Children's home run by Beaufort Care Group Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 1246831 1 Registered provider: Beaufort Care Group Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider which has several other homes in the area. The home provides care for up to three children.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left in October 2021. A new manager is in post 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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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: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1246831 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/06/2021 Full Good 20/01/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/08/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/02/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1246831 3

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improvement to be good

Children feel supported by staff who know them. They are comfortable in their home and with staff. Children spend time with staff in the home watching television or baking cakes. Staff encourage children to cook, promoting their development of skills. Staff ensure that children have opportunities outside of the home, including visits to the beach, fun fairs and walks in the forest. Children benefit from meaningful conversations with staff to help them understand and make changes in their lives.

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improvement to be good

One child has recently started an apprenticeship after a long period of struggling to engage with education. The child speaks with pride about the working world and what they have achieved. Staff support children with their education, working flexibly with providers where necessary. Staff encourage children to attend health appointments. There are concerns about one child’s attendance at some medical appointments. However, this child has been attending specialist appointments, which ensures that specific health needs are managed appropriately.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not capture children’s memories as they happen. Two children have memory books, but these are not up to date. The books fail to include any information about who was with them or what they did. The most recent child to move in does not yet have a memory book, despite being out and about having fun.

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improvement to be good

While staff support children to keep their rooms clean and tidy, there is a lack of personalisation in their bedrooms. One child believed they were unable to put pictures up. The bathroom is dated and showing signs of wear and tear. The manager advises this is due for refurbishment. Staff do not allow children to enter the office. More creative thinking is needed to provide children with safe access to all areas of their home the same as you would find in a typical family-style environment.

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improvement to be good

Feedback from parents is mixed. They value the relationships their children have with staff. However, parents for all children worry about how well they get on with each other and that this can lead to incidents.

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improvement to be good

Children say that they feel safe and that staff support them in the home. However, the children do not always get along well with each other, which leads to disagreements and tension. Staff are aware of these challenges and have risk assessments in place. However, as these assessments are not always updated following incidents between the children, staff may not be supporting them using the most appropriate strategies. Inspection report children’s home: 1246831 4 Staff support children who self-harm with appropriate care and medical attention. However, records of the incidents lack scrutiny and application of learning. This means that the manager does not build a picture of the effectiveness of interventions. Support plans lack clarity about specific strategies to support one chid. Although risk assessment documents are routinely updated, this lacks attention to detail. As a result, some risk assessments contain outdated or contradictory

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improvement to be good

Records of safeguarding concerns are of inconsistent quality. The staff team manages a high number of historic disclosures. These are clearly recorded and reported. However, safeguarding records lack clarity about conversations held. Incidents involving all children are not always reflected on each child’s file. Managers do not evaluate incidents with critical reflection or curiosity. The home’s safeguarding procedures were not followed on one occasion when a child made a disclosure.

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improvement to be good

Behaviour is generally well managed, and incidents of restraint are low. Restraint records contain insufficient management oversight. As a result of poor oversight, two records contain unclear information about the restraint used and its duration. This can impact on an understanding of children’s care and experiences. Records of consequences lack detail. Therefore, it is not always possible to determine whether they are proportionate and appropriate.

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improvement to be good

Shortfalls were seen with one recruitment record. Leaders and managers did not seek a reference from a long-standing employer and did not ensure that all previous names were included on a Disclosure and Barring Service check.

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improvement to be good

Complaints are responded to appropriately. There are no concerns with fire safety or the location risk assessment.

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good

A new manager is in post, who is still learning about the role and the responsibilities of the job. Leaders and managers in the organisation have identified that additional support is needed for the manager to be able to meet the standards of the role. The manager has not identified that recording is inconsistent and lacking in clarity. Some documents contain professional jargon which makes them difficult to understand. Other documents contain unclear or contradictory information.

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good

Team meetings take place. They include detailed, reflective discussions about children, facilitated by a psychologist. These meetings generate lots of actions in respect of children. However, these are not all reviewed at subsequent meetings. As a result, progress made is not fully tracked and therefore understood. Supervision takes place, which includes relevant discussions about children and safeguarding. Although supervision takes place regularly, the records are not always completed in Inspection report children’s home: 1246831 5 a timely way. Staff receive mandatory training. However, the manager cannot demonstrate the training received around substance misuse.

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good

Feedback from social workers is mostly positive. They feel that staff communicate effectively with them and share concerns. However, social workers identified concerns about how well children get on with each other.

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good

Previous managers’ review of the quality of care in the home does not meet the required standard. They do not include how feedback from children and others is used in service development. The current manager has not submitted the latest review report within the required time frame. Inspection report children’s home: 1246831 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

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iv)(xi)(xiii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff support children to maintain positive relationships between themselves, including developing strategies to improve these relationships after incidents occur. 16 September

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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

that staff— 2 September 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 1246831 7 are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff understand the child protection policies for the home and follow these at all times.

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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;

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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, ensure that staff receive sufficient training in order to be able to understand and meet the needs of the children living in the home. In addition, ensure that management oversight of documents includes critical evaluation to enable development of the manager’s understanding of the quality of care in the home. The management oversight should also ensure that documents are checked for clarity. 16 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which 16 September Inspection report children’s home: 1246831 8 the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that employment checks include consideration of previous names that candidates have been known by, and that records are clear when a reference is personal or professional.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)) 2 September 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 1246831 9 In particular, ensure that there is clear information recorded following incidents of restraint, including evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention. The registered person should also ensure that records of consequences are clear, particularly the description of behaviour prior to the consequence and the review of the effectiveness.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(b) (3) (4)(a) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the review is submitted to Ofsted within the required time frame and that the report contains the feedback and views of children who are cared for and the views of other stakeholders. 16 September

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are provided with a homely environment in good repair. There should be consideration given to encouraging children to decorate their space and removing their restricted access to the office. The bathroom is looking worn, and consideration must be given to addressing Inspection report children’s home: 1246831 10 this. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that language use in the home, both written and verbal, is child friendly and avoids use of jargon or generic phrases that do not provide enough information to the reader. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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 children’s home: 1246831 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Beaufort Care Group

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Beaufort Care Group Limited, Unit 2 Hollygrove Business Park, Verwood Road, Ringwood BH24 2DB

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Neil Foster and David Helyer

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Inspector

Clare Nixson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1246831 12 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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