Children's Home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 1 Registered provider: Beacon Childcare Ltd Full 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 have experienced childhood trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

One of the registered manager’s is away from the home on extended leave.

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Information about this children’s home

Another manager is in post who registered with Ofsted in November 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 23 February 2022

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Compliance notices under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard) were issued following the home’s interim inspection on 23 February 2022. Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/02/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 21/09/2021 Full Good 14/11/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 3

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inadequate

Leadership and management and safeguarding arrangements in the home are inadequate. Consequently, this has had a negative impact on the overall experiences and progress of children. As a result of this inspection, Ofsted has issued compliance notices under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard).

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inadequate

While some parts of the home are homely and personalised, this is not consistent throughout. Some areas of the home are damaged and require both repair work and cleaning. Furthermore, there is excessive signage on display, such as no smoking signs, which creates an institutionalised feel to the home.

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inadequate

Two children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. Since the interim inspection in February 2022, two children have moved into the home and three children have left. Most of these transitions were well planned and supported by staff. However, one child’s experience in the home was short and he left the home in an unplanned way. This was because the registered manager was not provided with adequate information about the child’s needs prior to moving in. The registered manager did not challenge professionals or escalate his concerns about this. Not doing so increases the risk of the same issue happening again, which affects children’s experiences and stability.

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inadequate

Despite the shortfalls identified, children make some good progress. This is because they share positive relationships with staff. Children spoke positively about the support they receive from staff and the registered manager. The inspector observed children to be relaxed around staff and sharing humour. These relationships mean that children begin to feel valued and start to form trusting, reciprocal relationships with the adults caring for them.

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inadequate

Staff support children to engage with their education. Both children are in full-time education and making progress. One child spoke about his passion for sport and how his college course was interesting. An external professional commented, ‘[Name of child’s] experience at [name of home] seems to have had a positive effect on [name of child’s] ability to manage school life; he is far more settled, has over 96% attendance, and has seemed much happier.’

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inadequate

Staff help children to keep in touch with friends and family. Staff have supported one child to reconnect with his parent and they recently spent some family time together. Furthermore, children are encouraged to spend time with their friends. This means that children spend time with people who are important to them and this improves their social skills, confidence and sense of identity. Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 4

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

Staff have failed to safeguard children at risk of exploitation effectively. They do not adequately assess risks to children or follow strategies identified in children’s plans to manage and reduce risks. For example, on one occasion, staff failed to fully supervise a child in the home. This led to the child going missing from the home. The child returned with food and cigarettes, which they stated had been purchased for them by an older male in the community. On two other occasions, the same child went missing from the home because staff did not supervise him effectively. Inadequate supervision leaves children vulnerable and compromises their safety.

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

On one occasion, staff did not immediately report a child as missing from the home to the police in line with the child’s risk-management plan. This shortfall left the child at risk of harm.

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

Children do not receive return home interviews within statutory time frames following incidents of them going missing from home. In addition, when interviews have taken place, reports are not made available to the home. Leaders do not consistently challenge relevant professionals about these concerns. As a result, potentially important intelligence to safeguard children is missed.

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

Staff use a software programme to track children’s locations when they are out of the home and to monitor their use of the internet via the home’s Wi-Fi connection. The use of this software has been agreed with the children’s placing authorities and children are made aware of these safeguarding measures.

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

Staff carry out checks of one child’s phone on a regular basis. However, they do not routinely record that they have completed these checks. As a result, there is no audit trail for these checks or any detail about the findings that could be used to safeguard children.

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

Staff do not effectively safeguard children who access the internet by means other than the home’s Wi-Fi connection. For example, staff were not aware that one child had access to the internet via his mobile phone. They only became aware of this when they were alerted by the inspector. Consequently, the registered manager could not be assured that the child was safe and that the risk around him accessing the internet was being managed. This lack of oversight and awareness of what is going on for children leaves children at risk online.

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

Staff complete some focused and specific work with children. For example, staff have supported children to complete training around internet safety, healthy relationships and bullying to raise children’s awareness of these issues. Staff have used this to support their ongoing work with children and to check children’s understanding and learning about important topics. This supportive approach helps to improve children’s knowledge and understanding of risks and how to manage these. However, this work is undermined by the shortfalls identified during this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders do not assess staff’s knowledge effectively to ensure that they have the skills to keep children safe. This is because supervision sessions carried out with staff lack reflection and fail to check staff’s knowledge and understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. As a result, staff do not have adequate guidance to support them in keeping children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Some staff do not have the skills, experience or knowledge to consistently promote the safety and well-being of children. For example, some staff have not completed training to help them to understand and respond effectively to issues relating to children who go missing from home and children who are vulnerable to criminal exploitation and radicalisation. This means that staff are not always provided with the skills and knowledge to keep vulnerable children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders do not ensure that training is used effectively to improve staff practice and their understanding of important issues for children. For example, one new member of staff completed nine online courses on the same day. Staff were unable to share with the inspector what they learned from this training and how it is used to develop their practice. This means that children are not always cared for by staff who have the skills to support them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager does not always use monitoring and review systems consistently and effectively to bring about improvements. For example, at the last inspection, Ofsted raised five requirements and one recommendation. However, leaders have failed to meet three requirements and the recommendation. This does not assure Ofsted that effective action is being taken by managers to improve the quality of care children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has failed to notify Ofsted of significant incidents involving children. For example, on one occasion, a child was reported missing from home and concerns were identified around potential exploitation. However, the manager failed to notify Ofsted of this incident. This means that the regulator is unable to carry out its monitoring function to ensure that appropriate action is taken by the provider to safeguard children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager is committed and wants the home to do well. Staff and children describe him as supportive and approachable if they have concerns. External professionals involved with the home commented positively on the registered manager’s communication with them. Also, he ensures that the home is sufficiently staffed to meet the needs of the children. Staff have worked together to cover shortfalls in the home’s rota due to sickness. This commitment provides children with consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Two compliance notices have been raised as a result of this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 6

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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

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

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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. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the registered manager escalating concerns to the local authority to ensure that return home interviews are taking place within statutory timescales. In particular, the registered manager should also raise concerns with the placing authority when they do not receive up-to-date and accurate information in relation to children’s care plans. 31 May 2022

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider should ensure that the home’s 31 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 7 environment is well maintained, and that work is undertaken to repair damage to areas of the home.

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider must ensure that staff assess children’s risks effectively and follow protocols in place in relation to children going missing from home and exploitation. Staff must understand their responsibilities in safeguarding children and take action to ensure that children are safe, and their welfare is promoted.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 31 May 2022

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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

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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

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; and 31 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 8 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1) (2)(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. In particular, managers must ensure that staff complete specific training suitable to the needs of the children. Managers must have clear monitoring and review systems in place to improve practice and understand children’s progress.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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; and

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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. Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The specifically relates to the registered manager notifying Ofsted of incidents requiring police involvement and where children are at risk of sexual exploitation.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 31 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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 Ltd

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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: Whitney Tulloch / Donald Williams-Young

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Inspector

Dean Wilton, 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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