Children's Home run by Benjamin UK Ltd in Bedford

Inspection report children’s home: SC412953 1 SC412953 Registered provider: Benjamin UK 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 privately owned children’s home provides care and accommodation for four children and young people who have complex needs. The manager was registered with Ofsted in April 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

Date of last inspection: 25 September 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC412953 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/09/2018 Full Good 18/12/2017 Full Good 27/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 02/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC412953 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is a good home. The children have all made progress from their starting points. They feel that they are safe, listened to and cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children all attend either school or college. The staff understand the importance of education. They take the children to and from school and attend meetings and important events such as sports day and parents’ evenings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff help the children to prepare for independence using a variety of means. One child has passed the test to ride a scooter, and he has a part-time job. Staff teach the children about budgeting. These are important life skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children access a diverse range of individualised activities in the community and at the home. One child plays tennis on a neighbour’s tennis court. This broadens the child’s social network as well as developing the child’s interests and hobbies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children to see their families and other significant people. This often means travelling very long distances and staff staying overnight at hotels, so that they are nearby to ensure that the visits go smoothly. Relationships with families are strong. Feedback from families and professionals about the quality of care at the home was extremely positive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are given a guide to the home when they move in. However, the guide is in a format that is unsuitable for young children and those who have learning needs. It does not contain information about children’s social workers and reviewing officers. This limits children’s options if they wish to speak with someone about the care that they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well appointed throughout. However, there were broken items and debris in the grounds of the home and damage to property at the home. This detracts from what is otherwise a homely and nurturing environment.

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

The children feel safe. They talk to the staff if they are worried, frustrated or angry. Relationships between the staff and the children are strong.

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

Staff de-escalate unwanted behaviours to good effect. There are times when the staff need to physically intervene to keep everyone safe. These interventions are appropriate and proportionate and happen rarely, with just eight since the last inspection.

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

The staff and the children reflect on incidents. This reduces the likelihood of incidents happening again in the future. Inspection report children’s home: SC412953 4 The staff receive training in and are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities. There is a well-embedded missing-from-care procedure. Staff are proactive if children go missing, and look for them in the local area.

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

The staff have a strong relationship with the police. A community police officer said, ‘I always find the staff very helpful. They have done a massive amount of work with the police and local community to make the perception of the home a good one. The home is not just a place to live, but a family.’

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

The location risk assessment was updated recently. However, it does not consider risks posed by building sites, local businesses, train lines, child sexual exploitation, radicalisation and gangs. This means that some risks are insufficiently assessed.

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

All the children’s rooms have door alarms, but there is no assessment of the need for these alarms. Therefore, managers are not ensuring that this monitoring is necessary and proportionate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager was registered with Ofsted in April 2018 and is enrolled on a relevant level 5 diploma course. The manager is supported by a deputy manager. Both are respected by the staff, professionals, the children and their families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has a good knowledge of the children. Managers understand children’s needs and the progress that they are making. The managers understand the importance of education, physical activity and family contact for the children. This is reflected in the progress that the children have made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are supported by a therapist, who advises them on their care for the children. The staff are well trained. They said that they benefit from the support that they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff benefit from opportunities to discuss their practice in formal supervision sessions. However, the process for recording these meetings is inconsistent and staff do not always receive a copy of the discussion. This can lead to confusion for staff as to what actions were agreed during a meeting.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Half of the staff team is qualified to a suitable level and other staff are enrolled on a relevant course. However, one member of staff has gone beyond the allowed timescale for completion of a level 3 diploma. This means that the staff member does not have a suitable qualification, as required by regulation. Inspection report children’s home: SC412953 5

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, assess the risks posed by local businesses, train lines and building sites, and the risk of child sexual and criminal exploitation, radicalisation and gang affiliation. 27/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24(1)(d)) 27/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (‘the Level 3 Diploma’); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1 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 29/11/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC412953 6 in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1 April 2014, 1 April 2016. (Regulation 32(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b))

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Recommendations

 Staff should provide a nurturing and supportive environment that is homely. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  As part of reviewing and revising the Statement of Purpose (regulation 16(3)(a)), the registered person should review and update the children’s guide as necessary, and make sure that children are given an explanation of any changes. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.23) In particular, make the children’s guide available in age-appropriate formats.  The registered person should have a workforce plan. The plan should detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: SC412953 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Benjamin UK Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Church Farm House, Station Road, Aldbury, Tring HP23 5RS

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Claudette Deysel

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Inspector

Ricky D’Arcy: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC412953 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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