Children's Home run by Blue Mountain Homes Ltd in Doncaster

Inspection report for children’s home: 1264438 1 Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties. There are currently two children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2022.

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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

Date of last inspection: 15 November 2022

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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: 1264438 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/11/2022 Full Good 07/12/2021 Full Good 06/09/2021 Full Inadequate 10/12/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 1264438 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, three children have moved out of the home and one child has been welcomed in. Children are welcomed into the home in a planned way and the manager ensures that the staff have the required skills to meet children’s needs prior to them moving in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move out of the home, they are supported with the move. Relationships do not end at this point as children are supported to maintain relationships with the managers and staff should they wish to do so. This promotes children’s feelings of being cared about, valued and belonging. It also sends a positive message to the children living in the home about the enduring nature of relationships with the adults who care for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by the manager and staff to make progress in line with their starting points. One child struggled to settle into the placement. Despite this, with staff support, they were able to make some progress with their independence skills. One professional confirmed that the child is making progress in the placement in respect of their behaviour and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff support children to make progress with their education. The manager works extensively with professionals to ensure that the education needs of children are met. A professional said that the manager has been proactive in escalating concerns about one child’s education. Staff provide children with educational opportunities within the home. Children undertake awards accredited by a national awarding body. This not only supports their learning but also promotes progress with their independent living skills and ability to understand risks and keep themselves safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to be healthy. Staff cook nutritious meals and encourage healthy eating habits. One child, who no longer lives in the home, described the food as ‘mint’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend routine and specialist health appointments that promote progress with their physical health and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can spend time with their family and friends in a safe and supported way. This has enabled one child to start to establish positive relationships with peers. Another child has been supported to develop relationships with their family members. One parent said that staff ‘bend over backwards’ to support family time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff help children to take part in a range of activities that are relevant to their needs and interests. One child is making excellent progress in the Army Cadets and recently spent two days on camp with the Cadets. With Inspection report for children’s home: 1264438 4 encouragement from staff, another child is starting to take part in more physical activities outside the home.

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

Children are supported by staff to build trusting relationships with them. Children said that they feel safe living in the home. One child said, ‘The home is a safe place to live, and the staff keep us safe.’

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

Children know how to make a complaint and they have confidence that the manager will take their complaint seriously. Children also have trusted adults outside the home who they can complain to. One child said that they felt confident to speak with their social worker or parent if they had any worries.

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

When children go missing from care, they receive a well-coordinated response that reduces the risk of harm and supports them to return home. Information from return home interviews is fed into missing-from-care protocols and risk assessments.

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

Children are supported to take positive risks in line with their age and understanding. Staff support them to do this through informal and planned conversations with children. One professional said that staff do a lot of key-work sessions with their child, which are relevant and evidence the child’s wishes and feelings.

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

Physical interventions are used as a last resort and the manager and designated safeguarding lead monitor these. Children and staff take part in debriefs following incidents, to promote learning. Staff work restoratively following physical interventions being used, to rebuild relationships. However, information relating to physical interventions is currently not contained in one record and staff debriefs do not evidence reflection.

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

The manager provides a safe physical space for children to live in. The manager works with partner agencies to inform the locality risk assessment, which identifies known and emerging risks in the area. This helps to ensure that staff know the risks to children when out in the community.

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

No allegations have been made against staff. Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding and whistle-blowing procedures. The manager has developed links with the local authority designated officer and has sought their advice when concerns were shared about an external professional who visited the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a permanent, suitably experienced registered manager who receives appropriate support from the senior leadership team. The manager knows the children well and is passionate about supporting children to achieve their aspirations and do well in life. Inspection report for children’s home: 1264438 5 Leaders and managers have systems in place to continually review the quality of care provided. The manager values the input of the independent visitor to the home and is quick to act on any recommendations that the visitor makes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed effective working relationships with other professionals so that the individual needs of the children living in the home can be understood and met. The manager seeks to build effective relationships with placing authorities to secure positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers understand the plans for children well and support children to work towards important milestones and goals. When children are struggling to settle into the home, leaders and managers are proactive in working with others to agree next steps and identify appropriate support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working in the home and feel supported by leaders and managers. They work well as a team to provide consistency of care to children. Practice-based supervision, training and reflections within team meetings enable the staff to develop further. Several staff are working towards achieving the Level 3 qualification. However, one member of staff is outside the timescale with this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides a warm, clean and child-friendly environment for children. Children can personalise their bedrooms and the communal areas of the home, which are decorated to a high standard. However, children’s movements within the home are monitored using alarms on their bedroom doors. The use of alarms is not in line with the current needs and risks of the children living in the home. The area manager addressed this during the inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 1264438 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, 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 registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance; and

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 14 August 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the registered manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that records of restraint are kept and that the records enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure that it meets the needs of the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)  The registered person should ensure that all staff in a care role, including external

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Recommendations

agency or bank staff, have the qualification in regulation 32(4) within the relevant Inspection report for children’s home: 1264438 7 timescale listed in regulation 32(5). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.12)

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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: 1264438 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 20-21, Pullman Business Court, Mallard Way, Pride Park, Derby DE24 8GX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Pradeep Manaktala

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Inspector

Shirin Khan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1264438 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 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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