Children's Home run by Bethel Children’s Care Ltd in Luton

Inspection report for children's home: 2639632 1 Registered provider: Bethel Children’s Care Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since October 2022.

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 requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2639632 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 31/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2639632 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home. The child continues to make good progress and can recognise this.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child said that they have positive relationships with staff and feel accepted by the staff. They said that they can talk to staff about anything. The open and trusting relationships are reflected in the child’s behaviour and manner.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have worked collaboratively with the child’s school to ensure the child attended their mock exams. The child has begun formal exams and staff have helped them to understand how important these are. This boosts the child’s self-esteem and supports their life chances.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have supported the child to build life skills for adulthood. The child travels long distances to see friends and has recently been able to travel to school on their own. The child is very keen to plan and cook healthy meals. This encourages the child’s independence and prepares them for living alone.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the child to maintain relationships with the people who are most important to them. Staff provide practical support, such as accompanying the child on journeys and supervising time with family. The location of the family visits has recently changed. The child’s key worker has met with the family and the child to discuss boundaries, ensuring that this change is positive. Staff understand the impact that these relationships have on the child.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child does not have a healthy morning or evening routine. This affects their sleep pattern and often means that they are late for school. Additionally, there is not enough structure for learning at home. Staff do not have guidance on how to help the child learn informally. This means that the child’s learning potential is not being fully encouraged.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is able to voice their opinions. Requests made in key-worker sessions have been passed to the manager. The manager has not dealt with these requests in a timely manner. Some of these include requests for gym equipment for the home and meeting a friend in the local area. This does not help the child feel that their views and wishes are valid or taken seriously. In one instance, the request was not dealt with for three weeks. This means the manager is not taking the child’s views seriously and momentum behind the child’s requests is being lost.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some areas of the home require attention. Paint is peeling from the hallway wall and there is a broken radiator cover in the living room. There is brick dust on the floor outside the child’s bedroom. The dining room is also used as an office space. This means that areas of the home are unwelcoming and do not fulfil their intended purpose. Inspection report for children's home: 2639632 4

p.3

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

Staff keep the child safe. The child has been living at the home for nearly two years. They are comfortable and staff know them well. The child’s weekends are spent away from the home with people who mean a lot to them. This has contributed to the child feeling secure and settled. The child’s risks have reduced and there have been no missing-from-home episodes or incidents since the last inspection.

p.4

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

There have been no disclosures or allegations made by the child or any safeguarding concerns since the last inspection. Staff are confident in the process and able to explain the action they would take in the event of a safeguarding concern.

p.4

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

The staff do not always record consequences. When the child is late for school, the Wi-Fi is turned off for the same length of time the child was late. Staff have not been documenting this. Similarly, staff do not always record praise or formally acknowledge positive choices that the child makes. The means the manager does not have full oversight of the consequences used and is less able to look for patterns of behaviour, or to review staff’s practice.

p.4

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

Fire safety is not prioritised. An action from the last fire risk assessment remains unmet. This was highlighted again in the most recent fire risk assessment. This means that for one year, children and staff have been at potential risk of harm in the event of a fire.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is experienced and is working towards a level 5 qualification. However, the leadership and management of the home require improvement. The manager has basic oversight, however, when issues arise, these do not translate into actions that drive improvements.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is no managerial oversight of the child’s daily routine. Staff are not guided on how to help the child establish good sleep patterns. There is no strategy to help the child change unhealthy routines. Neither the manager or staff are creative or proactive in providing this specific support to the child. Despite the child having difficulty getting up in the morning, the manager has increased the Wi-Fi time late at night. The manager has failed to understand the negative impact on the child’s routine. This decision does not support a sensible approach to helping the child make positive changes.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is a lack of structure for the child to learn at the home. The manager has not provided staff with a timetable or guidance on the activities for home learning. This is especially problematic as the child is due to sit formal exams.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff supervision sessions take place regularly, however, elements of the supervision record are identical from month to month. Targets for staff are months out of date. This does not support staff to improve practice or provide them with meaningful learning opportunities. Inspection report for children's home: 2639632 5 Some staff, including the child’s key worker, have not had training on how to support the child when they experience emotions that lead to self-harm, or training in neurodiversity. This means that staff have not been equipped with the knowledge to enable them to fully understand the child’s needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Team meetings are held regularly. Staff research a topic and present their findings to the team. Topics include children going missing from home and safeguarding. This encourages staff’s learning and builds their skills for making and delivering presentations. Inspection report for children's home: 2639632 6

p.5

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.6

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.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

p.6

Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

p.6

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)(c)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have training on self-harm and neurodiversity;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure the manager acts on the child’s views and wishes that are raised in key-worker sessions. 1 June 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2639632 7 ensure the Wi-Fi is switched off at a sensible time to support a healthy sleep routine for the child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that there are meaningful supervision sessions for staff, with meaningful goals;

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure all methods used to support a child to make better choices are recorded.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(x))

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure the child has a healthy sleep routine to enable them to attend education;

p.7

Requirement Due date

provide a clear timetable of learning to cover a full 25 hours a week, including learning at home. 1 June 2024

p.7

Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(30) applies to the home—

p.7

Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b)) 1 June 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2639632 8

p.7

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: 2639632 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bethel Children’s Care Limited

p.9

Inspector

Hannah Phillips, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2639632 10 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.9

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.10

Inspector

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

p.10

Inspector

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

p.10