Children's home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd in Cheltenham

Inspection report children‟s home: SC482141 1 SC482141 Registered provider: Beacon Child Care Limited

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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 registered to provide care for four young people up to the age of 18. The home offers care for young people who have behavioural and/or emotional needs. The home is privately owned.

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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 inadequate

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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: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Three compliance notices have been issued since the last inspection. Inspection report children‟s home: SC482141 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children‟s home requires improvement to be good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The home has not had a registered manager for over 26 weeks.  The home‟s behaviour management policy lacks sufficient guidance to help staff understand about measures of control and discipline.  Staff fail to record measures of control and discipline in accordance with the regulations.  Staff do not have the necessary knowledge in behaviour management, fire safety and online safety  Not all staff have completed their level 3 diploma in residential childcare within the required timescale.  The independent visitor‟s report does not provide an assessment of the home‟s arrangements to safeguard and protect young people.  Managers have not challenged other services.  On one occasion, a member of staff was designated as a shift leader without the sufficient experience for the role.  Some staff do not have regular supervision or annual appraisals.  The manager has not ensured that the workforce plan includes the frequency of

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff ensure that young people‟s risk assessments are kept up to date and identify all known risks.  Staff help young people to develop age-appropriate independence skills.  Young people‟s contact with their family is encouraged and supported.  Staff are now better vetted prior to commencing work with young people.  Staff encourage young people to take part in wide range of activities.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/08/2017 Full Inadequate 14/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/12/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 23/05/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC482141 3

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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, 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 registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children‟s home if there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27(1)(a)) 16/02/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that any individual who works in the home in a care role has achieved the appropriate qualification by the relevant date. The relevant date is, in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32(5)(a)) 03/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) This is in relation to staff receiving training in behaviour management, online safety and fire safety 16/02/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(a)) 16/02/2018

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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)) 16/02/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out the measures of control, discipline and restraint, which may be used in relation to children in the home. (Regulation 35 (1)(b)) 16/02/2018

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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 the name of the child, details of the child‟s behaviour leading to the use of the measure, the date, time and location of the measure, a description of the measure and its duration, details of any methods or steps taken to avoid the use of the measure, the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used; and the effectiveness and any consequence of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)) 16/02/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC482141 4 The registered person must ensure that, within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person authorised by the registered person to do so, has spoken to the child about the measure, has signed the record to confirm it is

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Requirement Due date

accurate and within 5 days of the use of the measure adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)) 16/02/2018

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Recommendations

 Where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child‟s needs during their time in the home or in preparation for leaving the home, the home must challenge them to meet the child‟s needs (see Regulations 5(c)). („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 12, paragraph 2.8)  Ensure that there is a workforce plan in place which can fulfil the requirements of Regulation 16 Schedule 1. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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improvement to be good

Improvements in young people‟s overall experiences and progress have emerged since the last inspection. For example, staff encourage young people to make progress in their education. Good communication between staff and teachers has helped young people to make progress in their learning. One young person is attending college and is exceeding all expectations. As a result, he is predicted to complete his course ahead of time. Working closely with teachers is helping another young person to move to a new school that can better meet his needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff follow young people‟s individual health plans and ensure that young people have support to attend routine appointments with their dentist, doctor and optician. Arrangements are in place for young people to have access to specialist health services in accordance with their needs. Young people develop weekly activity schedules, which promote their involvement in community activities, hobbies and interests. As a result, young people take part in a variety of leisure pursuits including playing football, pool and going to the cinema. Young people know why they take medication and what might happen if they do not take it as prescribed. As a result, young people enjoy good physical and emotional health.

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improvement to be good

Individualised daily routines help young people to develop their independence skills. For example, young people are encouraged to clean their bedrooms, organise their laundry and help to prepare snacks and drinks. In preparation for leaving care, one young person has benefited from a specific independence programme, which has helped to Inspection report children‟s home: SC482141 5 improve his skills in budgeting, shopping and preparing for meals. This has helped to give him the necessary knowledge he needs for his move to supported living.

