Children's Home run by Blue Elephant Childcare Limited in Devon

Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 1 Registered provider: Blue Elephant Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is one of five homes in South West England owned by the same provider. All homes provide for local children. This home provides care and support for up to three children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child had recently moved out and two children remained in the home. New referrals were being considered and there was a child visiting for the day prior to moving into the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since May 2022 and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home provides a lively, family-like environment for children. Staff are enthusiastic about doing activities with the children and have achieved a fun-filled summer holiday for them. One child told the inspector he had done ‘too much’ over the summer and still had more to look forward to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are proud of the children’s accomplishments and work hard to help them achieve academically. One child has recently been inducted on their apprenticeship and shows a talent in the kitchen, regularly cooking for friends as well as the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children’s friendships outside of the home, and children often have their friends over to visit. Memories are captured in personalised scrapbooks for each of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well maintained, and children’s bedrooms are personalised. However, some areas require further attention, such as the garden and children need more support to maintain their en-suite bathrooms.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector spoke with one child’s parents, who would welcome more contact with the home to share in their child’s day-to-day life. The manager does not currently have systems in place for this to happen routinely outside of formal meetings.

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

Children are kept safe in this home. Within this inspection period, staff have managed some significant safeguarding concerns. During these incidents, staff have ensured that all children are kept safe from harm.

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

Importantly, leaders and managers have recognised when behaviours are beyond staff skillset and have made child-focused arrangements for children to move on from the home. The manager has already begun reflecting on these incidents and has identified further training for the staff team to undertake in order to broaden their knowledge.

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

The manager and staff work well with other professionals to achieve the best for children. One social worker told the inspector how the manager had included the child in the plans for moving into the home, giving them some autonomy and control in their lives. Similarly, the children already residing in the home were consulted and offered lots of reassurance about the addition of a new child.

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

The staff have not had to manage any incidents of children being missing-from-the home, and they have not used any form of restraint within this inspection period. Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 4 Records kept about the children and their needs do not always contain enough detail to support staff to understand the aims for the child. Similarly, they do not effectively direct staff in how to care for the child.

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good

The manager in day-to-day charge of this home is new to the role and is developing their practice. Staff told the inspector that the transition between the previous and new manager was well managed and ran smoothly for staff and children alike.

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good

In the short time the new manager has been in post, they have challenged staff practice and reaffirmed the home’s ethos effectively.

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good

Where there has been an internal investigation into practice, leaders and managers have not effectively recorded the investigation activity. Minutes of meetings show that the process has not been explained to the member of staff and outcomes do not correspond with the staff member’s supervision records.

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good

Staff receive regular supervision, but, recording of the discussion is weak. It is not always clear from the records what the member of staff has raised, or the direction given by the supervisor.

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good

Management oversight of staff training is poor, and the inspector found several staff members with mandatory training that is out of date. This could compromise their work with children.

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good

Safer recruitment policies are not robust when a prospective employee has lived or worked overseas. Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 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 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

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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)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that effective monitoring systems are in place to continually improve the service; that internal investigations into staff practice are robustly recorded; and recruitment systems are in place when staff have previously lived or worked overseas. 30 November 2022

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction; 30 September 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 6 ensure that each permanent appointment of an employee is subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation; and

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Requirement Due date

provide each employee with a job description outlining the employee’s responsibilities.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)(b)(c) (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that mandatory training is kept up to date and staff are provided with further training to develop their skills in line with the needs of the children in their care.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that records are completed with fullness of detail for clarity and provide clear instruction on the care required. 30 November 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing environment that is welcoming and supportive. In particular, that the grounds of the property are well maintained and provide a positive and safe space for children to enjoy. Doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should ensure that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision which allows them to reflect on their practice, and that the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions are accurately recorded. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that appropriate forms of contact are promoted and facilitated for each child, including where appropriate visits to the

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Recommendations

Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 7 child in the home; visits by the child to relatives and/or friends; letters, emails and texts. In particular, provide information to the child’s significant family members about the child’s lived experiences to support these important relationships. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.18) Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 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: 2568557 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blue Elephant Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 30, Chivenor Business Park, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 4AY

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Inspector

Katie Ratcliffe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 10 regulates and inspects 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 children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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