Children's Home run by Bess Solutions Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2652672 1 Registered provider: Bess Solutions Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties or have autism spectrum disorder.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has left the organisation. A new manager has been appointed, who has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2652672 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/04/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2652672 3

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improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home. The child is happy in the home and has been living there now for a long time. The child has experienced previous placement breakdowns. The long-term plan is for the child to live in the home until they reach independence. They have made good progress since moving in. The home is well decorated and furnished. However, some areas require remedial work.

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improvement to be good

The staff and the manager know the child well. The staff have built positive relationships with the child. They care about the child and provide a homely environment. Staff support the child to overcome anxieties of new experiences and situations. As a result, the child’s confidence is improving. The child is more open to new ideas and meeting new people. Staff have ensured that there is an ongoing life-story record for the child. The story reflects all the child’s achievements and the progress they have made. This will ensure that the child can look back on positive memories.

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improvement to be good

The child does not have an identified school place. The manager and the responsible individual are working with other professionals to identify a school. The manager has not challenged information in the child’s referral. The information is not accurate and does not reflect the child’s progress. This could impact the child’s chances of finding a suitable school. The child receives education at home via a tutor. The child is making progress with their confidence and life skills. However, the staff do not have an education plan in place to be able to support the programme of learning.

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improvement to be good

The staff have developed a good understanding of how to support the child. However, the child’s assessed needs have not been fully considered. Care plans do not reflect the child’s processing or sensory needs. Staff have not received training in key areas that relate to the child’s autism and learning needs. As a result, staff do not yet understand how they can tailor the support they provide.

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improvement to be good

The child’s voice is captured in the home. The staff support the child to be involved in their care and the home’s development. Quality conversations with the child are frequent and meaningful. Home meetings take place; however, these are not creative in a way that sufficiently engages the child.

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improvement to be good

The child is safe living in the home. The staff have planned discussions with the child. These conversations enable the child to develop their knowledge and understanding of how to keep themselves safe. The staff ensure that the child’s natural curiosity develops safely. Staff monitor the child’s use of the internet and guide them to access appropriate Inspection report for children’s home: 2652672 4 content. The child has a mobile phone but the monitoring of this is not organised. There is no plan or risk assessment for how the monitoring is managed or reported back.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments and safety plans are in place. Some plans are reviewed but some are out of date. Some plans do not contain the necessary information. Therefore, staff do not have a plan to follow if a serious incident occurs around self-harm.

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improvement to be good

The child has not gone missing from the home. The manager has ensured that there is a plan in place for if this was to occur. The manager has introduced a local police officer to the team. This has helped staff to understand risks for children who go missing. Staff now have a greater understanding of how to work with professionals to safeguard the child.

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improvement to be good

There has been one incident of a staff member using restraint to prevent the child harming them. This was not recorded sufficiently. The incident was not reviewed within the required time frame by the overseeing manager. Some staff have either not received restraint training or have received training that is out of date. There is no risk assessment in place to support this gap in training.

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improvement to be good

The staff know when the child is struggling to communicate their emotions. The staff can verbalise the triggers to different behaviours. Some of this information is not included in the child’s support plans. This means that new staff do not have access to important information to be able to support the child. Knowledge and experience are not influencing care plans to prevent incidents occurring.

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improvement to be good

Medication procedures in the home have not been effective. Information about the child’s medication is incorrect. Records for administering medication have not been checked to ensure that the dose was right after changes in prescription. This has not impacted the child.

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

There has been a change of manager since the last inspection. The new manager is suitably qualified for the role. They have applied to register with Ofsted. The manager has begun a plan of improvement. The senior member of the team is being supported to develop; however, they do not yet have the skills and experience needed to support the manager. The manager has a good understanding of the staff team’s strengths and weaknesses.

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

Staff are now supervised more frequently. The quality of support staff receive has improved under the new manager. There is not a clear plan for staff development that reflects the needs of the child. Therefore, some staff are not trained in essential or needs-based training. The staff team does not have the appropriate knowledge to understand autism. Inspection report for children’s home: 2652672 5 The manager has not taken the opportunity to challenge information written about the child. As a result, referrals do not reflect the child’s progress. This can impact the child’s development through accessing appropriate education.

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

The manager has oversight of the home and reflects on information. This knowledge informs well-planned team meetings. The monitoring of care plans requires improvement. A sufficient review of documents is not taking place. Therefore, some key documents fall short of meeting the child’s needs.

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

The manager has improved staff morale and is present in the home. One professional spoken to said, ‘The new manager has made such a difference in this home. They are trying loads of new things with the child, there is an energy in the home.’ The manager is clear about the improvements needed and is making progress; however, there is more to do. Inspection report for children’s home: 2652672 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that an education plan is in place for staff to be able to plan and support the child’s progress and achievements with home learning. 20 August 2024

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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 staff— 20 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2652672 7 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that risk assessments contain all the relevant information, are up to date and are understood by the leaders and managers and staff team.

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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

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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

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)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff are trained to meet and fully understand the needs of the child. 20 September 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and 20 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2652672 8 the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c) Inspection report for children’s home: 2652672 9 This specifically relates to ensuring that behaviour support plans are kept up to date and are reflective of incidents and the child’s needs and understanding. Additionally, incidents of restraint must be recorded and reviewed within appropriate timescales.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff are adequately trained in the principles of restraint and any restraint techniques appropriate to the needs of the children the home is set up to care for as defined in the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.57)  The registered person should ensure that medicines are administered in line with a medically approved protocol. Regulation 23 requires the registered person to make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

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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: 2652672 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bess Solutions Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 194 Narborough Road South, Leicester LE3 2LD

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jason Darbyshire

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Inspector

Chris Haines, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2652672 11 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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