Children's home run by Blue Mountain Homes Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2695997 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 was registered on the 13 February 2023 and is privately owned.

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Information about this children’s home

It is registered to provide care for one child with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The provider has applied to Ofsted to provide care for four children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably experienced and registered with Ofsted in February 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2695997 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected. Inspection report for children’s home: 2695997 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is relatively new to the home. She has been able to establish some positive relationships with the manager and staff. This is growing as the staff get to know her and her needs more. The team uses their knowledge of attachment and trauma to help them with this. There is a real commitment to building on what works for the child. She is being supported to talk about her feelings and express herself as she learns to trust the staff. She is now able to accept affection through having fun, hugs and praise. The child has been able to choose a pet, who is providing additional comfort to her. As a result, the child is making steady progress. The child attends school. However, there are planned changes to her provision in the new term to meet her individual needs and interests better. For example, she will be learning about animal care through a more-bespoke timetable. The home also provides informal learning opportunities through educational trips and activities

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

at home. The manager and staff ensure that the child has opportunities to take part in an exciting range of activities. These include outdoor adventures, day trips and holidays. The child is gaining confidence to try new things, and photograph books provide her with happy memories of these occasions. The child is given opportunities to explore her interests, such as football and building with interlocking bricks, within the home. This helps her to relax and take her mind off her worries. Staff take the child to see her family so that she can maintain those important relationships. The child benefits from a home that is safe and well maintained. She has a comfortable bedroom, and the home is well decorated and spacious. The garden area is a place where children can enjoy growing vegetables and play football. With the home being relatively new, the manager and staff are in the process of decorating the walls with pictures. They are also adapting the front gates to make

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

that area more child friendly. This is based on learning from the child’s experience at the home. The manager has a clear complaints procedure in place. The child knows how to complain, and is confident to use this process. Complaints are dealt with in a timely way and children are provided with an outcome. Records are kept of any complaints so that they can be reviewed and monitored. This helps children to feel listened to and that their views are taken seriously. The child is in good health, and she is supported to attend routine appointments, such as with the GP and dentist. She has specialist services in place to meet her additional needs. The child is being well supported with a recent bereavement and is able to talk about this with the manager and staff. As such, she can share her feelings openly and knows that she will be understood. Inspection report for children’s home: 2695997 4

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

Managers and staff pay close attention to the risks posed to and from the child. They have used historical information and their growing knowledge of the child to create well-considered safety plans. These are detailed and include relevant information and strategies to keep the child safe. The staff are not afraid to be creative to achieve this. They seek advice and support from specialist agencies to ensure that they make well-informed decisions. As a result, the child is becoming safer over time. The team has been required to manage some significant incidents, particularly in relation to self-injurious behaviour. The managers and staff use their training and experience to keep the child safe. They record incidents well. There have been some incidents that were serious, and staff have been required to use physical interventions. These are used as a last resort and are proportionate to the situation.

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

Staff communicate well with each other and the child during these times and they are brought to a close as soon as it is safe to do so. Staff are developing strategies to help the child to manage her distress in healthier ways. The child is responding well and, consequently, incidents are reducing in frequency and severity. The staff sometimes need to remove items from the child’s room to ensure that she does not come to harm. This is done with respect and consideration for the child’s feelings, and with safety as the priority. Records have not been kept when this has happened. The manager understands the importance of this to make sure that there is oversight of how practice is conducted in this area. The child has been missing from home on a small number of occasions. This has happened when she has experienced difficult life events. The staff work well to support her during these times and help her to return safely. They involve relevant

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

agencies to ensure that the child is not at risk from exploitation. The child has the opportunity to talk about her feelings after being missing. The staff are working to good effect to help the child to reduce missing incidents and running away from home. The manager and staff are helping the child to develop trust in external professionals who visit the home. They provide lots of reassurance and explain the different roles that people hold. This is important as the child is understandably wary of who comes to see her and the staff. This support is helping the child to reduce her anxiety and feel safe in her home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a committed manager who is enthusiastic about her work. She is well supported by the deputies and trainee manager, who share her values and approaches. There is a positive atmosphere in the home, which promotes safety and stability. The child has developed particularly strong relationships with the manager Inspection report for children’s home: 2695997 5 and enjoys spending time with them. She regularly has a cuddle, which is something that has become extremely important to her. Leaders and managers have safely recruited a diverse team, who show very good commitment to the child. They are enthusiastic and resilient. Staff benefit from regular supervision, which helps them to reflect on the needs of the child and their own development. Managers value the staff, and their welfare is a priority. This helps to retain a stable staff team. Staff take part in regular training that is specific to the needs of the child. As her

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

needs change or new ones emerge, the managers prioritise providing the right training to ensure that staff skills remain relevant. The staff commented on how important their training has been in developing their understanding of the child’s experiences and therefore how to respond to her. The manager has developed positive relationships with a range of professionals, which are benefiting the child. Close communication has resulted in a very good shared understanding of the child’s strengths and vulnerabilities. As such, there is a consistent approach among the professional network. Professionals speak highly of staff and say that the child has settled well due to the care offered by the team. The manager has good oversight of the home and knows the strengths and areas for development. The manager has ideas on how to keep improving practice, for example, through further training and learning to embed therapeutic approaches

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

even further. She is quick to respond to recommendations made to ensure that good standards are maintained in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2695997 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should consider whether immediate searching may be necessary if there are reasonable grounds for believing that there is a risk to the child’s or another person’s safety or well-being. The registered person should ensure that records are kept when a child’s room is searched. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16 paragraph 3.20). Inspection report for children’s home: 2695997 7

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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: 2695997 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

Laura Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2695997 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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