Children's home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd in Cheltenham

Inspection report children's home: 1230415 1 Registered provider: Beacon Childcare Interim 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 social and/or emotional difficulties. The home is privately owned.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a manager in post. The manager is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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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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Enforcement action since last 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 monitoring visit, inspectors found there were shortfalls in safe recruitment practice. As a result of this visit, on 12 November 2018, a compliance notice was issued to the organisation 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-issued on 15 January 2019. As the notice remains within the timescale for completion, staff recruitment was not reviewed at this inspection. Inspection report children's home: 1230415 2

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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. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the full inspection, the registered manager has left, and a new manager is in post.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The three young people living at the home at the last full inspection have now left. Their moves were all in line with their agreed care plans. Two new young people have moved in. One of these young people told the inspector that he likes the home, he feels safe and he enjoys the company of staff.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Regular communication between the staff and young people’s teachers has helped both young people to begin to make good education progress. For example, this coordinated approach has helped one young person to increase his school attendance and has helped another young person to maintain his school placement.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff encourage young people to stay healthy. For example, staff encourage young people to participate in physical activities including playing football and getting involved in trips to the park. The support of staff has helped one young person who has a fear of dentists to be confident enough to attend a dental appointment.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Direct work has helped to increase young people’s independence skills. For example, with staff help, one young person has opened a bank account and is now taking responsibility for his finances in preparation for adulthood.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the full inspection, managers have arranged for a pharmacy to dispense medication to the home to help reduce the likelihood of medication errors.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers have reviewed the behaviour management policy. It is now clear how physical interventions that could involve the manager will receive independent scrutiny. This has brought in external oversight of behaviour management practice in the home. In addition, managers now ensure that safeguarding notifications are sent promptly to Ofsted.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The workforce development plan is now clear about the frequency of staff supervision. Since the new manager has arrived, he has begun to make improvements in the frequency of staff supervision. However, he knows that staff supervision is still not in line with the timescales required by the organisation. This means that some members of staff still do not receive prompt opportunities to reflect on their work and to develop their practice.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

One member of staff has still not achieved a level 3 diploma in residential childcare within the required timescale. However, she is now enrolled. Inspection report children's home: 1230415 3 One young person’s records do not hold all the required placing authority’s plans. Young people are still not routinely invited to share their views on the plans that staff write about them. This creates a missed opportunity for young people to play a part in their care plans.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have received training to help them to have a greater understanding of the role of the designated officer and how to report concerns about a person in a position of trust. Despite this increased knowledge, the manager has not consulted one young person’s social worker about how to manage comments that the young person makes about the practice of staff. This includes comments made about receiving scratches. This creates a missed opportunity to have an informed safeguarding plan that will safeguard the young person and staff.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The fire risk assessment does not take into consideration a tumble dryer that is located in a cupboard under the stairs. The manager was also unsure whether fire doors to the ground floor of the home would meet fire safety standards. In addition, the manager has not assessed and/or secured advice to assure themselves that there are no infection control risks as a result of having a sluice cycle washing machine located in the kitchen. These shortfalls have the potential to compromise the safety of young people and staff. During the inspection, the inspector made a referral to the fire service.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some aspects of the presentation and cleanliness of the home require attention. For example, skirting boards and flooring in the downstairs shower room are dirty. There is an unpleasant smell in the downstairs of the home. This detracts from the young people living in a comfortable and welcoming environment.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/08/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/11/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children's home: 1230415 4

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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 the registered person must ensure that the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(2)(d)) 01/05/2019

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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))* 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; or in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)) 04/11/2019

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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)) 01/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child that include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3. (Regulation 36(1)(a)) 01/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 Homes must also meet children’s basic day to day needs and physical necessities. Staff should seek to meet the child’s basic needs in the way that a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met – doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7). This refers specifically to ensuring Inspection report children's home: 1230415 5 that the home is deep cleaned and infection control measures are in place.  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any

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Recommendations

assessed risks on a day to day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  Ensure that children are encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’ supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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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 Inspection report children's home: 1230415 6 Responsible individual: Rikesh Asthana

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Inspector

Alison Cooper, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: 1230415 7 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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