Children's Home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1253711 1

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Beacon Childcare

Monitoring visit 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 three young people. The home offers care for young people who have social and/or emotional difficulties. The home is privately owned. The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2018

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This monitoring visit

A monitoring visit took place on 5 November 2018, after Ofsted had received concerns that the organisation was not recruiting staff safely. At the head office inspection, inspectors found that managers had failed to ensure that appropriate vetting procedures were in place when employing new members of staff. Key shortfalls included:  a failure to ensure that appropriate references are obtained  a failure to ensure that a full employment history is provided  a failure to investigate gaps in a person’s previous employment history  a failure to obtain verification of the reasons why a person’s previous employment with either children or vulnerable adults has ended. In addition, the organisation’s safer recruitment policy was not clear about the level of checks needed for the range of professionals who also work for the organisation. As a result of that visit, on 12 November 2018 Ofsted issued a compliance notice in

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This monitoring visit

relation to the safe recruitment of staff. To evaluate the progress that managers have made towards meeting the compliance notice, a further head office monitoring visit was conducted on 9 January 2019. This visit showed that managers have started to make some initial progress to ensure that staff are safely recruited. However, shortfalls remain. For example, managers are still not able to show that they have made reasonable attempts to Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1253711 2 check the reasons why a member of staff’s previous employment with children or vulnerable adults ended. Managers do not thoroughly scrutinise the employment history of some staff, or gain copies of staff qualifications. In addition, for some staff, managers have not ensured that suitable references are gained, or that they can show that references are from authorised persons. Since the last monitoring inspection, managers have updated the organisation’s

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This monitoring visit

safer recruitment policy. However, the policy is still unclear about the level of checks needed for personnel who are not employed to work directly with young people but who may be in contact with them as part of their work. Shortfalls in the safe recruitment of staff continue to place young people at unnecessary risk. This visit has only looked at the compliance notice issued on 12 November 2018. All other requirements and recommendations made at the full inspection on 12 September 2018 have not been assessed.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 12/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/06/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 12/03/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1253711 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 person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. (Regulation 32(1)(3)) * 01/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1253711 4

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Alison Cooper, social care inspector Ms Battersby, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1253711 5 to 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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

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