Children's home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd in Cheltenham

Inspection report for children's home: 1230415 1 Registered provider: Beacon Childcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home provides care and accommodation for up to four children who have experienced early childhood trauma and have emotional and behavioural needs as a result of these experiences.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since December 2022.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 17 November 2021

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1230415 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/11/2021 Full Good 03/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 23/05/2019 Full Good 08/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: 1230415 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, three children have left the home and three children have moved in. At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home. All the children are making progress from their starting points.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well, listen to them, invest time in them and promote their welfare. This enables the children to progress and flourish. One child said, ‘It’s the staff who make the home,’ reflecting the positive relationships that they have with staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children with their health and well-being. Staff work in collaboration with specialist health professionals to meet the specific needs of the children they care for. This multi-team approach means that, overall, children’s health needs are promoted effectively. However, when children spend long periods out of the home seeing family and friends, it is not clear what the arrangements are for children to eat during the day.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two of the children attend colleges of their choice and one child attends school. Because of the support they receive from staff, children’s attendance is improving. Levels of children’s engagement in lessons vary, though staff are liaising with teachers to help children to improve this. Managers have been slow to address a transport issue for one child, which created a barrier to their learning. Plans are now being made to address this.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to form positive relationships with children’s family and friends. They understand family dynamics and support children’s relationships, in accordance with their wishes and feelings. Children are able to safely visit family and friends as well as stay overnight at their friends’ homes. This emphasises the commitment that staff have to children and their long-term relationships. This approach has significantly reduced episodes of children going missing from home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to develop skills for independent living. Staff help the children to carry out daily chores and learn budgeting skills and how to cook meals. Children are also encouraged and enabled to spend time in the community independently. This promotes their confidence, while knowing staff are there to support them as needed.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that the home is generally kept to a good standard, and children can personalise their bedrooms. However, some areas of the home need improving. For example, the front door is damaged, which does not create a good first impression. Kitchen cupboards are worn and a kitchen worktop is damaged. Some flooring needs replacing. Inspection report for children's home: 1230415 4

p.3

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

The registered manager considers known information about children before they move into the home. She carefully assesses whether new children are likely to be able to live harmoniously alongside those already living there. On one occasion, the registered manager was not provided with known information about children. In such circumstances, staff work hard to adapt their approach to keep children safe.

p.4

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

The staff know the children really well. They are vigilant and professionally curious and notice situations in the community which could compromise children’s safety. Staff immediately alert external professionals, as well as using their strong relationships to set out clear rules and boundaries, which children follow. As a result, children feel safe and emerging risks are reduced.

p.4

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

When children do not feel safe or are upset, they talk to the staff. One child was able to share information with staff about something that happened in the home which made them feel uncomfortable. The registered manager took the necessary steps to address the issue. This shows the children that staff and the manager are trustworthy and will act in their best interests.

p.4

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

No incidents of physical intervention have been used to manage children’s behaviour since the last inspection. This is because staff have positive relationships with the children and model good behaviour. They provide the children with consistent routines and use natural consequences to help children understand their behaviour and to make positive choices. As a result, children learn from their behaviours and are able to regulate their emotions.

p.4

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

When incidents of self-harm occur, staff take time to speak with the children to understand what happened and why. They try to identify any triggers and consider how they can support children to prevent similar incidents reoccurring. Staff liaise with clinicians who children also have access to. As a result, self-harming incidents have significantly reduced.

p.4

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

Children know how to make a complaint. Three complaints have been received since the last inspection. The manager is quick to respond to complaints. She completes investigations and shares outcomes with children in a timely manner. One child had left the home before the investigation into his complaint was completed. Irrespective of this, suitable arrangements were made for the outcome to be shared with the child. Consequently, children know their complaints are taken seriously, and they understand the outcomes.

p.4

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

However, not all staff were aware of the role of the local authority designated officer, which means they may not be clear about what to do if a child makes an allegation against a person in a position of trust.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report for children's home: 1230415 5 The registered manager is relatively new to the role. She is a consistent and capable manager who knows the children and staff well. She is ambitious and aspires for the best possible outcomes for the children. The manager is also motivated and passionate about providing children with care that is nurturing and supportive. She models good practice in an unassuming, calm manner.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a strong advocate for children. She appropriately challenges professionals on behalf of children when their wishes have not been heard or when decisions made are to the detriment of their progress.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that the manager supports their professional development. They receive a variety of training opportunities, a good induction and regular supervision. The quality of staff supervision varies. Not all records include evidence of reflective practice, to help staff learn from challenges that arise. Training enhances staff knowledge to enable them to work effectively with children. Most staff have completed the level 3 diploma in residential childcare. The remaining staff are on track to complete their award within the required timescales.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have established networks with a range of agencies and professionals who are involved in meeting the needs of children. Staff work closely with teachers, social workers, health professionals and the police. Local police commended the home for working effectively with a parent to reduce the number of episodes of going missing for two children. These positive working relationships help to ensure that children have the optimum support for developing well in all areas of their lives.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some aspects of the manager’s oversight require improvement. Managers have not identified some issues relating to the quality of care and experiences provided for children. For example, they have not recognised the impact of transport issues on one child’s education and well-being, and have not considered children’s access to food when spending time out of the home. Once these issues were raised, managers were quick to take action.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s statement of purpose does not include accurate information about the approach to behaviour management. This can be misleading for those who read this document. Inspection report for children's home: 1230415 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)) 6 April 2023

p.6

Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 6 April 2023

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff are aware of the role of the local authority designated officer and know how to contact them in the event that a child makes an allegation against someone in a position of trust. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.18)  The registered person should provide a home that is a nurturing and supportive environment that meet the needs of their children. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations; however, in doing so, homes should Inspection report for children's home: 1230415 7 seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic impression. This is in relation to repairs and improvements to the front door, kitchen, dining room, bathroom flooring and the hall, stairs and landing carpet and to redecoration. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15,

p.6

Recommendations

paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff supervision enables staff to reflect on incidents. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.15)

p.7

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: 1230415 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Beacon Childcare Ltd

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Beacon Childcare Ltd, 28 Phoenix Business Park, Avenue Close, Birmingham B7 4NU

p.8

Inspector

Glenis Staiger-Grant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1230415 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk Inspection report for children's home: 1230415 10 W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9