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improvement to be good

Staff support young people to stay in touch with family and friends. This helps young people stay connected with people who are important to them and supports them in maintaining a positive sense of self-worth and identity.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that young people live in a warm, clean and a homely environment. When maintenance issues arise, staff ensure that these are promptly addressed.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that risk assessments include detailed management strategies and that the assessment remains up to date. Since the last inspection, staff have increased their vigilance of bullying between young people. Staff have become more creative in their work so that young people understand the impact of bullying on each other.

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improvement to be good

Weekly meetings give young people the opportunity to discuss menus choices and weekly routines. These meetings also include regular discussions about the impact of bullying, equality and diversity. When young people now raise complaints, the manager ensures that these concerns are investigated and that the young people are informed of the outcome. One young person told the inspector, „I have felt safer more now as they actually respond to my complaints.‟

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improvement to be good

All young people have individualised missing from care protocols. These protocols help staff to take action so that young people are quickly found safely. There are no young people at risk of child sexual exploitation or radicalisation. Young people have access to wi-fi in the home as agreed in their individual care plans. However, staff have not received e-safety training to help raise their understanding of the risks young people can face when accessing social media.

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improvement to be good

Despite considerable progress in some areas of practice, the staff team‟s approach to young people‟s behaviour remains weak. The behaviour management policy lacks detail about the action that staff should take when young people act outside of acceptable boundaries and expectations. The absence of guidance and insufficient staff training in behaviour management means that staff struggle to understand the causes of young people‟s challenging behaviour. In some instances, staff will apply a consequence without the necessary understanding of what they are trying to achieve. For example, staff will repeat a reparation for a young person who keeps breaking objects, despite this action having no effect on the actual behaviour.

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improvement to be good

When staff use these types of negative consequences, they fail to keep a detailed record. The oversight of these records is equally weak. For example, one record has no date and time of the consequence. This record has had no managerial oversight.

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improvement to be good

Managers have responded promptly to advice from the West Midlands Fire Service in Inspection report children‟s home: SC482141 6 relation to improving fire safety arrangements. However, some staff still do not have up- to-date-fire safety training. This compromises their awareness of fire safety arrangements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The last registered manager left in April 2017 and a new manager took up post in June 2017. The new manager has submitted an application to Ofsted to be the next registered manager. However, the progress of the registration has been delayed because the proposed registered manager has been absent from work for a period of time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Three members of staff are qualified at the level 3 diploma in residential childcare. The remaining staff are enrolled on the award. However, two members of staff have not achieved their level 3 diploma within the required timescale.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Gaps in the rota are now covered by a combination of permanent staff, bank staff or regular agency staff. This ensures that young people receive care from staff who know their routines and needs. This has helped to reduce young people‟s feelings of anxiety and instability. One young person told the inspector, „The staff are the same now, which is much better.‟ However, on one occasion a relatively inexperienced member of staff was in charge of a shift when a more experienced colleague was unable to attend work. This could have left staff and young people vulnerable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff attend regular team meetings and say that they feel supported. One member of staff told the inspector, „I feel it is so much better. I feel so much more supported. The team take things so much more seriously.‟ However, supervision for some staff remains infrequent. The manager has developed a workforce plan, which gives an overview of individual training and development needs. However, the plan does not detail the process or timescales for supervision of practice. In addition, staff who have been in post longer than twelve months have not received an annual appraisal. These various shortfalls mean that there is a lack of clarity for staff about how and when they can expect to receive formal support to help them explore their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has established good working relationships with other professionals including social workers, teachers and the police. The manager has responded to the recommendation made at the recent monitoring visit regarding ensuring that young people have an independent return home interview after they have been missing from care. However, the manager has not escalated her concerns when the response from the social worker is poor.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Significant improvements in the safe recruitment of staff has ensured that only suitable adults get to work with young people. This prompt action has addressed a compliance notice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

An independent visitor visits the home once a month. However, the independent person‟s reports lack analysis of the effectiveness of the home. This shortfall means that the home‟s strengths and areas for development are not clear to those who make use of Inspection report children‟s home: SC482141 7 the report.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

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 children‟s home: SC482141 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Beacon Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hazlewoods, Windsor House, Bayshill Road, Cheltenham GL50 3AT

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Inspector

Alison Cooper, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC482141 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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