Children's Home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children's home: 1253711 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 privately owned home is registered to provide care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager at the home since January 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 19 September 2023

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1253711 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/09/2023 Full Good 17/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/02/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/07/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 1253711 3

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improvement to be good

The home does not have a manager and the failure of leaders to ensure that children’s care is always safe has compromised their safety, and experiences.

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improvement to be good

The environment is not homely. Areas of the home look tired. For example, paintwork on the staircase is worn and needs to be repainted. Also, some areas of the home, including the child’s bedroom, are messy and cluttered. This detracts from a nurturing and comfortable environment that children can be proud of.

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improvement to be good

Children are welcomed to the home. Their moves in and out of the home are well planned. Children are encouraged to visit the home to meet the staff and see their bedroom before they move in. This helps children to settle. In addition, the improved children’s guide supports children to understand what they can expect at the home, such as the day-to-day routines.

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improvement to be good

Staff promote positive endings. Children receive gifts and farewell cards to wish them well when they leave the home. This means children have positive memories and continue to feel supported.

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improvement to be good

The child and staff share positive relationships. This reinforces to the child that they have adults in their life who care about them. This is helping the child to develop a positive view of themselves and grow in confidence.

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improvement to be good

The child enjoys a range of activities. They have opportunities to experience new things and have lots of fun, for example, playing football and visiting trampoline and skate parks.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children’s education. The child says they like school and they enjoy attending full time. Communication between the home and school is good and this ensures educational outcomes are achieved.

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improvement to be good

The child is healthy. They are attending their health appointments, which is a huge achievement. Staff encourage the child to lead a healthy lifestyle, for example, to exercise and choose healthy food options. The child’s medication is well managed.

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improvement to be good

With support from the staff, the child enjoys spending quality time with their family. This helps them to maintain relationships with people who are important to them. Inspection report for children's home: 1253711 4

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improvement to be good

Managers have failed to ensure that the home is a safe place for children to live. Trailing electrical wires in the child’s bedroom are a trip hazard. Some floorboards in a bedroom are broken and are not securely fixed. Also, fencing in the rear garden needs to be repaired. This leaves the child at unnecessary risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

The child feels safe, and they said the best thing about the home is the staff. Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities and they are fully aware of the child’s risks and vulnerabilities. Risk management plans set out the actions staff must take to protect the child and keep them safe.

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improvement to be good

Clear boundaries and incentives encourage positive behaviour. This is helping the child to manage their behaviour and emotions, which impacts positively on their well-being. A parent said, ‘Staff manage behaviours well and give him time to calm down, which really helps.’

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improvement to be good

Complaints children make are taken seriously and they are responded to well. This contributes to children’s safety and means children are listened to.

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improvement to be good

The frequency of incidents of children going missing from home has significantly reduced since the last inspection. This means children have become safer. When children go missing, staff follow correct protocols to ensure their safety. They look for children and work in partnership with other agencies, including the police, to locate them and bring them home safely.

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improvement to be good

Children receive care from safe adults. This is because staff working at the home are carefully vetted before they look after children.

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good

There have been changes in the management team which mean the leadership of the home has been unstable. The previous registered manager left the home in January 2024 and the responsible individual joined the organisation six months ago. As an interim measure, a manager and a deputy manager from another home are providing daily management support while a permanent manager is recruited. Changes in the leadership team are unsettling for children.

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good

Leaders are taking action to strengthen the management team, as the current arrangements cannot be sustained. For example, a new deputy manager has been appointed and the responsible individual visits the home twice a week.

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good

There is a core group of staff. This means the child receives consistent care from familiar staff during this unsettled time. While there has been uncertainty for the staff Inspection report for children's home: 1253711 5 team, they feel supported. They say the interim manager is child-focused and knowledgeable and the responsible individual is visible and approachable.

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good

The interim manager is committed to ensuring that the child makes progress, and she works closely with partner agencies to achieve this.

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good

The monitoring and oversight of children’s day-to-day care needs to be strengthened. For example, when incidents involving the child occur, staff are not recording them correctly. This means that patterns and trends in incidents are not identified. This is a missed opportunity to identify potential shortfalls in staff practice and any follow-up work that is needed to support the child. This leaves the child vulnerable to harm.

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good

The management team has failed to ensure that Ofsted is notified of all significant events that happen in the home. While prompt action was taken to keep a child safe following an incident, this information was not shared as required. This compromises the external oversight of safeguarding practice in the home.

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good

A variety of in-depth audits of the quality and safety of the home are completed by the responsible individual. The audits identify all the shortfalls found. This shows that leaders are aware of the home’s weaknesses. Clear development plans are in place to improve children’s experiences. These include strengthening monitoring systems and making significant improvements to the environment.

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good

Staff receive a good induction into the home, and they complete a range of training courses to help them to care for children well. However, they have not completed training to provide the therapeutic care that is detailed in the home’s statement of purpose. This lack of training means therapeutic approaches are not embedded in staff practice.

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good

Staff receive monthly reflective supervision which supports their practice. Team meetings are held monthly, providing opportunities for staff to share information and refresh their knowledge around procedures. Inspection report for children's home: 1253711 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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all potential hazards are identified and rectified in a timely way. 27 June 2024

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

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)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff should receive training to support their understanding of the model of care detailed in the home’s statement of purpose. They must also ensure that they have effective oversight of the home to improve the quality of care provided in the home. 27 June 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 1253711 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. Notifications must include details of the action taken by the home’s staff in response to the event. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should ensure that staff provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming and supportive. Some communal areas of the home and the child’s bedroom need to be decluttered and tidied. In addition, some woodwork is worn and needs to be repainted. This is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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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: 1253711 8

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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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Inspector

Amy Richards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1253711 9 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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