Children's home run by Little Belsteads Care Home Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1248979 1 Registered provider: Little Belsteads Care Home Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to seven children aged from eight to 17 with learning disabilities. Five children may live in the main house and two in the barn annex.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is on extended leave but remains registered. An interim manager is providing cover 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 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: 1248979 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/05/2021 Full Good 18/06/2019 Full Good 05/12/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1248979 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, there were five children living at the home. The children are happy and settled. Two of the children have lived at the home long term and enjoy stability. When children move in, they do so in a planned way. The manager works well with other professionals to assess the children’s compatibility and to ensure that their needs can met by the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to enjoy a range of activities that reflect the children’s interests, including mini golf, cooking classes, go karting and trips to the aquatic centre. These opportunities support the children to build their confidence in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff actively encourage children to attend education. Staff see education as an important part of daily life. If a child’s education is disrupted, staff implement daily routines that help the child to be up and ready for the learning day. Children are making good educational progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff focus on meeting the children’s primary health needs. They persistently contact medical professionals to prevent any delay in a child receiving treatment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff ensure that children have protected time with people who are important to them. Staff communicate well with the children’s parents and recognise the importance of these relationships. Supporting family relationships improves the children’s sense of identity and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff do not consistently recognise the children’s achievements. Children do not benefit from planned incentives. Therefore, children are not routinely supported to improve their self-esteem and confidence when they do well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff do not consistently support children’s wishes. One child wanted a mobile phone. The request was not fully considered, and the child was not supported to understand why the mobile phone was not purchased. Not listening to children can make them feel undervalued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The main house and the barn annex have benefited from modernisation. However, a dirty window and a bedroom with a poor odour detract from the overall homeliness.

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

Staff provide children with a calm home environment. Staff consistently support the children and reinforce boundaries. As a result, behavioural incidents are infrequent. Inspection report for children’s home: 1248979 4 Children’s individual risk assessments are detailed, reflective of risk and provide sufficient information to guide staff practice. This helps staff to provide consistent responses to children.

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

Staff rarely use physical intervention. When it is used, it is appropriate and proportionate. Incidents are well recorded, with effective management oversight and reflection. This helps the staff to fully understand the triggers that lead to unwanted behaviours.

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

The manager ensures that people working at the home go through a rigorous selection procedure and that their suitability is carefully checked. This ensures that prospective staff have the right personal qualities, enthusiasm, experience, skills and values to work with vulnerable children.

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

The monitoring and maintenance of fire doors are not effective. Three fire doors do not self-close. This increases the risk to children and staff in the event of a fire.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been several management changes since the last inspection. The registered manager is on extended, pre-planned leave. A suitably experienced and qualified interim manager is overseeing the home and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are suitably trained for their role. They access training in core areas, including safeguarding children, physical intervention and first aid. Staff carry out more- targeted training, including autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy awareness. This training ensures that staff have the skills they need to meet the individual needs of the children they care for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Risk assessments and permissions are in place for external closed-circuit television monitoring of the home. However, the manager has not ensured that monitoring equipment in a child’s bedroom, to monitor their health condition, has been authorised by the placing authority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The organisation has a detailed induction policy for new staff. However, it is not consistently implemented. A new staff member has not received performance reviews or supervision in line with the policy. This is a missed opportunity to review the effectiveness of the staff’s skills and to support their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager generally keeps good records and has oversight of these. However, on one occasion, the manager has not ensured that contact details for the child’s social worker have been updated. Out-of-date information makes the child’s record inaccurate and unclear. Inspection report for children’s home: 1248979 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

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(1) 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)) 28 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24 (1)(b)) 28 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(iii)) 11 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— 11 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1248979 6 receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(b))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a well-maintained and homely environment. In particular, ensure that windows are clean and there is good ventilation throughout the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the staff recognise and celebrate the achievements of the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.7)  The registered person should ensure that all children’s case records are kept up to date. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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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: 1248979 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Little Belsteads Care Home Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Monometer House, Rectory Grove, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex SS9 2HN

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Inspector

Paula Lewis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1248979 8 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 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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