Children's home run by Little Belsteads Care Home Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1248979 1 Registered provider: Little Belsteads Care Home Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to seven children aged from eight to 17 with learning disabilities. Children live in the main house and a barn annex.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has not had a registered manager since October 2023. An application to register a new manager was received by Ofsted in January 2024.

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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: 13 February 2023

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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: 1248979 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2023 Full Good 13/05/2021 Full Good 18/06/2019 Full Good 05/12/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1248979 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, six children were living at the home. Four children have moved into the home and three have moved out. Two children moved on in planned way and one child experienced a unplanned ending.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children attend education. One child has made exceptional progress. The child uses the local bus service independently to attend college. They enjoy the sense of independence and are developing life skills that will support them to move back to live with their parent this summer. One child is on a phased return to college and is being supported by staff to do activities that help them with continuous learning. Staff know how important it is that children have good attendance at school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff who show love and affection to them. There is a lot of laughter and joy at the home. The children benefit from highly individualised care that is thoughtful and considered. Staff are innovative in using alternative communication with the children, particularly those who are non-verbal. This ensures there is consistency in understanding the child’s voice whenever possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand how to care for children with complicated health conditions. They receive training that provides them with the skills to address health needs with confidence and kindness. When children are not well, staff know how to react quickly to ensure responses are appropriate. Staff have helped to create a nurturing environment where children with complex needs thrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The therapeutic approach helps staff to understand how children’s previous trauma impacts on their behaviour and emotional presentation. A clinical psychologist provides support to the team. Staff use curiosity when they talk to children. This shows that they are listening and understand how children communicate. When children know that staff are listening to them, they respond positively. One parent said that the progress for her son is ‘huge, really huge. He is so much calmer and less agitated. That is down to the staff.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and families are supported to spend quality time together. The home operates an open-door policy where parents, family and friends can come and spend time together. One of the children recently celebrated a significant milestone. A big family party was held at the home when all the children celebrated the child’s achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved out of the home as the staff were unable to meet their needs. Despite a period of disruption and an unplanned ending, staff supported the child well and liaised with the child’s parents and new home to help support the move. This decision was made to ensure all the children in the home were safeguarded effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 1248979 4 The home is maintained to a high standard. Children’s bedrooms are individualised and each child’s personality is reflected in the decor. Children can help to choose the colours and pictures around the home. There is a craft area in one of the rooms and an office is being turned into a quiet room for the children.

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

When safeguarding incidents occur, staff know how to escalate concerns. Safeguarding issues are responded to efficiently and involve the appropriate agencies. Leaders use monitoring and oversight to identify patterns and trends in children’s behaviour.

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

There are strong and established partnerships with social care and education providers, which means that any meetings are well attended. Social workers regularly visit the home and know the children who they support well.

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

Restraint is used rarely. When staff need to use restraint, this is to keep a child safe or to avoid an accident. The reports following these incidents are thorough and reflective. Debriefs are held with staff which are overseen by the manager. Children are spoken to appropriately.

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

Staff confidently provide dynamic risk assessments. They are therapeutically trained. They consider children’s behaviours in the light of their previous trauma, which helps them to support children when they feel anxious or upset. There are well-written plans for all the children that include risk assessments. Risk-reduction strategies are overseen by the manager.

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

Staff work with children to support them to sustain healthy relationships. They use a range of resources to help inform children and assist them to understand complex topics. Key-work sessions include online safety, bullying, being a good friend and safety in the community. Staff work with sensitivity and thoughtfully support children’s understanding.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has applied to register with Ofsted and holds a level 5 qualification. She is highly experienced but relatively new to the role. She has developed very good relationships with the children, who seek her out to spend time with her. She models positive values to the children and the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that they value their supervision sessions. They know that the manager supports them. Supervision sessions are reflective and there is an opportunity to discuss how therapeutic strategies are supporting them in their work with the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1248979 5 New staff said that they enjoyed their induction and had time to learn the home’s processes. They work alongside experienced staff to help them learn the skills needed to care for the children. There is a clear career progression pathway.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leaders and managers are highly aspirational for the children. They provide the children with experiences and opportunities that help them to take appropriate risks. Children enjoy a wide range of outdoor activities and new experiences. The staff ensure that these are recorded in photo journals, as a memento for the future. Inspection report for children’s home: 1248979 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 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)) 1 March 2024

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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: 1248979 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Little Belsteads Care Home Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Windsor House, Bayshill Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 3AT

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Inspector

Trudy Potter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1248979 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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