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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2690357 1 Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Limited 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 two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. Two children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2022 and is suitably experienced.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 12 September 2022

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2690357 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/09/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2690357 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are receiving good care from staff who know them well. One child said, ‘I could go to any of the staff if I needed help. Staff help me and understand.’ An external professional said, ‘The rapport that they have built with the child is fantastic, and they are very invested in her welfare.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and decorated to a good standard. All areas of the home are well maintained. This provides children with a comfortable home that they can be proud of.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported by staff to share their wishes, feelings and views. One- to-one chats between staff and children are regular and focused on the needs of children. There are weekly children’s meetings, which are child focused. The manager responds to requests made by children. Children feel listened to.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide support for children to engage in education. Staff liaise effectively with education providers when children do not attend school. One child’s attendance has increased significantly since they moved into the home. Staff advocate for children when attending education meetings. This helps to ensure that children have consistent access to education and learning.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager carefully considers how staff can meet children’s needs before they move into the home. Staff support children to prepare to move in, and discussions are held with children already living in the home. A social worker said, ‘They (staff) were amazing in terms of supporting the transition.’ They added that the planning for moving in included meeting the child for a drink, taking them shopping to buy things for their bedroom and visiting the home before they moved in.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager is reflective about the care provided to children. She ensures that staff develop the skills to meet the needs of the children. However, there is no effective system in place that enables staff to measure children’s progress. The lack of planning and recording may impact on how staff ensure that children are supported to meet their full potential.

p.3

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

Children’s risk assessments are comprehensive. Staff have a good understanding of children’s individual needs. Preventative and supportive measures are reflected in the plans, which staff can use when they are helping children to feel safe. A social worker said, ‘The home is really helping and supportive around known risk factors.’

p.3

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

Staff only physically intervene with children as a last resort. This is to prevent children from harming themselves and others. Careful consideration is given, and Inspection report for children’s home: 2690357 4 additional training is provided to staff when physically holding children who have additional physical needs.

p.3

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

If children make allegations, the manager takes prompt and appropriate action. Investigations are carried out quickly and thoroughly. External professionals are informed by the manager and staff, and plans are put in place to ensure that children are helped to feel safe and listened to.

p.4

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

When children go missing from home, staff follow established protocols to return children home quickly and safely. Staff ensure that information is shared with relevant external safeguarding agencies. This means there is a robust multi-agency response when children go missing from home.

p.4

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

Staff support children where there are worries about their emotional well-being. Although children do not always accept advice, the manager and staff explore different services to ensure a variety of support options are provided to children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and passionate about positive outcomes for children. The manager is verbally reflective about practice and driven to continue supporting staff development and improve the care that children receive. Staff are encouraged by the manager to link behaviours shown by children to their emotions.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel very well supported by the manager and deputy manager. One member of staff said, ‘[Name of manager] is a passionate and capable manager who is hard working and child focused.’ Another member of staff said, ‘There is an abundance of knowledge throughout the team, which is shared regularly. Ideas are valued and taken on board.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a range of training, including extended training in relation to the home’s preferred model of practice. This has a positive impact on staff’s knowledge and skills and the way they support children when they are struggling with their emotions.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s quality of care review report lacks the necessary evaluation. It does not focus on the experience of the children living in the home and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for children. There are no clear plans set about how the home will continue to improve the care provided to children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with regular professional supervision sessions by the manager or senior members of staff. However, these are not always meaningful and do not support reflective discussion about practice and ways to improve. Some staff do not find supervision helpful. However, they feel this is due to having regular discussions with the team and manager on each shift. Inspection report for children’s home: 2690357 5

p.4

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.5

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—

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

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) (2)(f))

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure clear planning and monitoring of children’s progress to make sure that they are supported to meet their full potential. 25 January 2024

p.5

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—

p.5

Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

p.5

Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (2)(a)(b)(c))

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the quality of care review evaluates the care provided to children and identifies actions about how to improve and develop this. 25 January 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2690357 6

p.5

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that supervision sessions provide time for staff to talk about the care provided to children and to have reflective discussions about ways they could improve their practice. Professional supervision should have a clear purpose and be meaningful. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.15)

p.6

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: 2690357 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Pradeep Manaktala

p.7

Inspector

Kathryn Hurley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2690357 8 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.7

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8