Children's Home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2620698 1 Registered provider: Beacon Childcare Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private provider. The home is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since August 2023 and has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

On 3, 4 and 10 October 2023, a full inspection was undertaken at the home. The home was judged to be inadequate in relation to the care and protection of children and the leadership and management. A suspension notice was issued on 11 October 2023. The suspension notice has been complied with.

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This monitoring visit

The manager and staff have begun to reflect on the experience of the child who previously lived at the home. This reflection has been supported by a clinical specialist. This has led to staff having a greater understanding of team dynamics and how to achieve consistency. However, this reflection has failed to acknowledge the extent of the child's adverse experience. Furthermore, the lessons learned and actions that managers will take in the future to prevent further occurrence remain unclear. In addition, managers have not reflected on the skills, experience and knowledge of the staff team to understand what needs and behaviours of children the staff can safely care for.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have started a development plan. All staff have completed a thorough induction workbook. Staff have completed refresher training in a wide range of topics. The manager has used a blended approach of online and face-to-face training. Safeguarding has been the key focus of staff development. However, gaps remain in staff training. For example, there has been no specific training in managing allegations, which was a significant shortfall at the full inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2620698 2 The manager has used team meetings and supervisions to enhance and consolidate staff learning and development. This means that staff are now better equipped to care for children. Some training was only being completed on the day of this monitoring visit, so there has not yet been the opportunity for managers to test the staff’s knowledge and ensure that they have understood and embedded the training

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This monitoring visit

and considered how they will apply this in practice.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have spent some time working at other homes as part of their development plan. However, managers have not coordinated this with staff. As a result, staff have only spent very minimal time at other homes. This has reduced the effectiveness of this development opportunity.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has recruited one additional staff member. However, there are still two full-time staff vacancies. The organisation has reviewed the capacity of the responsible individual and has halved the number of homes he oversees. As a result, he has been able to increase the support he gives the manager and his oversight of the home.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of this monitoring visit, the home’s suspension notice remains in place. Progress has been made with requirements but none have been met since the last inspection. The recommendation made in relation to first-aid training has been met. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2620698 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/10/2023 Full Inadequate 07/01/2022 Interim Not judged Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2620698 4

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff promote children’s engagement with education through direct work and embedding routines. 18 December 2023

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. 18 December 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2620698 5 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to—

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff promote children’s engagement with health appointments through direct work and embedding routines.

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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 that staff—

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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; 18 December 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2620698 6 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

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have 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

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff build positive relationships with children and provide clear and consistent boundaries and expectations for behaviour.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that staff respond to children’s behaviours in a planned and consistent way that promotes positive behaviour.

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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— 18 December 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2620698 7 that staff—

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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;

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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.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff assess risk and take timely and effective action to protect children from harm.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that staff know, understand and apply the home’s child protection policies and procedures and, in particular, how to manage allegations.

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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. 18 December 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2620698 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that there is a staff team in place that has the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of children, as per the statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that managers provide clear guidance to staff to enable them to provide consistency of care to children.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that monitoring systems and records are reviewed and used effectively to review the quality of care and make improvements.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children 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— 18 December 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2620698 9 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(e)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that managers make a thorough and realistic assessment of the ability of staff to meet a child’s needs, before making a decision for a child to move to the home.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that an introduction and routines are in place that promote the child’s opportunities to settle at the home.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that procedures for requesting formal review of children’s placement are made, and in a timely way, to enable a coordinated multi-agency response.

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, as far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all fire drills take place and are recorded, and that staff take action to educate children about fire procedures at the home. 18 December 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2620698 10 The registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that records are completed with detail and accuracy, enabling effective management oversight. 18 December 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2620698 11 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 18 December 2023

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2620698 12

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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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Inspectors

Alison Snell, Social Care Inspector Vicky Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2620698 13 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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