Children's Home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 1 Registered provider: Beacon Childcare Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider operates the home. This home provides care for up to four children with a variety of complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management and is registered with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/06/2022 Full Good 11/04/2022 Full Inadequate 23/02/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 3

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inadequate

Serious failures in how managers assess and manage risk contribute to the inadequate judgement in children’s overall experiences and progress, how well they are helped and protected and the effectiveness of leadership and management.

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inadequate

Since the last full inspection, four children have moved out of the home, and two children have moved in. At the time of the inspection, one child lived in the home.

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inadequate

When new children move into the home, this is not always well planned. On one occasion, the manager failed to gather sufficient information about the child’s vulnerabilities before agreeing to provide care for them. The manager also failed to consider whether staff had the appropriate knowledge and skills to meet the child’s needs and keep them safe. In addition, leaders and managers did not fully consider the compatibility with another child in the home and the risks that they could pose. Although the manager took steps to provide additional staff to reduce the risks, they failed to act assertively to delay the admission when they had concerns about the compatibility of the children.

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inadequate

Some aspects of the home environment require attention. A spindle is missing from the upstairs banister; one of the bathrooms is unclean and some furniture in a child’s bedroom is unstable. The rear garden is poorly maintained, with extensive weeds having been allowed to grow. The standard of cleanliness and maintenance in some areas means that the living environment is not always pleasant for children to live in.

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inadequate

Children’s experiences in the home are mixed. Since the last inspection, the children have made some progress with their education. One child who previously had very poor attendance achieved full attendance by the time they left the home. Another child started to work with a tutor; however, they did not complete their exams as planned. The child currently living in the home has excellent school attendance, and feedback from teachers is very positive.

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inadequate

Relationships between children in the home have not always been good. Some children have developed strong friendships; however, a serious incident took place where two children physically hurt their peer in the home. The manager had previously completed mediation sessions with some of the children to try to build positive relationships. However, they failed to recognise this serious incident as bullying, which is concerning.

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inadequate

The child says they like living in the home and has started to develop some positive relationships with staff. Children, including those who have now left, know who to talk to if they have any concerns. One child who has left the home has asked to return because they liked living here and it was their home. When children do raise Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 4 concerns, these are treated seriously and are responded to in a sensitive manner. This helps children to feel listened to and that their views are valued.

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inadequate

Staff support children to attend health appointments. When children refuse to attend, staff work collaboratively with other professionals to ensure that the child’s health needs are met. One child repeatedly refused to attend dentist appointments, and there was evidence that the manager had consulted with the looked after children’s nurse for advice and support. Working together supports children to remain healthy.

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

Leaders and managers have failed to adequately assess and manage risks for one child, which has left them exposed to harm. The child’s plans show that they are at risk of self-injurious behaviour. However, these plans are not updated quickly enough when incidents occur. Staff’s level of knowledge about the risks to the child varied, and some were not aware of past incidents of self-harm or the behaviours that the child may present with. This limits their ability to safeguard the child from harm.

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

The child’s plans state that items that may be used by the child to cause themselves harm must be removed to keep the child safe. Despite this, inspectors saw several items that posed a serious risk to the child. Safety checks for the day had been completed by staff, yet the items of concern had not been identified as risks. This demonstrates a poor approach to risk management in the home. The child had been involved in a self-harm incident two days before the inspection. This could have been avoided if items had been removed in line with the child’s plan. The manager lacked a sense of urgency to remove the items; however, the home was made safe during the inspection. It is a concern that these risks would not have been identified if this inspection had not taken place, leaving the child at ongoing risk of harm.

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

Staff do not always demonstrate that they have the skills required to manage children’s behaviour effectively. On one occasion, a child’s request for a ceramic plate was refused, which caused the situation to escalate. The incident resulted in a physical intervention being used and the police visiting the home to check on the child’s welfare. Although the physical intervention was completed safely, the need for it could have been avoided if staff had managed the child’s behaviour in a more therapeutic manner. The manager’s review of the incident lacks professional curiosity, and they have failed to address shortfalls in staff’s practice.

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

There was a serious incident involving all three children that lived in the home at the time. A child was physically hurt in the home by their peers, and as a result, all three children had unplanned endings to their placements. The victim was moved out of the home immediately to safeguard them. There has been limited review by managers to understand what happened and learn from it. Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers do not have a good understanding of children’s needs and plans. As a result, they have failed to identify discrepancies and errors in children’s plans, including risk assessments. As a result, they have not ensured that staff have important information to care for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers, including senior managers, failed to put individual children at the centre of their decision-making. Despite previously making the decision that it was not safe for children to move into the home while a child already living there moved on, managers arranged for a new child to move in. Although the manager expressed her concerns about this, she did not act assertively to challenge other professionals. As a result, a child moved into the home while the responsible individual was on holiday and when the manager had concerns. Fortunately, no harm came to the child, but this was through good fortune rather than robust decision-making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have not undertaken essential training to help them to meet children’s needs. New staff have completed a high number of online training courses in a very short period without any reflection on what they have learned. The lack of oversight and curiosity by managers about staff’s knowledge means that children are cared for by poorly trained staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are safely recruited. Appropriate checks are completed, and this helps to ensure that children are only cared for by people who are suitable to do so.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

When concerns arise about staff practice, senior managers act quickly to address them. Thorough investigations take place, and staff do not work at the home until the outcome is known. This helps to safeguard children from any potential risk until senior managers are satisfied that they are suitable to work in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 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,

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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 premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(vi)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is repeated. 28 July 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

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 25 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 7 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;

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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)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(c)(i)(ii)) 25 August 2024

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 25 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 8 that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(xi)) 25 August 2024

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2516553 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Beacon Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 28 Phoenix Business Park, Avenue Close, Birmingham B7 4NU

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Inspectors

Vicky Smith, Social Care Inspector Amy Richards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2516553 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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