Children's home run by Beaufort Care Group Ltd in Barnet

Inspection report for children's home: SC470479 1 SC470479 Registered provider: Beaufort Care Group Limited 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 four children. It is operated by a private provider which has several other homes in the area. There are currently four children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager resigned their registration on 23 April 2023. A new manager took up post on 1 April and is yet to apply to Ofsted for registration.

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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

Date of last inspection: 8 November 2022

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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 for children's home: SC470479 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/11/2022 Full Good 26/05/2021 Full Good 12/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 29/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC470479 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress is mixed. One child is new to the home and starting to settle in. None of the children are in full-time education or employment. Staff are working to improve this, but more action is needed. There is some alternative education provision in place, however, this is not sufficient, and children are not consistently attending.

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improvement to be good

The process to move new children into the home is appropriately managed. Visits take place before the move to enable children and staff to get to know one another.

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improvement to be good

Children are happy living here. They speak affectionately of the staff who care for them. One child who previously wanted to leave the home now wants to stay and describes the home as ‘like a family’.

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improvement to be good

Placement plans are of mixed quality. Some sections are very clear, providing information and guidance for staff, but this is not consistent. This does not aid in the consistency of practice or care.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to keep in touch with and to see their families. When needed, staff supervise these visits and arrange activities that children and their families can enjoy together. Parents are very pleased with these arrangements. However, children’s plans are not consistently clear about visiting arrangements, especially when there are restrictions in place.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide children with a spacious, comfortable and well-furnished home. Children are supported to make their bedrooms their own personalised space. In the communal areas, there are several pictures of children who used to live in the home, however, none of those who currently live here.

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improvement to be good

Children feel safe living here. This view is echoed by parents and a social worker who contributed to this inspection.

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improvement to be good

Overall, staff demonstrate a sound knowledge of safeguarding practices, enabling them to keep children safe. However, when a safeguarding disclosure or concern is made to a member of staff, they do not always make a record of this and it is completed by another person. This practice leaves potential for error. Most records of safeguarding events provide evidence that the appropriate action was taken. However, the records for one incident, when alcohol was found in a child’s room, do not confirm what actions staff took. Inspection report for children's home: SC470479 4 Staff respond appropriately when children go missing from the home. The manager has challenged other agencies when their processes have not supported children’s swift and early return to the home. Return home interviews are held for children following most missing-from-home incidents. However, there was one incident when this did not happen.

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improvement to be good

Staff’s management of risk is variable. This is due to conflicting guidance and a lack of consistent information for staff in children’s risk assessments.

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improvement to be good

When there is a plan for a new child to move to the home, managers assess the risk the new child may present to the existing group of children and vice versa. However, they do not assess whether the staff team has the right skills to meet the needs of the new child.

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improvement to be good

Generally, children’s behaviour is managed appropriately. However, guidance for staff in behaviour management plans varies in quality and clarity. When leaders and managers have decided that restraint should not be used with a particular child, they have not recorded this decision on the plan. Most incidents are managed appropriately, with records describing what led to the event, what actions were taken and the conversation with children afterwards to help them understand the impact of their behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Staff work with the child and adolescent mental health services and support children to develop strategies to help them to manage their emotions. However, when children self-harm, the manager has not assessed effectively the level of risk of current approaches used to support the child.

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good

Since the previous inspection, there has been a change of manager as well as a change in the management structure. The new manager is appropriately experienced for this role and is developing their understanding of the home.

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good

Monitoring of the home’s performance requires improvement. Currently, despite monitoring taking place regularly and actions for improvement being identified, the manager does not review if these actions have been carried out.

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good

Staff morale is good. Staff say how much they love working at the home and the children they care for. They feel supported by managers and each other. Staff receive appropriate training to fulfil their role.

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good

There are currently two staff vacancies. Managers have been using agency staff and staff from other homes to cover the vacancies. This has led to a rise in the number of different adults caring for the children, which does not help the children to build strong relationships with those who care for them. Managers try and use the same agency staff, but this is not always possible. Inspection report for children's home: SC470479 5 The quality of supervision records requires improvement. Some are very detailed and reflective, confirming staff’s input into their development, whereas others are not.

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good

Regular team meetings take place and records reflect the discussions held. However, when actions are identified, the managers do not allocate these actions to named staff to ensure they are completed.

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good

Complaints are managed appropriately but managers do not ensure that records clearly state if the complainant is satisfied with the outcome of the complaint investigation.

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good

The notification of significant events requires improvement. Three events were identified that had not been notified to Ofsted as required. For all three events, appropriate actions had been taken to support and safeguard children.

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good

In some of the home’s records, vague, institutional and emotive language is used. Inspection report for children's home: SC470479 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, The 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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 achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of 8 September 2023 Inspection report for children's home: SC470479 7 exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(b))

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)) 31 August 2023

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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 31 August 2023 Inspection report for children's home: SC470479 8 promotes their welfare.

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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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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

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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that they establish if the complainant is satisfied with the outcome of the investigation or not. 31 August 2023 Inspection report for children's home: SC470479 9 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 31 August 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that photo canvases around the home are of the children currently living at the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. The home should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should ensure that when the decision has been made not to use restraint as part of the child’s behaviour management strategy, that this is clearly written in the child’s behaviour management plan. (‘Guide to the Children’s

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Recommendations

Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.33)  The registered person should ensure that children’s plans provide detailed, clear and consistent guidance for staff. In addition children’s records should not contain institutional, vague or emotive language. Information should always be recorded in a way that is helpful to the child in understanding their care history. (‘Guide to Inspection report for children's home: SC470479 10 the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that records of staff supervision sessions are of a consistently good quality to support staff development ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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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: SC470479 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Beaufort Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Hollygrove Business Park, Verwood Road, Ringwood, Dorset BH24 2DB

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Inspector

Wendy Anderson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC470479 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 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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