Children's Home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd in Staffordshire

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 1 Registered provider: Beacon Childcare Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was moving into the home. They were not spoken to during the inspection, to allow them to settle into their new home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since June 2024. A new manager has been appointed from within the organisation who took up the post on 1 July 2024. They made their application to register with Ofsted on 15 August 2024.

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Inspection date: 2 December 2024

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

The new manager is supported by a deputy manager. There have been some changes to the staff team, and managers have worked hard to safely recruit suitable staff.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have developed some good monitoring and review systems. These enable them to have oversight of staff practice and children’s care. A key area of development identified by managers is related to the quality of record-keeping and report writing by staff. This is being monitored and addressed.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff receive relevant training; they have regular supervision and attend team meetings. They also benefit from guidance and support from the organisation’s therapeutic clinician. These arrangements provide staff with the opportunity to continue to develop their practice and confidence.

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Findings from the inspection

One child had been making positive progress in some key areas of their life before they moved out of the home. They attended their education provision regularly. The child also developed their independence skills and self-confidence. They took part in a range of positive activities based on their interests, such as going to the gym and playing basketball.

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Findings from the inspection

Two children have moved out of the home in an unplanned manner since the last inspection. This was because their individual needs could not be met safely in the home together. There were some shortfalls in the planning for one child’s move into the home, and the planned transition was cut short by the child’s placing authority. There was also a change of the child’s allocated social worker on the same day that the child moved into the home. The manager acknowledges that they should have challenged this and escalated their concerns to the placing authority because of the impact this had on the child.

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Findings from the inspection

Further to this, some information from this child’s previous carers was only gathered by the manager after the child moved in. The shortfalls in the collective practice by the home and wider professional network contributed to the child struggling to settle. The child moved out after only a short stay in the home. There was an increase in incidents involving both children in the home and in the community. One child’s social worker identified communication as an area of development for staff. However, they said that they had no concerns about the staff or how they cared for the child while they lived at the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Following this challenging period, managers and staff were provided with opportunities to reflect and learn. Additional training was also provided. Planning for the child who has just moved into the home was thorough. This child has benefited Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 3 from a sensitive and well-planned move. The manager is working with the child’s placing local authority to arrange additional training to help the staff to better understand the child’s health needs. There are appropriate interim plans in place for staff to support the child while this training takes place.

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Findings from the inspection

When children go missing from home, staff follow the children’s plans. They search for children and work with relevant professionals to support their safe return home. Despite these efforts, there was an increase in the risk of one child being exploited in the community and criminalised. Managers and staff shared information and identified relevant support for the child to try to keep them safe.

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Findings from the inspection

Incidents and children’s behaviours have generally been managed well by staff. They always try to de-escalate situations, but their efforts are not always successful. On several occasions, situations have escalated and resulted in damage to the home and staff being threatened and physically harmed. The damage in the home has been repaired, and some communal areas have been redecorated. However, there is some ongoing work to an unoccupied bedroom and shower room. The provider is also arranging for an outside security light to be replaced.

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Findings from the inspection

The child’s bedroom is well presented. It has all their personal belongings and toys that staff collected from the child’s previous carer to help the child settle and feel at home. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/04/2024 Full Good 10/10/2023 Full Inadequate 07/01/2022 Interim Not judged Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 5

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve the child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to sharing information with professionals in a timely manner and raising concerns regarding children’s care planning. 13 January 2025

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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;

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Requirement Due date

and 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—

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii)) 13 January 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 6 This specifically relates to managers ensuring that they have all the required information to make informed decisions about children moving into the home.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all areas of the home are well maintained. In particular, replace a window restrictor in an empty children’s bedroom, replace a shower door and repair an outside security light. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. In particular, ensure that records are accurately dated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Beacon Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Nurul Kabir, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 8 regulates and inspects 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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