Children's Home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children's home: 1253711 1 Registered provider: Beacon Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who have had adverse childhood experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management and registered with Ofsted in May 2020.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 17 October 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1253711 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/02/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/07/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/01/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: 1253711 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved in and one young person has moved out of the home. These moves have been well planned.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person moved into their own accommodation, in line with their wishes and feelings. He has remained in contact with the staff and has been a positive role model for the children who remain living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person came back to visit the home during this inspection. He talked about his positive experience of living in the home and the care he received from staff. He told the inspector, ‘I’m grateful for what they have taught me and how they have cared for me. They are always there for me. I’m doing phenomenally.’ As a result of the care and support that staff have given to him, he is now completing an apprenticeship and has high aspirations for what he can achieve. His independent reviewing officer said he had ‘blossomed’ due to the supportive approach staff have taken with him.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children currently live in this home. At the time of the inspection, one child had lived in the home for about a year and the other for about two months. Both have positive relationships with staff. Both their social workers say they feel that their children are well cared for by staff. One said her child had made more progress in the last two months at this home than in the previous eight months living in another home. For example, the child’s routine is improving and, as a result, she is starting to engage in educational activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children are re-engaging in education after previously having difficulties. The manager has advocated for one child in line with his wishes and feelings to attend a mainstream school. Children feel that their opinions matter and that staff listen to them. They feel valued and this also helps them to build trusting relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children participate in a range of activities that are aimed at providing them with opportunities to relax and to become healthier. For example, children enjoy using the local gym and they play for local football teams.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have been proactive in supporting children to maintain good health. This has included staff challenging other professionals and supporting children to attend all health appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s guide does not contain all the necessary information for children. For example, information is missing on how to access advocacy support and how to contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. It also contains three pages of rules, which could be off-putting for a child new to the home. Inspection report for children's home: 1253711 4

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

Overall, the number of incidents in the home is low. When incidents do occur, staff take time to talk to children about them, the impact they could have on their future and how to turn things around. Children take part in discussions and training opportunities and watch documentaries to help increase their understanding of the world around them. The staff also work with other professionals, such as mentors, to help children and give them the best possible advice and guidance.

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

Staff take time to talk to children and to help them understand how to stay safe online. This is coupled with having parental controls in place to help children make safer choices when using the internet.

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

There have been a few occasions when children have gone missing from the home. Staff actively look for children and welcome them home when they return.

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

There have been two allegations made by a child. These have been promptly shared with the child’s social worker and the local authority designated officer and appropriate actions have been taken to safeguard children.

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

Although consequences are rarely used with children, there is no collective understanding by staff about what should and should not be recorded as a consequence. The manager plans to hold a workshop with staff to address this.

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good

Since the last full inspection, the registered manager has worked hard to make the necessary improvements. She has met the recommendation raised at the last inspection. The home has benefited from redecoration, the kitchen has been refitted and the toilet has been fixed.

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good

The registered manager has high expectations for what children can achieve. She advocates well for the children in her care. A stable team of staff enjoy working in the home and caring for the children.

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good

Information in children’s documents does not give staff clear direction about the actions they should take to keep children safe. For example, there is a lack of information about when to report a child missing from home after they do not answer welfare calls when out on activities. Furthermore, the level of recording requires improvement. Records are difficult to understand and contain errors that have the potential to mislead the reader about staff’s practice.

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good

Staff feel supported by each other and by the management team. They benefit from regular supervision that is of good quality. Although the manager receives supervision from the responsible individual, the records from these meetings do not capture any reflective practice discussions. Inspection report for children's home: 1253711 5 Staff are qualified or working towards the appropriate level 3 qualification within the required timescales. Staff have taken part in a wide range of training. However, due to a system error, staff have not received refresher training. Some courses are now out of date by a number of months . This means that staff may not be working with the most up-to-date knowledge and information. Inspection report for children's home: 1253711 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 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 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

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

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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)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff promptly complete the necessary refresher training and that systems are in place so managers can monitor this as needed. Also, ensure that children’s plans give clear direction to staff and that records are completed accurately. 17 November

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide should help children to understand how they can access advocacy support and how to contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)  The registered person should ensure they have systems in place so that all staff, including the 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) Inspection report for children's home: 1253711 7  The registered person should ensure that children’s plans make it clear when staff when should report children missing from home. These must be understood and

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Recommendations

applied at all times by staff and must be kept under review and revised when needed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)

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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: 1253711 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Beacon Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Beacon Childcare Ltd, 28 Phoenix Business Park, Avenue Close, Birmingham B7 4NU

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Inspector

Louise Battersby, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1253711 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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Inspector

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