Children's Home run by Benjamin UK Ltd in Central Bedfordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 1269505 1 Registered provider: Benjamin UK Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides a therapeutic model of care and education for up to four children who have had adverse childhood experiences. There is a Department for Education-registered school on site that is run by the organisation. The inspector only inspected the social care provision at this home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2022.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 22 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1269505 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/05/2019 Full Good 03/01/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 25/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1269505 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were three children living at the home at the time of the inspection. The managers and staff know children well and have positive relationships with them, treating them with kindness, understanding and patience. This helps children to feel valued and respected.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are happy at the home. The therapeutic support that they receive is helping them to make progress from their individual starting points and to address previous traumatic experiences. Children regularly attend the on-site school which, for one child, is a significant step forward after not being in school for several years. One child is making progress in gaining confidence to be in a school setting after experiencing bullying and developing a phobia of schools. The support from staff has helped the child to start to conquer their fears. Staff are starting to explore options for the child to attend a local school in the community. Another child has recently started attending mainstream school for the first time and will take GCSE qualifications.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to lead healthy lifestyles, including eating healthily and doing regular exercise. Children’s self-care and independence skills have improved with guidance and support from staff. The manager has addressed a previous shortfall and ensured that children’s medicines are managed safely and recorded accurately.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in beneficial activities, including going on a summer holiday. Each child can pick a regular special activity. One child has joined the local gym, which has been important in lifting their self-esteem and helping them to focus on the lifestyle changes that they want to achieve.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to maintain relationships with their families. This includes supporting children to spend time with their family members at the home or out on an activity. Staff have been creative in accommodating the needs of the children’s brothers and sisters, so that the activities have been an enjoyable experience for all family members.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The house is spacious, with a large garden area in which children can exercise and relax. The home has been modernised with new decor and furniture. Children make their own spaces personal to them. Staff are respectful of children’s privacy and protect children’s dignity when providing care.

p.3

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

Children said that they feel safe. All staff undertake safeguarding training and know the provider’s system of reporting concerns. This helps staff to identify concerns of exploitation, gang affiliation, radicalisation and online abuse. Staff Inspection report for children's home: 1269505 4 ensure that children understand the reasons why they put consistent boundaries in place and the expectations of the therapeutic care provided.

p.3

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

Risk assessments for children are detailed and provide guidance for staff on managing risk. These assessments are regularly reviewed and updated following any changes. Staff enable children to take age-appropriate risks and gain trust, which helps them to develop their independence.

p.4

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

There has been a significant reduction in the frequency of children going missing from the home. Each child has a clear plan for staff to follow if the child does go missing. This includes details of likely places to search and the immediate actions that staff should take. The manager works closely with external professionals, including local police, to safeguard children when they are missing from the home.

p.4

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

Staff encourage children to form positive relationships with each other that develop mutual respect. Staff make their expectations of behaviour at the home and towards others clear. Staff encourage and reward positive behaviour using a token-based system with clear steps and goals.

p.4

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

Care plans emphasise the importance of de-escalation techniques to avoid incidents. There have been no incidents of restraint. Staff understand the interventions that they should use to encourage positive behaviours.

p.4

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

Recruitment processes are robust and ensure that applicants are suitable to work with vulnerable children. Interviews with prospective staff explore how the applicant, if appointed, would treat children with kindness and respect.

p.4

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

The home’s internet connection uses filters and restrictions so that staff are aware if children access inappropriate content. However, there is a lack of planning to ensure that children’s access to the internet using mobile internet- enabled devices is monitored. The home’s policy for internet safety does not consider mobile devices. Expectations for children on the use of devices is not always made clear enough when they move into the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified for the role. The home’s leadership team works closely with other professionals at the provider’s education provision which the children attend. The manager has made changes which staff and children’s relatives say have led to improvements for children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children speak positively of the managers and of the support and kindness with which staff treat them. The organisation’s senior managers visit the home regularly and know the children and staff well.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is clear about the types of support that the staff can offer children. The manager has improved the way in which children’s needs are considered Inspection report for children's home: 1269505 5 before they move into the home. This has led to fewer placement breakdowns. Professionals say that this has helped to provide children with a settled atmosphere.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have the skills and experience to support children well. They either hold a relevant level 3 diploma or are within the timescales to achieve it. Staff receive training that enables them to care for children in line with the home’s statement of purpose. The provider nurtures staff’s professional development. For example, a staff member has received support to enable them to become a qualified therapist.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff team meetings and supervision sessions are regular and effective, and they focus on the children’s experiences. These meetings encourage staff to reflect on their practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working at the home. They are motivated to provide good-quality care so that children enjoy their lives and make progress. There is a strong sense of teamwork and mutual support among staff.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are sufficient staff to meet the children’s needs. Staff are flexible and amend shift patterns to reduce the need for agency staff. This helps children to have consistent care from staff they know well. Inspection report for children's home: 1269505 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risks associated with children’s access to internet-enabled mobile devices are clearly identified and managed. 1 March 2022

p.6

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: 1269505 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Benjamin UK Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Coach House, White House Court, Leighton Buzzard LU7 1FD

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Claudette Rudman

p.7

Inspector

Jamie Cousins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1269505 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8