Children's home run by Blue Mountain Homes Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2588370 1 Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties. The home is owned by a private organisation.

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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 good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 12 October 2021

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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: 2588370 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2588370 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and staff enjoy positive relationships with each other which are based on trust and empathy. Staff help children to develop essential life skills through informal role modelling, and more formal learning. These positive relationships are a strength of this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s overall health and well-being improve while living at this home. Staff promote and encourage good healthcare routines for children. Incidents of self- injurious behaviour by children have reduced. Children’s involvement with charities is helping others in need. As a result, children develop a feeling of empathy for other people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are progressing in education. Children are keen to learn. They want to go to school or college. When there are any barriers to learning, staff work effectively together with education providers and placing authorities. This ensures that appropriate support and advice are sought, and barriers are overcome.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to develop interests and hobbies. All children living at this home have developed some amazing skills, such as piano playing, gymnastic skills, and other creative skills. Staff celebrate these skills. This gives children a sense of achievement and helps raise their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff also support children to take part in activities away from the home. All children have enjoyed time in London together. Children’s self-esteem is further enhanced by attending the provider’s award ceremony, which celebrates their achievements.

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

Children become increasingly safer while living at this home. Incidents of children going missing have reduced. Staff understand the home’s safeguarding procedures and what to do if they are worried about a child. Records of any incidents are detailed. These factors make children safer.

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

Stakeholders report that children are safe, happy, and making progress. When staff identify increasing risk factors, they promptly share information with the child’s placing authority. In response, children’s plans are changed quickly to ensure their safety and reduce risk escalating. Effective and timely partnership working means that children receive the right level of help and protection at the right time.

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

Staff only use physical intervention as a last resort, and when children are at significant risk of harm. Staff record incidents of physical intervention in detail and managers have a thorough oversight of all incidents. Managers and staff give children the opportunity to speak about their experiences, and staff are debriefed Inspection report for children’s home: 2588370 4 following incidents so they can reflect on their practice. Over time, children are helped to manage their emotional responses in more appropriate and safer ways.

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

New staff are only recruited to this home following stringent background checks and vetting. As a result of this robust safer recruitment checking system, the manager can be assured that children are only cared for by suitable staff.

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

Managers undertake regular health and safety risk assessments, which include the impact of the home’s location, due to its rural setting and potential local areas of risk. However, the recording in relation to fire evacuations is not always clear. This makes it more difficult for staff to understand what to do in the event of a fire.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since January 2022. He is skilled and experienced, and continues to develop and strengthen the staff team. A consistent and committed staff team provides children with consistency of care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is warm and welcoming. The interior and exterior are well kept. Children take pride in their surroundings. The manager and staff respect children and hold them in high regard. Consequently, the atmosphere in the home is positive and children feel highly valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers undertake regular, stringent and effective quality assurance checks. This enables the manager to identify any areas for development quickly and take action to improve any shortfalls in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers support staff well. Supervision is held regularly. This gives staff the opportunity to speak about children and reflect on their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to wide-ranging mandatory and bespoke training opportunities to develop their skills. Currently, all staff are undertaking training in therapeutic care for children with complex care needs. However, the recording of when staff have completed training is not always evident. As a result, it is more difficult for the manager to monitor and analyse the impact of training undertaken. Inspection report for children’s home: 2588370 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan and this plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by the staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.08)  Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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: 2588370 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 17 Leeland Mansions, Leeland Road, West Ealing, London W13 9HE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Pradeep Manaktala

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Inspector

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2588370 7 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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