occur. Young people are not at risk of exploitation. The occasional risk associated with self-harm is managed sensitively and effectively.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager had more than a year’s experience as a registered manager at another home before taking on responsibility for this service in 2014. He holds the relevant level 5 qualification in leadership and management. There has been considerable change within the staff team since the previous inspection. Currently there is one team leader vacancy and two residential care worker vacancies in the team. This amounts to one third of the core staff team. Every member of staff, with the exception of the registered manager, is currently undertaking their probationary period in the home. The widespread inexperience of the staff team means that staff are not yet established and confident in their roles.

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Requires improvement

The quality and consistency of care is compromised by the high turnover of staff. The needs of children and young people in the home are not prioritised in terms of staffing. Too many different adults provide care in the home. In addition to the core staff team, more than 20 part-time and agency staff have worked at the home since the previous inspection. The transient nature of staffing means that it is difficult for young people to make meaningful relationships with adults in the home.

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Requires improvement

Managers do not provide the right supportive environment for staff. The frequency of staff supervision is not in accordance with the provider’s own expectations. This is of particular concern because of the high proportion of staff who are still in their probationary period, and who therefore require a higher level of supervision. Young people with complex needs are being cared for by staff members whose own support needs are not being met.

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Requires improvement

The home is in a poor state of repair. The decoration and repairs that were due after the previous inspection have not been carried out. Paintwork is chipped, wallpaper is torn and stair carpets are worn and stained. The fabric of the building looks and feels neglected. Consequently, the home does not look or feel like a homely and comfortable environment in which to live.

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Requires improvement

The lack of an established management team means that much of the responsibility to address weaknesses falls on the registered manager. Although he understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home, decisive and effective action is not taken on key shortfalls such as staff recruitment and the maintenance of the fabric of the home. These aspects have a considerable adverse impact on the nature and quality of the care provided for young people.

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Requires improvement

Despite the widespread shortcomings identified, children and young people do make progress from their starting points, in accordance with plans made by the placing authorities. The home is achieving its aims and objectives as set out in its statement of purpose.

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Requires improvement

The quality of professional relationships between the staff at the home, families, placing authorities and families is good. Social workers are appreciative of the work that staff do to support children and young people. They value the regular updates they receive from the home.

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Requires improvement

Managers actively challenge other services on behalf of young people when services’ responses are not sufficiently effective. A recent example of this occurred when health services were slow to report test results. When staff were unable to get a conclusive answer, the matter was escalated to the placing authority to assist. Staff act and advocate well for young people, in a range of settings, across a variety of agencies.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children’s home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children’s home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children’s home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of children looked after is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place. However, the children’s home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children’s home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children’s home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. the guidance ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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