Children's Home run by Blue Elephant Childcare Limited in Devon

Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 1 Registered provider: Blue Elephant Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care and support for up to three children with emotional and social difficulties. It is part of a local organisation that owns several homes.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has 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

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: 2568557 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/08/2022 Full Good 01/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 3

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improvement to be good

The home is well presented. Children have large, personalised bedrooms and private bathroom facilities. Communal areas are well furnished, providing space for children to undertake leisure activities. The garden area is used by the children. The summer house offers a space for children to complete education, allowing separation between these formal activities and the more relaxed areas of the home. Several areas within the home and garden require maintenance, and this is being addressed.

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improvement to be good

Carers form positive and trusting relationships with children. The inspector observed several conversations and interactions which demonstrated the depth of these relationships. One child said that they do not feel safe living in the home. They have witnessed incidents and have asked carers to keep them safe. On these occasions carers have listened to the child and removed them from the situation. At times, the children living in the home have a positive relationship, sharing and enjoying activities. However, there have been incidents between the children where they have been hurt, scared or upset. On these occasions carers have provided the children with guidance, nurture and support.

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improvement to be good

Children living in the home make progress. One parent and a social worker told the inspector that a child’s ability to express their emotions in a positive manner has developed in a short period of time. Another child regularly attends tutoring sessions and is developing essential independence skills. Carers are proud of children’s achievements. They support children to have fun and enjoy a variety of activities. They encourage children to develop essential and recreational skills and talents.

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improvement to be good

Education is prioritised by the home. Children attend tutoring sessions and alternative education activities out of the home. One child’s tutor said that they are making ‘social, educational and emotional’ progress which has been ‘facilitated by the staff’. Carers have supported a child to prepare to return to school following a long time out of formal education. They have listened to the child’s wishes and advocated for them when necessary.

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improvement to be good

Carers work with other professionals to gain therapeutic guidance and support for children. They work with the in-house therapeutic team, and the outcome of these sessions informs planning for children. Carers have worked with a social worker to arrange vital life-story work for a child.

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improvement to be good

Planning for children to move into the home is not robust. One child has moved into the home despite important information and documentation not being received. This has prevented accurate decision-making and hindered a full analysis of risk. The impact of this is that there is a difficult dynamic between the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 4

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improvement to be good

Risks are identified although they are not always effectively planned for and managed. Carers do not have clear strategies or a clear plan to follow to help build more positive relationships between the children. Strategies and plans are devised for other aspects of children’s care. These are helpful and good quality. Carers are aware of the content of plans and how following them benefits children. This has led to children receiving individualised and attuned care.

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improvement to be good

Carers support children to spend time with family members. They build relationships with parents. Two parents said they are happy with the care their children receive. Carers supervise family time between one child and their parent. They do not have a clear plan to follow in relation to ensuring that this is a safe activity and have not always intervened when concerns have arisen.

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improvement to be good

On the rare occasion that a child has gone missing, carers have acted promptly and follow protocols. On devising a protocol, a child has been consulted and their views considered and included.

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improvement to be good

Carers manage incidents well intervening appropriately and working to minimise harm. They distract or use therapeutic approaches to meet the child’s needs. When the decision to use restraint has been made it has been as a last resort. During a period of crisis in the home carers showed resilience and commitment to the children. Management oversight of incidents is reflective.

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improvement to be good

Conversations with children do not always take place following incidents. This has led to missed opportunities to provide children with valuable learning and exploration of their experiences and feelings.

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improvement to be good

Monthly updates provide good insight into the regular monitoring and evaluation that take place in the home. The child, their behaviours and experiences are considered and scrutinised. The outcome of this work is shared with the team and feeds in to care planning for children.

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improvement to be good

Written recordings of children’s day-to-day lives are informative. At times, language is institutionalised. At other times, language used evokes a real sense of feeling and view of the child’s experiences. However, accessing information to gain a full narrative of an event is difficult as different documents are not linked.

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good

Since the last inspection a new manager has been recruited. He has submitted his application to be registered with Ofsted. He is passionate about the home, the children and the team of carers. He is reflective and open and aspires to make Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 5 improvements. He has a clear focus on learning and development for the team. His overall ethos is to improve the lives of and the outcomes for children who live in the home. A new senior carer has recently been appointed. She has already formed positive working relationships with the manager and team.

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good

Feedback from carers about the home, leaders and managers is overwhelmingly positive. They enjoy being at the home and feel listened to, supported and respected. They value the training and development opportunities available to them and have a good sense of being a team. They are passionate about building relationships with and caring for children.

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good

Team meetings are regular and inclusive. Agendas and actions are clear. Actions are not always reviewed. There is a clear focus on training and developing practice. The children and their needs are a primary focus. Carers are invited to give presentations, which are informative and relevant.

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good

Leaders and managers do not always provide carers with regular supervision. However, managers and carers said that ad hoc conversations in respect of practice take place on a regular basis. These conversations are not recorded. Supervision is open and reflective. Carers talk openly and honestly with their managers about the home and any concerns that they may have.

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good

During an incident, a child reported that a carer had hurt them. This was not reported to other professionals, internally investigated or referred to the local authority designated officer. Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have 24 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 7 the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children receive the support, learning and guidance that they need to form and maintain positive relationships in the home. This should be in the form of specific and targeted conversations following incidents and ongoing ad hoc conversations.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that clear planning is in place so that carers can provide children with robust and consistent support to form and maintain safe relationships.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 24 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 8 manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that carers protect children from harm inside and outside of the home.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that children who live in the home feel safe.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that robust evaluation and analysis of all available or required information is completed before a decision is made for a child to move into the home. 24 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 9 sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should inform the local authority to allow them to make a decision on whether to complete an investigation if a child reports that they have been harmed by a carer.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that records of children’s experiences do not use institutionalised language. Also, that all components of recording incidents, to include any actions that follow, are linked to enable the reader to gain a full narrative of the actions of children and carers. 24 December

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff receive supervision which allows them to reflect on their practice, and that the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions are accurately recorded. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 10 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: 2568557 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blue Elephant Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 30, Chivenor Business Park, Barnstaple EX31 4FT

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Inspector

Carla Simkiss, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2568557 12 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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