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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC464759 1 SC464759 Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Three children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since April 2022.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC464759 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/07/2022 Full Good 22/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 29/04/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/06/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC464759 3

p.2

improvement to be good

Children’s transitions when joining and leaving the home are not yet well recorded. Transition planning for children is not yet to a good standard. When children leave the home, they are not supported effectively by staff. This results in children not being provided with the best possible experiences of moving from the home.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff support children to attend education, including considering further education options that link to children’s interests and aspirations. When children are not accessing full-time education, plans are put in place to ensure that this is secured as soon as possible. Staff promote children’s progress, achievements and learning.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children are not consistently supported by staff to keep their bedrooms clean and tidy. Staff do not always think creatively about how to help children maintain their bedrooms. This can lead to bedrooms sometimes becoming messy and unclean. Other areas in the home are comfortable and welcoming.

p.3

improvement to be good

At times, children lack the structure and routine they need, especially during school holidays. This is because staff are not always creative in helping children develop their interests and hobbies. This means children can become bored and restless.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff support children to share their wishes and feelings. They discuss a range of topics in children’s meetings, which are held regularly. The manager writes to the children and reflects on the progress they are making. The language used is child- friendly and celebrates their successes. This supports children to feel valued. Individual key-work sessions take place regularly between staff and children. However, some are very brief and do not always consider actions staff might need to complete. This can lead to key-work sessions lacking a clear focus. The manager does not always check whether staff have completed actions set following key-work sessions with children.

p.3

improvement to be good

Overall, children and staff have formed good relationships. As a result, staff can recognise when children may be feeling worried or anxious. Staff have a good understanding of what support children may need. However, established staff are not yet supporting newer staff to build relationships with children. This does have a negative impact on children because they are not being supported to build meaningful relationships with all those that care for them. Some children referred to agency staff feeling like strangers. This is an area for development.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff support children to spend time with those that are important to them. Before this happens, staff ensure that children are safe and that communication and contact are in their best interest. This means that children maintain important relationships with those close to them, and it also helps children to maintain their sense of identity. Inspection report for children’s home: SC464759 4

p.3

improvement to be good

Where there is an identified risk that children may go missing from home, staff do not always appropriately check their whereabouts. For example, on one occasion following a phone check, staff believed one child to be in the home. However, this was not accurate and instead the child had been missing for six hours. This resulted in delayed action from the staff. This in turn increased risks for the child. Although there have also been some good examples of staff helping to keep children safe when they have been missing from home, practice is not yet consistent.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children’s individual risk assessments do not yet contain known information about risks to children. Additionally, details about these risks and children’s vulnerabilities are limited. As a result, some staff do not have the knowledge about what children’s known triggers are. This makes staff less able to de-escalate situations effectively. This leaves children at an increased risk of not receiving the support they require at times of crisis.

p.4

improvement to be good

When children make a complaint or allegation, investigations are thorough and completed in a timely manner. However, responses from managers to children are not always evident. Children are not informed of the outcomes of their complaints or helped to understand the decisions made about them. One child said, ‘No one listened to me.’

p.4

improvement to be good

When incidents take place, the manager and staff take time to reflect on what happened and consider what they could do differently to support children. This enables staff to improve the care provided to children. Staff consider ways that they can help to keep children safer. No children have needed any physical interventions.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff help children to reflect on their behaviour and to understand why they may be struggling. The manager has oversight of all behavioural consequences that are implemented by staff. The manager ensures that consequences are proportionate and child-centred.

p.4

improvement to be good

The location risk assessment identifies risks within the local and wider community. Up-to-date crime information is reflected on. The assessment includes how risks for children can be reduced. This enables staff to provide increased safeguarding support to children.

p.4

good

Some staff have not had the required training to keep their skills up to date. For example, not all staff have completed necessary courses in how to prevent children from self-harming. Similarly, not all staff have completed online safety training. Although a development plan is in place to support the home, this plan is overly generic and is not yet specific enough for the children in their care. Inspection report for children’s home: SC464759 5 The quality and frequency of individual staff supervisions are variable. There is a clear agenda which considers the needs of children and the personal needs of staff. However, any identified practice issues with staff are not discussed in detail or reflected on within supervision records. This includes any difficulties in relationships between staff members that could impact on the care and experiences of children. One member of staff said, ‘We need team-building exercises and more supervisions

p.4

good

Staff shortages have affected the experiences of children. Staff vacancies have resulted in some staff going beyond their contracted hours. One member of staff said, ‘Staff are very tired due to being awake all night,’ with another member of staff commenting, ‘We need more staff desperately.’ There is a significant impact on staff morale. This is because some staff are feeling exhausted.

p.5

good

The manager’s quality of care review report lacks the necessary evaluation. The review is not in depth, and it lacks reflection for the previous six months. The reports do not include feedback from children, their parents, placing authorities or staff. This limits the opportunities for leaders and managers to learn and act. This is necessary to improve the quality of care in the home. Although the manager has some quality assurance systems in place to monitor the quality of children’s care, these processes are not consistently followed. The experience and knowledge base of the team are variable. This is an area for development. Inspection report for children’s home: SC464759 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that staff complete regular checks of the children’s whereabouts so that there is no delay in taking immediate action in safeguarding children. This also relates to known triggers for children’s behaviours being reflected in risk assessments to ensure that staff are better equipped to help keep children safe. 12 October 2023

p.6

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— 12 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC464759 7 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f))

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that issues relating to dynamics with the staff team are addressed without delay so as not to impact on the care provided to children. When practice issues are identified, the registered person must ensure that staff are supported to reflect on this, with records of discussion being clear and detailed. It also relates to staff having up-to-date training and, therefore, improved skills. Furthermore, sufficient staff must be in place to ensure that staff are not exhausted and a positive morale can be secured.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.7

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.7

Requirement Due date

that arrangements are in place to— 12 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC464759 8 ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

p.7

Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home;

p.8

Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that careful and considered decisions are made when admitting children into the home and that children have a positive experience of moving into and out of the home.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.8

Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

p.8

Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.8

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

p.8

Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iii)(b)(i))

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that when children have raised a complaint, they are provided with a clear outcome and helped to understand any decisions made. This further relates to the registered person use the skills of staff who children feel they have a good relationship with, to enable more positive relationships to be developed between children with all the staff. 12 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC464759 9 The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.8

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

p.9

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

p.9

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.9

Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

p.9

Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; protect and promote each child’s welfare;

p.9

Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

p.9

Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

p.9

Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

p.9

Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

p.9

Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)(vii))

p.9

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that improvements required in children’s bedrooms are addressed without delay. In addition to this, the registered person must ensure that staff are creative in supporting children to develop their interests and hobbies. Activities should be planned ahead as reflected within the statement of purpose. 12 October 2023

p.9

Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— 12 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC464759 10 the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

p.9

Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

p.10

Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”). (Regulation 45 (2)(b)(c) (3))

p.10

Recommendation

 The registered person should support staff to be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non- stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.10

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: SC464759 11

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Ltd

p.11

Children’s home details

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

p.11

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Pradeep Manaktala

p.11

Inspector

Kathryn Hurley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC464759 12 regulates and 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.

p.11

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.12

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.12

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.12