Children's home run by Little Belsteads Care Home Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1248979 1 Registered provider: Little Belsteads Care Home 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

This home provides accommodation for up to four children aged 8 to 17 years on admission. This home provides care and accommodation for children with learning disabilities or with sensory impairment.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered since February 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1248979 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/03/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/08/2017

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 1248979 3

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the information set out in the statement of purpose accurately sets out the service offered to enable any placing authority to assess that the home is the right one for a particular child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.6)  Ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) In particular, ensure that the risk assessments are updated following any incidents of concern.  Ensure that the internal system for tracking progress during staff probation is followed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  Ensure that information about the child is recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children receive one-to-one care and make notable progress from their starting points. Some of the children use sign language or picture exchange to communicate. All of the children learn and develop effective ways to communicate their needs and wishes. This helps the children to have positive experiences every day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All of the children are in full-time education and every child’s attendance is very good. Some of the children are educated in the school run by the provider. The school and this home are located on the same grounds. The school and the staff from the home have good working relationships and this brings additional continuity for the children’s care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The building and surrounding grounds offer substantial communal and private space for each child to have their care needs met, relax and have fun. The children have a good and varied diet and the staff encourage the children to get involved in some of the meal preparation. The children benefit from the daily routine of sharing mealtimes with staff. This is inclusive and improves each child’s ability to develop socially.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Each child and their family is encouraged to personalise their bedroom and this helps children to settle in. One child has pet fish. The staff take time to understand each child’s personality and as a result the children’s unique and individual needs are very well met. Inspection report children’s home: 1248979 4 Feedback from social workers is very positive. Every child is consistently supported to attend health and hospital appointments. Parents and family members are regular visitors to the home. Parents unanimously say that they feel included in their child’s care and that they and their child receive good support from the team. One parent said, ‘The staff are brilliant. I could not ask any more of them.’ The staff work closely and enthusiastically with parents and professionals to understand the unique support needs of each child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children benefit from a range of opportunities to engage in activities in the home and out in the community, for example feeding animals, swimming and going out to visit local attractions. This is a stimulating environment that helps the children to thrive.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The children are safe. The children are supervised when they go out of the home and the staff spend a lot of time talking to the children and reassuring them how to stay safe. This helps to develop the children’s confidence.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The children do not go missing or run away from this home. The location risk assessment helps to pinpoint potential hazards in the locality. The staff understand the individual children’s vulnerabilities and are clear about whom to contact and the action to take in the event of a safeguarding event.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There have been no allegations against staff. Staff understand that they have a responsibility to trigger the whistle-blowing policy should they become concerned about anything that they see or hear.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The staff implement good routines and structure for the children and so significant incidents are infrequent. Risk assessments help to identify where individual children may struggle emotionally and behaviourally. However, updating of the risk assessments following every event of significance does not happen consistently, which does not ensure that all of the staff remain up to date with any changes required to the approach for working with individual children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The staff encourage the children to be kind and thoughtful when the children are loud or aggressive. The staff manage behaviour positively and encourage the children to take responsibility for their actions. The staff reward and praise good behaviour. Sanctions are rarely used.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

For some of the children, their plan means that physical intervention is at times necessary. Physical management is appropriately logged. The sampled reports demonstrate that the actions that staff take to protect the children from coming to harm or causing significant harm to themselves are appropriate. The staff share information following every incident with the children’s parents and social workers. The manager maintains an overview of the frequency and intensity of events and she actively encourages the staff to reflect on the antecedents from every incident. This ensures a Inspection report children’s home: 1248979 5 focus on the principles of good practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is very experienced and appropriately qualified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team benefits significantly from the manager’s hands-on approach to supporting the team in its work with the children. The manager works tirelessly to embed a positive and supportive ethos across the home. One member of staff said, ‘She does not expect me to do something that she would not do herself.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No regulations or recommendations were raised at the last inspection. Internal and external quality assurance processes help and support the manager to improve the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although newly formed, the staff team members work well together, and senior staff help to ensure that day-to-day practice is consistent. Staff receive regular supervision. The provider has a clear and much-improved structure for staff induction. For example, staff complete training in safeguarding, behaviour management and first aid before working with the children. However, the staff files show that the provider does not follow the internal standard set for tracking progress during the probation period. This does not help staff or managers to monitor any agreed areas for professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Information in the home’s statement of purpose states that care staff implement therapeutic programmes, but this does not happen. However, the staff do provide stimulating, safe, nurturing and enriching experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inconsistencies in how written information is organised and recorded, for example in care plans, are not helpful for any child or parent wishing to see their records. Overall, the record-keeping does not detract from the good support that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, as the numbers of children have increased so has the number of the staff. Some of the staff have come to work at the home with the required qualification and/or previous experience of working with children with learning difficulties. Other staff are building their experience and are enrolled to begin the level 3 qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works closely with parents and other professionals who know the child to plan admissions into the home carefully and in advance. This ensures that the children are appropriately matched and staff have time to prepare for the child’s arrival.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: 1248979 6 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: 1248979 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Little Belsteads Care Home Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Little Belsteads, Back Lane, Little Waltham, Chelmsford CM3 3PP

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Inspector

Rosie Davie, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1248979 8 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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