Children's home run by Belmont Residential Care Ltd

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2633239 1 Registered provider: Belmont Residential Care Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This private children’s home provides care for up to three children who may have emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted on 6 April 2022. The home currently has no registered manager.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home. Both children spoke to the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 15 September 2022

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspectors looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2633239 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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The care of children

Children receive a good level of support that contributes to the progress that they make in many areas of their lives.

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The care of children

Staff work in close partnership with other professionals to ensure that children receive the support that they need at the right time. Social workers for both children indicate that the home communicates effectively with them, and they report positively about the care that the children receive.

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The care of children

Some progress has been made by both children in education. One child is attending and actively engaging in education. The other child is attending school on a reduced timetable. However, staff do not consistently promote the child’s home learning by ensuring that the child engages in structured educational activities when they are not attending school.

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The care of children

Staff help children to develop and maintain positive relationships with their families and people who are important to them. Staff encourage children’s families to continue to be involved in all aspects of children’s lives.

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The care of children

One child living at the home mostly spoke positively about their experiences. They said that staff are good and mostly, but not always, listen to them.

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The safety of children

The home is physically and emotionally safe for children. Staff are alert to risk and know the children’s vulnerabilities well, which helps them to keep children safe.

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The safety of children

Staff know how to respond appropriately to children who go missing from home. Since the last inspection, there has been a significant number of missing-from-home incidents for one child. However, the frequency of missing-from-home incidents for this child has significantly reduced. Consequently, their safety has increased.

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The safety of children

Children’s risk assessments are thorough and identify potential and actual risk to children well. However, children are not always involved in the construction of their risk assessments which reduces their effectiveness.

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The safety of children

Children’s behaviour management plans provide clear guidance to staff about how to promote positive behaviour and de-escalate incidents. This has contributed to staff not having to use physical intervention to manage children’s behaviour and keep them safe. However, there has been one incident that was not managed effectively Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2633239 3 due to poor behaviour management, which leaders and managers accept could have been avoided.

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The safety of children

Shortfalls were identified in safer recruitment practice. Safer recruitment checks have not been completed for all staff. For example, suitable references have not been sought for the new manager of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

There has been some improvement in the leadership and management of the home. The quality of behaviour support plans and initial risk assessments completed when considering new children moving into the home has improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The new manager has not yet submitted an application to register with Ofsted. Not all staff have completed the training necessary to meet the needs of the children in their care, such as training related to online safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Some progress has been made against the requirements and recommendations raised at the last inspection. However, although there has been some improvement in the quality and frequency of staff supervision, staff still do not receive supervision at the frequency that is necessary to help them meet the needs of children effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Investigations in response to allegations made against staff are thorough. However, there is no clear record of the chronology of events or the basis on which decisions are made. Therefore, there is a lack of clarity about how decisions are reached to ensure that children are safeguarded effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The visits undertaken by the independent person help leaders and managers to identify shortfalls and make improvements in the home. However, the reports from these visits do not explicitly reflect the independent person’s view on whether children are safeguarded effectively and if the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2633239 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2633239 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 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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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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

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; 1 May 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2633239 6 help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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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

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii) (viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff meet children’s behavioural needs and are able to de- escalate challenging situations and promote positive relationships between children.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 1 May 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2633239 7 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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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)(a)(c)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. Additionally, ensure that there is a clear record of the chronology of events and the basis on which decisions are made following investigations into allegations.

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Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

the person is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

having regard to the size of the home, its statement of purpose, and the number and needs (including any needs arising from any disability) of the children—

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Requirement Due date

the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children; and

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Requirement Due date

the person is physically and mentally fit to manage the home; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the person in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 28 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that safer recruitment checks are completed for all staff, including the manager, and that the new manager submits an application to register with Ofsted. 1 May 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2633239 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff receive regular supervision. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that staff promote educational activities at home for children who are not accessing full-time education, and they should liaise effectively with schools to ensure that work is provided for children to complete at home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.13) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2633239 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Belmont Residential Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 15 Belmont Road, Ilford IG1 1YW

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Maureen Gilchrist

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Inspector

Andy Whippey, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2633239 10 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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