Children's Home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 1 Registered provider: Beacon Childcare Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. The home is registered for four children who may have experienced childhood trauma.

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Inspection date: 23 February 2022

Date of last inspection: 21 September 2021

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Inspection date: 23 February 2022

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the previous full inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At this interim inspection, Ofsted judged that it has declined in effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This inspection was carried out in order to address specific concerns received by Ofsted. At this inspection, serious and widespread concerns were identified. Children’s welfare is not safeguarded. The requirements raised at the previous full inspection in relation to the protection of children and leadership and management have not been met. This does not assure Ofsted that effective action is being taken to improve the quality of care children receive. Two compliance notices have been issued for regulation 12 and regulation 13.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Risk management strategies are poor and do not keep children safe when they are away from the home without staff. Staff are not provided with clear guidance on how to keep the children safe. Missing-from-home protocols are not up to date. The information contained in them is not correct and does not reflect what staff informed the inspector they do when a child is away from the home without staff or missing from home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff do not consistently update the most recent behaviour support/risk management plan and information is spread across two different documents. This means that behaviour support/risk management plans are unclear and do not contain all relevant information. This leaves staff with unclear guidance, which places children at risk of harm.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have installed an app on children’s mobile phones to track children’s whereabouts when they are away from the home. If children have not returned home when expected but their location can be seen on the app, staff do not implement the missing-from-home protocol. This is despite staff not knowing who children are with or what they are doing at the known location. There have been concerns around children coming to serious harm when they have been away from the home previously without staff. Despite these serious safeguarding concerns, there has been a lack of consideration as to how future risks can be reduced. The use of the app is not an effective risk management strategy.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is no guidance for staff on how and when to use the app. Staff do not document when they have used the app. In addition, staff are monitoring children’s locations from their own personal mobile phones. Consequently, they are able to track the children’s locations when they are not at work. No consideration has been given to the risk this may pose. In addition, no written consent has been gained from the local authority about using this form of surveillance. It is not evident whether children understand how staff are using their own phones to monitor them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 3 The use of monitoring children’s locations when they are out of the home and to monitor their internet use is not detailed within the home’s statement of purpose.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

When return home interviews are completed with children, and actions are identified, such as the local authority completing child exploitation screening tools and making referrals to external agencies, staff do not monitor whether this has been completed. Managers do not ensure that strategy meeting minutes and subsequent actions are well documented. Consequently, there is not a coordinated approach in place to reduce risks for children and there is drift and delay with referrals being made to relevant services. For example, in December 2021, during a strategy meeting it was agreed that a referral should be made for a child to the Therapeutic Emotional Support Service (TESS). This did not happen until February 2021, following a further strategy meeting.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager’s monitoring and review systems have not been effective in identifying actions that need to be taken to keep children safe.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff do not help children understand risks in relation to internet safety, appropriate relationships and other potential vulnerabilities in line with their understanding and developmental needs. Therefore, discussions held with children about keeping safe are ineffective and do not help children understand potential risks and dangers.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff do not have the skills to care for children with additional needs. This is because staff have not been given guidance on how to communicate effectively with some children to ensure that they understand information that is being shared with them. For example, the direct work staff completed with one child is discussion-based and the language used is not tailored to the child’s individual needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/09/2021 Full Good 14/11/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 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—

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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;

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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

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

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager’s response to children who are away from the home without staff supervision, including being missing from home; risk assessments and protocols relating to this not being up to date and containing the correct information; and children not being educated on how to keep safe in line with their age and level of understanding.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the previous inspection and is restated. 10 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 6 *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

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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

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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager’s response to previous requirements made at the last inspection, as well as staff not having the skills required to care for children with additional developmental needs and the registered manager not recognising the impact this has on the quality of care provided.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the previous inspection and is restated. 10 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised. (Regulation 21 (a)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

The specifically relates to any monitoring devices used to monitor children being necessary, and the use of such 10 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 7 devices being regularly reviewed. A clear plan should be in place detailing how and when the monitoring device will be used.

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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 for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The specifically relates to any monitoring device used to monitor a child being agreed by the local authority in writing. The child should be informed of the monitoring device and have an understanding of how and when it will be used. 10 April 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

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The specifically relates to the registered manager notifying Ofsted of serious concerns. 10 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered manager should ensure that the home’s ethos is nurturing and supportive to meet the needs of the children living there, and offers a homely, domestic environment. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene, etc.); however in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3) Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 8

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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: 2516553 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Beacon Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 28 Phoenix Business Park, Avenue Close, Aston, Birmingham B7 4NU

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Donald Williams-Young

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Inspector

Lisa O’Donovan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 10 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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