Children's Home run by Beaufort Care Group Ltd in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Inspection report for children’s home: 2607291 1 Registered provider: Beaufort Care Group Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private organisation. The home provides care for one child.

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Information about this children’s home

A new manager started in April 2023 and has not yet 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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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: 13 September 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: 2607291 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/09/2022 Full Good 05/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2607291 3

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improvement to be good

The child currently living in the home has recently moved in. They have settled well, personalising the space with their choice of pictures, lights and soft furnishings. This creates a welcoming, homely space. This child has developed positive relationships with staff. They are open to the support provided. As a result, they enjoy spending time with the staff team, going on outings or working on projects. Staff take photos to contribute to keeping memories about the child’s time there.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to improve their health. The child has attended medical appointments, including an introductory meeting with drug and alcohol support services with a view to reducing their use of substances. However, staff’s plans to support the child towards reducing the use of cigarettes and electronic cigarettes are not yet clear.

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improvement to be good

The child’s placement plan contains information about their past experiences and the support they need now. However, the plan does not tell staff about the child’s identity and cultural needs. In addition, targets set for the child lack specificity and focus. These have not yet been reviewed. As a result, staff cannot know the impact of their support or adapt it as needed.

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improvement to be good

The child has not attended school since moving into the home, despite efforts from staff to encourage them. Discussions are being held about the child’s education in September. However, there is a lack of robust and proactive planning by managers. Lessons learned from previous placements have not been implemented to avoid repeating mistakes.

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improvement to be good

One child moved out of the home in March. Their time in the home was characterised by poor assessment, planning and care. This child required the support of two members of staff at all times, which was inappropriate for the size of the property and contrary to the statement of purpose. Staff were unable to find the right way to engage the child in meaningful activities or for them to attend school. Consequently, progress was limited.

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improvement to be good

Staff were unable to intervene safely to prevent one child from being exposed to potential harm and criminal activity arising from unhealthy relationships. On two occasions, police were called to support staff including for an incident of significant property damage, leaving the home unsafe to live in.

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improvement to be good

During this period of time, concerns were raised about the actions of staff leading the child to be at risk. The management investigation reviewing these concerns was Inspection report for children’s home: 2607291 4 not thorough. Senior management oversight of this process failed to identify additional safeguarding and management concerns.

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improvement to be good

The child currently living in the home says they feel safe and supported by staff. Because staff have positive relationships with the child, they are able to have meaningful conversations. These conversations help the child explore important issues to improve their safety. They also help the child to articulate their feelings and manage their emotions positively. This child has been missing from home on two occasions. Staff demonstrated proactive attempts to look for the child, including working with the child’s mother. While the manager reviewed the incidents for future actions, the review did not include looking at the effectiveness of the plans. As a result, the delay in searching for the child on one occasion was not identified and escalated.

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good

Leaders and managers completed a placement review for the child who left in March. This review is limited because it does not consider the actions of leaders and managers themselves and the impact this had on the experiences of the child and staff. While some actions to improve the quality of care have been identified, these are not yet embedded into practice in the home.

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good

A new, experienced manager joined the home in April. The manager undertakes regular reviews of the care in the home and understands the work that needs to be done to build the service. As part of this work, the manager is undertaking reviews of key documents. However, the child’s behaviour plan and risk assessment documents are similar. The behaviour support plan overly focuses on risk and strategies to mitigate the risk, rather than looking at strategies to support the child. The statement of purpose misses key information about support in the home, and the children’s guide contains language that is not child-friendly.

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good

Staff enjoy working in this home and with the child. They feel supported by managers. Staff receive regular training and supervision. In supervision, the manager speaks with staff about current safeguarding concerns, as well as their own personal development. The child’s parent is positive about the support staff give their child. They feel able to share ideas and work collaboratively with the manager. Inspection report for children’s home: 2607291 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 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

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 exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(viii)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure there is a clear plan for how staff will support the child to explore suitable post-16 options. 14 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2607291 6 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

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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that incidents in the home are reviewed for learning. Leaders and managers should also ensure that investigations are thoroughly reviewed for additional concerns raised. The manager should ensure that the child’s documents contain necessary and relevant information about them. Leaders and managers should ensure that any reviews of placements consider the roles of leaders and managers in the outcomes. Leaders and managers should ensure care is delivered in line with the statement of purpose. 14 July 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure the statement of purpose reflects the care provided in the home. In particular, it should mention the therapeutic support on offer and make reference to whether surveillance and monitoring is used. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5) Inspection report for children’s home: 2607291 7  The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide is written in a child- friendly, easily accessible format. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.21)  The registered person should ensure that there is a clear plan for staff to follow to address the child’s smoking and vaping. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)

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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: 2607291 8

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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

Clare Nixson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2607291 9 inspects 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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