Children's home run by Beaufort Care Group Ltd in Barnet

Inspection report children’s home: SC470479 1 SC470479 Registered provider: Beaufort Care Group

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home can provide care for up to six children and young people, who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private provider which has three other homes in the area.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since 31 January 2019.

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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: 26 September 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC470479 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/10/2017 Full Good 21/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/10/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC470479 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

(1) The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (viii) help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, when staff are undertaking educational activities with young people they should maintain records of activities which identify the learning targets, achievements and progress. 30/11/2019

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Recommendations

 The capacity and competence of staff to build constructive, warm relationships with children that actively promote positive behaviour, provides the foundations for managing any negative behaviour. Staff should have the skills to respond to each child’s individual behaviour. Where necessary they should manage conflict, maintain constructive dialogues and react appropriately if challenged by a child in their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.14)

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Recommendations

In particular, ensure that the police are not used to manage young people’s behaviours.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the Inspection report children’s home: SC470479 4 needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Recommendations

In particular, ensure that agency staff working at the home receive regular supervision of their practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have been making good progress since moving into the home. For some this includes the ability to manage their own behaviours, a significant reduction in risk- taking behaviours such as going missing, engaging in education and/or therapy, and re- establishing contact with family. One young person, who has had many missing-from- home episodes, is now engaged in education and looking at either going to college or getting an apprenticeship. Another young person has completed their GCSEs and has a place at college.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s day-to-day experiences at the home are good. This is due to the improvements the leaders and managers have made since the previous inspection. Young people are cared for by staff who know them well and work hard to meet their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people take part in a wide range of fun and purposeful activities which help them grow and develop as individuals. Young people take part in voluntary work on local and community farms and have part-time jobs, as well as pursuing their hobbies and interests. Staff support young people to join community clubs and groups. This work helps young people to be part of their local community. One young person has received a commendation from the police for their vigilance on their paper round, as they raised a concern about an elderly person.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have developed good relationships with young people. Young people benefit from these relationships and enjoy spending time with staff. Staff advocate well for the young people and support them in achieving their goals and ambitions. Young people’s achievements are celebrated. Parents and professionals praised the staff for this work.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help young people who have been out of school to prepare for returning to it. One young person who does not have a designated education provider is undertaking educational activities with the staff. Records of these purposeful activities do not consistently include learning objectives or an evaluation of whether objectives have been met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff manage young people moving into the home well. This is done sensitively and in a planned way. Before a new young person moves in, the registered manager ensures that the staff who will be caring for the young person on their first day visit them before they move to in to try and reduce the young person’s anxieties. This approach has been Inspection report children’s home: SC470479 5 effective, as young people settle in quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people effectively to prepare for the next stage of their lives. The home has a ‘next steps area’, which is a self-contained flat where young people can develop and practise their independence skills. Also, in the main part of the home young people are enabled to develop their independence skills at a pace appropriate to them. This helps prepare young people for leaving the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide young people with a spacious, comfortable, well-furnished home in which to thrive. Young people are involved in choosing all aspects of the decor and furnishings. Staff feel that this is important as it is the young people’s home, and it promotes ownership. Any damage is quickly repaired to maintain a comfortable home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people well in maintaining, and in some cases re-establishing, contact with their families. Families and friends are made to feel welcome. Staff liaise well with other homes where young people have brothers and sisters living, to enable visits to be of a good quality and fun.

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

Behaviour is managed well, resulting in a reduction in the number of incidents and restraints. Records of incidents and restraints have improved and now provide a clear chronology of events. The registered manager uses these records to identify any patterns and trends, and to improve staff practice and update young people’s behaviour plans. Detailed behaviour management plans provide guidance for staff. Leaders and managers are using social stories, which have been effective in reducing a young person’s anxieties and thus the number of incidents.

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

Since the previous inspection, there have been four occasions when staff called the police because they were worried about the young people’s behaviour. The registered manager has carried out detailed reviews of these incidents and is working with the staff team to ensure they further develop their skills to manage this behaviour without calling the police.

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

Safeguarding is managed effectively. Leaders and managers use lessons learned from safeguarding events to further develop staff practice. Staff also undertake work with young people to develop their skills in keeping themselves safe; this includes online safety.

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

Young people feel safe at the home. Staff work effectively with them to develop their understanding of risk, which has led to a decrease in risk-taking behaviours such as going missing from the home.

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

During an audit of staff personnel files, it was identified that one file did not have all the required information. The registered manager took swift action to address this issue. She is now reviewing the personnel files of all new staff prior to them commencing work at the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC470479 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well managed. Leaders and managers have a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for improvement. This is through good monitoring, and analysis and review of staff practice and records. Action is then taken to improve the quality of care the young people receive and the development of the staff team. This approach has proved to be effective in raising standards at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers provide staff with a supportive working environment. Staff praised the registered manager and practice manager for the support and guidance they provide. Staff receive good-quality supervision, which helps them reflect on their practice and take on board lessons learned from events. This helps them improve their skills. Supervision records evidence leaders and managers challenging staff practice, when required, in a clear and developmental way. The registered manager has identified that agency staff would benefit from this structured approach to supervision, but this has yet to be embedded in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers consult with young people and involve them in all aspects of their care. They recognise that this helps young people to develop an understanding of themselves and their history, and planning for their future. The registered manager consults with young people as part of her regular monitoring to gather their views on the staff who care for them. This approach promotes open discussion, which aids the young people’s development and staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work effectively with external professional partners to provide a holistic approach to young people’s care. For some young people, staff have been able to support them to engage with therapy for the first time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of recording has improved. Records now provide clear, comprehensive accounts of young people’s day-to-day lives, as well as evidencing their progress. Young people’s files are well organised, provide clear guidance to staff and reflect young people’s currents needs.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC470479 7 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: SC470479 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Beaufort Care Group

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 42 Lytton Road, New Barnet, Barnet EN5 5BY

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jennifer Kendall

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Inspector

Wendy Anderson, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC470479 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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