Children's Home run by Bess Solutions Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2652672 1 Registered provider: Bess Solutions Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this home. The home provides care for up to two children aged between eight and 17. Children may have emotional, social and behavioural difficulties or autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in December 2021 and is led by a registered manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2652672 2

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improvement to be good

Children’s behaviour has started to become unsettled. For one child, the support they need is not yet in place. The child’s mental health has deteriorated during their first few weeks of placement. For example, he only leaves the house on rare occasions for drives in the car with staff. Although the home has commissioned the services of a psychologist, this support is only just starting. Staff cannot always provide a good enough quality of care to help the child become more settled.

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improvement to be good

Children have variable outcomes. There has been some progress. A tutor visits the home and both children have begun to engage with her, which will help to improve their educational attainment. One child has started to attend health appointments. This is progress. For another child, this is their longest placement, having experienced considerable placement disruption. Children are beginning to form positive relationships with staff.

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improvement to be good

Children are listened to and are consulted daily. For example, one child requested a new bed and the manager agreed to this. The manager is developing the records of consultations with children to demonstrate how children are listened to.

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improvement to be good

Staff recognise the importance of enabling children to see their family and friends. Children are helped to develop their independence skills. For example, one child is now looking after a pet.

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improvement to be good

Staff demonstrate empathy and understanding in their interactions with the children. This is leading to children developing the crucial bonds with staff that enable them to settle and make progress.

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improvement to be good

A new child recently moved to the home. The impact risk assessment did not consider in enough depth the child’s past behaviour and the impact of this on the other child living in the home. Additionally, the child’s care needs were not considered thoroughly enough.

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improvement to be good

Staff training has not kept pace with children’s needs. Not all the staff have had physical intervention training. As a result, during one incident, staff could not properly protect children from each other. Very few staff have received training to meet the needs of children with ASD. The manager has ensured this training will take place imminently. Staff have not received training in mental health awareness. As result of these shortfalls, staff do not always have the skills they need to meet children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2652672 3 Staff rarely use physical intervention to manage children’s behaviour. There has been one incident since the home opened. This intervention was necessary and proportionate. However, the manager reviewed the incident, even though they were involved. The review of the incident should have been carried out by a person independent of the manager to assure objectivity. This is a missed opportunity to

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improvement to be good

A fire door to the lounge was propped open. This was not considered as part of the home’s fire risk assessment. In the event of a fire, the door would not inhibit the spread of smoke and flames. The manager sought immediate advice about this issue from the home’s fire consultant.

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff follow safeguarding protocols. This helps to keep children safe. If children raise any concerns about staff, the manager ensures good liaison with the appropriate agencies and prioritises children’s safety. He works closely with the placing local authority to ensure the child can speak to someone independent about their worries. This means that children are taken seriously and supported.

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improvement to be good

Children rarely go missing from the home. If they do, the staff work to agreed protocols to return them home safely. There is close multi-agency working to find out the reasons behind the incident of going missing and to prevent reoccurrence.

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good

This newly registered home is still developing. The policies, systems and processes are yet to become fully embedded. The responsible individual recently left the organisation. Leaders have recruited a new responsible individual, who is due to start work. The manager has not had any guidance, support or professional supervision from a person experienced in residential childcare.

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good

The manager is growing into his role. He understands the areas of weakness identified during this inspection. The manager requires supervision and support to make improvements needed to help get this home onto an improvement trajectory. As a result, management oversight is not yet fully effective.

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good

The home’s environment is in a poor state. Despite this being raised by the manager, independent visitor and a placing authority, the provider has been slow to act. The home does not present as homely. For example, the hallway carpet is heavily stained, sofas are of poor quality and are uncomfortable, there is graffiti in communal areas and a broken window has taken several weeks to fix. Children are not supported to feel a sense of pride in their home.

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good

Most of the staff team are qualified. Many staff members have years of experience of working in residential childcare. The manager continues to recruit staff and is establishing a stable team. An education specialist commented: ‘The staff listen and take everything on board. They are nurturing, caring and patient. There are really Inspection report for children’s home: 2652672 4 good vibes, friendly, welcoming, and they put in lots of things to encourage children with their education.’

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good

There are good arrangements for partnership working with other agencies. The manager ensures all concerns about children’s welfare are shared promptly with the responsible local authority. The recruitment of new staff is safe. This helps prevent unsuitable people from having contact with children. However, the recruitment checks for an administrator who regularly visits the home are incomplete.

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good

Some updates to the home’s statement of purpose are required in relation to listing staff qualifications and experience. Additionally, more information about the home’s psychologist is required and information about staff’s current and previous training is not recorded in one place. This makes it difficult for the manager to identify gaps and areas for staff development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2652672 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 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)) 30 June 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 promotes their welfare.

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this refers to ensuring staff have been adequately trained in physical intervention, autism spectrum disorder and mental health. 30 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2652672 6 The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring details of the qualifications and experience of staff are up to date and details of the qualifications and professional supervision arrangements of the psychologist are included. 30 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring the fire risk assessment reflects fire safety practice in the home, specifically the propping open of fire doors. 30 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This applies specifically to the registered manager. 30 June 2022

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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 where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report for children’s home: 2652672 7  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce-related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and

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Recommendations

20). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: 2652672 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bess Solutions Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 194 Narborough Road South, Leicester LE3 2LD

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Inspector

Catherine Honey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2652672 9 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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