Children's home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd in Cheltenham

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Significant shortfalls were identified during the inspection of this home. Some of these shortfalls relate directly to the safety and well-being of young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some young people go missing. Assessment of risk at these times is insufficient and does not tackle the considerable risks that young people face. These include access to drugs and weapons, including a gun. Guidance for staff is limited and does not sufficiently outline how any of these risks should be managed. This absence of guidance does not help staff to understand their roles and responsibilities for protecting young people. For example, staff are not told at what time young people should be reported missing to the police. When young people leave the home and/or go missing, the responses by staff are inconsistent. For example, sometimes staff follow the young people, but at other times they do not. Staff do not always search for young people in line with their care plans or the registered manager’s expectations. On one occasion, staff did not assess the safety of an address where a young person was due to stay overnight. As a result, he was

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

unprotected from potential harm by unknown adults. These shortfalls mean that staff are failing to take effective action when there are risks to young people. Consequently, young people are placed at significant risk of harm, and this limits the progress that they make.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

In the office safe, there is a knife with a serrated blade of approximately four inches. The registered manager was unaware of this. The member of staff who found the knife failed to take effective action – they did not inform the registered manager. There is no evidence that the police were notified. Furthermore, the registered manager was unable to locate any record of this incident. These shortfalls do not offer young people adequate protection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some young people do not have formal education placements. The registered manager and staff do not always take enough action to resolve this issue. Staff neither challenge the local authority enough, nor advocate enough for some young people. Young people do not engage regularly in the alternative activities offered by the home. Not all staff do enough to encourage them to engage. These issues prevent some young people from achieving their educational potential. Some young people display challenging and aggressive behaviour. At times, staff use physical restraint to respond to it. On one occasion, a young person complained that he had hurt his head during an incident which involved the use of restraint. Staff neither took appropriate action to secure medical advice nor monitored the young person. This put the young person at risk and did not meet his health and well-being needs. Records of incidents involving restraint are not

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

always clear. Specifically, there may be several holds/techniques used during an incident. Staff do not always describe effectively each individual technique. Consequently, the duration of each hold is not always clear. This hinders effective management oversight. Furthermore, the records will not be helpful to young people should they wish to review them in the future.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A number of young people have moved into and out of the home since the last inspection. In some cases, young people left positively due to appropriate planning. In other instances, young people had to leave the home quickly due to concerns about their behaviour. This was not always a positive experience for them.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All of the young people who have moved in have done so in emergency circumstances. On some occasions, admission planning was poor, with risks not always tackled adequately. Guidance for staff was minimal and not always followed. This means that the day-to-day care provided did not protect young people. For example, staff working at the home during the night did not ensure sufficient supervision levels. This placed young people at potential risk of harm from other young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager does not consider adequately the experience and skills of the staff team before young people move in. Consequently, not all staff have the skills required to meet young people’s needs. The registered manager does not provide staff with key training in a timely way. This includes training in how to support young people who may display sexually harmful behaviour or go missing. Consequently, the ability of staff to support young people, understand their needs and keep them safe is reduced. These shortfalls negatively affect the progress that some young people make and the quality of their day-to-day experiences of living at the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager does not always make sure that staff are safely vetted prior to starting their employment. This specifically relates to staff from a recruitment agency. Shortfalls include incomplete employment histories and the failure to verify (so far as reasonably practicable) the reasons why previous positions and employment have ended. This lack of rigour in vetting agency staff puts young people at risk from potentially unsafe adults.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff do not always receive adequate support. Senior staff do not offer the frequency of supervisions outlined in the company’s own policy. This is particularly concerning as several staff are still in their probationary period. Consequently, staff are not receiving the guidance that they need and should be given. The registered manager’s oversight is insufficient. Monitoring and review processes are poor. They lack rigour and do not contribute to continuous improvement. For example, ‘quality of care reviews’ do not sufficiently ascertain or consider the views of young people, staff, families or professionals. They do not adequately monitor, review or evaluate the quality of care offered to young people. These issues limit the registered manager’s understanding of the impact that the care provided at the home is having on the progress and experiences of young people. Because of these shortfalls, the registered manager had not identified the weaknesses outlined in

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

this report. Additionally, he has not met four of the seven regulatory shortfalls identified at the last inspection. These include issues relating to staff skills, safe recruitment, staff supervision and day-to-day safeguarding practices.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some aspects of record keeping require improvement. For example, some records are not clear and contain incorrect dates or initials. In addition, the ‘admissions and discharges log’ does not contain all of the required detail. Specifically, the log does not always show the young person’s address immediately before being accommodated at the home. Nor does it consistently state the statutory provision under which they are accommodated.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Despite the concerns highlighted in this report, some young people make progress in key areas. For example, one young person’s behaviour has improved significantly and they are doing well at school. Because of this, they will be returning to their family home. A social worker talked positively about this, stating: ‘He is doing well. He has 100% attendance at school.’ Another young person attends college regularly. He enjoys a range of positive activities, including attending Sea Cadets and the Children in Care Council. This has increased his confidence and self- esteem.

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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 23/05/2016 Full Good 25/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 30/06/2015 Full Requires improvement

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the education standard, the registered person must ensure that: (1) children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. 06/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the health and well-being standard, with particular reference to injuries, the registered person must ensure: (1)(a) the health and well-being needs of children are met. 06/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered person must ensure that: (2)(a)(i) staff 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; (v) staff understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; (vi) staff take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; (b) 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. 06/01/2017

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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 staff skills and monitoring, the registered person must: (2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and 06/01/2017 use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 14. The care planning standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must ensure that children: (1)(a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; (b) have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 06/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children’s home if full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in schedule 2. (Regulation 32(3)(d)) 06/01/2017

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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 33(4)(b)) 06/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that, within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes a description of the measure and its duration. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(iv)) 06/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the records (in schedule 4) are kept up to date. (Regulation 37(2)(b)) 06/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45(2)(a)) 06/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45(5)) 06/01/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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 0300 123 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 looked after children 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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