Children's home run by The Beeches UK limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2594875 1 Registered provider: The Beeches UK limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to four children with a diagnosed learning disability.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2021.

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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

Date of last inspection: 25 October 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2594875 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/10/2022 Full Good 29/10/2021 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/08/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2594875 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were four children living at the home at the time of inspection. There are positive relationships between the staff and children. Staff know the children well and understand their individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children all attend school. Close working relationships between staff and school staff support the children’s learning. On occasions when children are not able to attend the school, staff support them with learning at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend local activities and clubs that meet their interests. Children enjoy activities, including going to trampoline parks, football matches and theme parks. One child has expressed an interest in learning about different religions and history. Staff support these interests and plan activities that encourage them. The home has pet goats, which the children enjoy spending time with and help to look after. Regular activities support children’s identity and provide them with positive experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves to and from the home are managed well. There are clear transition plans for children moving on from the home. Plans are individual to the child’s needs. One child has moved to the home since last inspection. The manager completed assessments to ensure that this would be a positive move for the child and the other children at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to complain. One child made a complaint, which was not responded to and they did not receive an outcome from their complaint. This means that the child may not feel heard and they have not had a chance to confirm if they agree with the outcome.

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

Staff understand children’s risks. Children’s behaviour management plans and care plans are detailed and provide strategies for staff to support children. Staff talk to children about their risks and have discussions with them following incidents. This helps children to understand their own risks and develop new ways to manage them.

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

Staff support children to keep safe online and understand internet safety. Staff monitor one child’s online activity to ensure that they are keeping safe. Conversations with the child about online safety take place. Another child has an agreement where the staff complete regular phone checks. This helps to ensure that the phone is being used appropriately.

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

The manager ensures that referrals to the local authority designated officer (LADO) are made promptly. When an allegation was made against a member of staff, the Inspection report for children’s home: 2594875 4 manager referred this to the LADO and completed an investigation. The manager worked with the child’s social worker and the allegation was unfounded.

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

Medication errors are identified and responded to appropriately. There has been one medication error since the last inspection. The manager reported the concern to the LADO. The error was a recording error; however, medical advice was sought to ensure that the child’s health was protected. The staff members have had their medication competencies reassessed to ensure that they are able to safely administer medication.

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

Missing-from-home episodes are not always recorded in full detail. The reasons for children going missing are understood. Staff understand the processes to take should a child go missing. However, the recording of the incidents does not always include full details of how the child left the home and the actions that staff took to look for them. Management oversight does not identity the lack of detail in the record or identify learning from missing-from-home incidents.

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

Restraints are rarely used. Staff use de-escalation techniques to reduce the need for restraints. Following restraints, children are spoken to about the reason for the restraint. However, debriefs with staff do not always happen promptly. This could leave staff feeling unsupported and prevent managers having full oversight of the restraint and whether it was proportionate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and qualified for the role. The manager knows the children well and understands the progress that they have made and areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals said that there are good working relationships with the manager and staff. The manager is also the registered manager for another children’s home. The manager ensures that she divides her time between the homes to fully support the children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable staff team, and the use of agency staff has reduced. This allows children to develop positive relationships with the staff who are caring for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions and team meetings take place regularly. This supports staff to develop their knowledge and reflect on their practice. Staff feel supported by the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Appraisals for staff are undertaken. However, the staff appraisals lack feedback from professionals and children. This means that there is no objective overview of the staff member’s performance and the areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager welcomes external scrutiny from the independent visitor. However, the independent visitor’s reports do not always contain feedback from children and Inspection report for children’s home: 2594875 5 families. This means that the independent visitor is not gaining a thorough insight into the home due to lack of feedback from people who use the service. Inspection report for children’s home: 2594875 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, 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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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. (Regulation 7 (1)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the home’s complaint policy is followed and children receive an outcome following complaints. 26 January 2024

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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. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)) 26 January 2024

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the views of children and their families are regularly gained by the independent person. 26 January 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2594875 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that evaluation of missing-from-home incidents is undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. In particular, ensure that enough information is included in missing-from-home incident forms and there are no gaps in the information recorded. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)  The registered person should ensure that, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care are included in annual appraisals. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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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: 2594875 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Beeches UK limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: S B C H House, 212 Ballards Lane, London N3 2LX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michelle Robinson

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Inspector

Leanne Lyon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2594875 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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