Children's Home run by Beaufort Care Group Ltd in Dorset

Inspection report for children's home: 2623130 1 Registered provider: Beaufort Care Group Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered for up to three children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private provider which has several other homes in the area.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 23 December 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Inspection date: 10 December 2021

Judgement at last inspection: Requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 10 December 2021

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report for children's home: 2623130 2

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children 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 declined in effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the previous inspection, seven requirements and two recommendations were made. Of these, three requirements and one recommendation have been met. There have been some improvements in the remaining requirements but insufficient to state these are met. One recommendation is repeated, as since the previous inspection no new children have moved into the home, so it is not possible to assess if the admission process has improved.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leadership and management of the home remains poor. The registered manager has failed to take sufficient action to meet the actions set at the previous inspection and does not demonstrate an accurate understanding of the improvements required. Prior to the previous inspection, senior leaders had identified concerns about the management of the home. Additional support and scrutiny were put in place which continues to identify that insufficient progress is being made. Senior leaders and managers are taking further action to address this.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children’s plans and risk assessments have improved. They are current and provide appropriate guidance for staff. However, both are very lengthy documents which contain a lot of historical information. This could hinder their effectiveness as working documents. This is particularly important due to the number of different staff currently caring for the children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders and managers have not obtained a leaving care plan for one child from the placing authority. They have raised this with the placing authority on a number of occasions, but they have failed to officially escalate their concern in a timely manner.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is a lack of consistent approach to safeguarding events which potentially places children at risk. Safeguarding records do not consistently clarify what actions have been taken to protect children, or the actions taken to prevent a reoccurrence of events. In addition, leaders and managers had not notified Ofsted of four safeguarding events as required.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Records of missing person incidents are not of a consistently good quality as some lack details of the event. They are cross-referenced to safeguarding records and return-home interviews are taking place.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Both children are making progress. One child is doing well in their education with another re-engaging with education as well as seeking employment. There has been a reduction in behaviour and missing person incidents for both children. Inspection report for children's home: 2623130 3 Records of investigations into staff practice require improvement. Leaders and managers carrying out these investigations are not ensuring that these records are always legible.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There are currently two full-time and two part-time staff vacancies at the home. Since the previous inspection, 10 staff from the provider’s other homes have worked in this home along with 24 different agency staff. This does not promote continuity of care, especially when children can struggle to form trusting relationships with staff.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Recruitment practice has improved and now follows safer recruitment processes as required. Information is now obtained on the training and experience of agency staff which enables leaders and managers to assess if they can undertake the role required.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff supervision has improved. However, the responsible individual does not currently keep a copy of the registered manager’s supervision record so cannot evidence the discussions that have taken place and the support given.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders and managers need to ensure electronic records are readily available at the point of inspection. During this inspection, this was an issue.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A compliance notice has been issued requiring the registered person to address the weak leadership and management of the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2623130 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2623130 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

Engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. 21 January 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2623130 6 (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and manager must ensure plans are in place from the placing authority for children moving from the home to the next stage in their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, review children’s plans to ensure that they contain relevant information to make them an effective working tool.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

that staff— 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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(iii)(v)(vi)(viii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that records of safeguarding events are consistently good quality. Ensure that they clearly evidence 21 January 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2623130 7 all actions taken to protect children and actions taken to prevent a reoccurrence of the event.

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Requirement Due date

*The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h)) 21 January 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2623130 8 The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the responsible individual should ensure that they retain a copy of the registered managers supervision records. 31 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation— must include details of— the matter;

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter must be made or confirmed in writing.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)) 21 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and that the staff have the skills and qualifications to meet these needs. They must also fully consider the impact that Inspection report for children's home: 2623130 9 the placement will have on the existing group of children and vice versa. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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Recommendations

 Leaders and manager must ensure that records of any investigation into staff practices are legible. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Recommendations

 Records and documents may be kept electronically but leaders and manager must ensure they are easily accessible for anyone with a legitimate need to view it. This includes inspectors at the point of inspection. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)

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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

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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 for children's home: 2623130 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Beaufort Care Group

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Beaufort Care Group Ltd, Unit 2, Hollygrove Business Park, Verwood Road, Ashley, Ringwood BH24 2DB

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Inspector

Wendy Anderson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2623130 11 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 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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