Children's home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd in Cheltenham

Inspection report children’s home: SC482141 1 SC482141

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Registered provider: Beacon Childcare Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this home. It is registered for up to four young people who have social and/or emotional difficulties. The manager was registered with Ofsted in July 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: Requires improvement to be good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Two compliance notices in relation to the safe recruitment of staff have been issued since the last inspection.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. On 5 November 2018, a head office visit took place after Ofsted received concerns that the organisation was not recruiting staff safely. At this visit, inspectors found shortfalls in safe recruitment practice. On 12 November 2018, a compliance notice was issued in relation to the vetting of staff. To review the organisation’s progress in meeting the compliance notice, a further head office visit was conducted on 9 January 2019. This visit found that the compliance notice had not been met. The compliance notice was re- Inspection report children’s home: SC482141 2 issued on 15 January 2019. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that the home has declined in effectiveness. This inspection found that managers have not taken sufficient action to address some of the shortfalls found at the last full inspection. Consequently, four of the 12 regulatory

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

requirements raised at the full inspection remain unmet.  Managers confirmed to the inspector that shortfalls in relation to the safe recruitment of staff remain.  Young people’s individual risk assessments are not kept up to date about the level of risk or the actions needed to safeguard young people. For example, one young person’s plan has no assessment over the level risk posed by sexualised behaviour. Despite incidents of bullying between young people, none of their risk assessments reflect the specific strategies that staff should use to reduce the risk of further incidents occurring. Two young people’s plans do not reflect the support levels agreed with their local authority, and the registered manager has not assessed the risk from one member of staff working alone with young people.  Young people’s missing from care risk assessments are not up to date. For example, one young person’s protocol does not include the time that staff should

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

report her missing to the police when she does not return to the home at the agreed time. For another young person, new information about his whereabouts when he is missing from home has not been used to update his risk assessment. On one occasion, staff failed to report a young person missing at the agreed time. A lack of diligence by staff in recording and reporting information in relation to young people going missing from the home leaves the young people vulnerable to harm.  The physical condition of the home is still poor. For example, staff do not make sure that food is safely stored. Walls and skirting boards in the kitchen are dirty. A stain remains on the kitchen ceiling and there are holes in the kitchen flooring. The young people’s bathrooms are dirty and there are no hand towels. Doors are grubby throughout the home. The blind is broken in one young person’s bedroom and a set of drawers is damaged in another young person’s bedroom. This

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

continued lack of attention to the cleanliness in the home compromises young people living in a safe and comfortable place.  Two members of staff have still not achieved a level three in residential childcare within the required timescale.  Managers still do not always ensure that the regulator is notified of significant incidents in a prompt way. This prevents external oversight of the home. More positively, the registered manager has addressed some of the regulatory requirements of the last full inspection. She has increased her oversight of physical interventions and is ensuring that the views of young people and staff are considered in the evaluation of the incident. Staff have received training and have benefited from regular supervision. Managers have made sure that young people’s records now hold the necessary statutory documentation. The registered manager has also reviewed the Inspection report children’s home: SC482141 3

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

location risk assessment in consultation with the police and completed a review of the quality of care. Despite the continued shortfalls, young people have made some progress in key areas of their life. For example, one young person has started to attend school after a significant period out of school. Another young person has secured some paid employment and is also doing voluntary work.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/07/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/12/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/08/2017 Full Inadequate 14/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(d)) 01/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— 01/04/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC482141 4 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 and understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. 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. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(v)(b)) 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

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)) 01/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 If it is likely that there might only be one member of staff on duty at any time the manager should make a formal assessment of the implications for children’s care, including any likely risks. This assessment should be recorded and available for inspection by Ofsted and placing authorities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.18)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events

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Recommendations

are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The system should cover the action that should be followed if the event arises at the weekend or on a public holiday. Notification must include details of the action taken by the home’s staff in response to the event.(‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, p 63, paragraph 14.13) Inspection report children’s home: SC482141 5

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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

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

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’.

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Alison Cooper, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC482141 6 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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