Children's Home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd in Sandwell

Inspection report for children's home: 2695206 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

The home is privately owned and is registered to provide care for one child who has experienced early childhood trauma and has emotional and behavioural needs as a result of their experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home. The child spoke with the inspector during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by an experienced and suitably qualified manager who is also registered to manage another home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 21 February 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2695206 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2695206 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is happy and settled. They have lived at the home for almost 12 months, and say the best thing about it is the staff. The child said, ‘I know they care about me.’ This contributes to them feeling secure. The child’s social worker spoke positively about the child’s experiences and the steady progress they are making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Positive relationships between the child and staff are built on mutual respect. Staff have worked hard to gain the child’s trust. The child talks freely to staff, and they are listened to. When the child said they were struggling to sleep at night, specialist support was sought to help them. As a result, the child’s daily routine has improved, and they are sleeping better. This has a positive effect on the child’s overall health and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child to develop important life skills as they prepare for adulthood. The child takes great care of their bedroom, and they go to the barbers by themselves to get their hair cut. This gives the child belief in their abilities and increases their self- esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has links with people who are important to them. This helps the child to maintain strong bonds and stable relationships and supports their sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the importance of learning and educational activity is well supported. The manager has advocated strongly to ensure the child’s views on their education are listened to. Because of this, the child is looking forward to starting at a new school after a lengthy absence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and clean. Some redecoration work, including repainting walls and woodwork, is scheduled to take place. Some weeding was done in the garden during the inspection and there is an ongoing maintenance programme to make sure the home is a nice environment for the child to live in.

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

The child feels safe and said they would talk to the staff if they were feeling worried or upset.

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

Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities. They know the child’s vulnerabilities and the risks that they face. Risks are assessed and guidance helps staff to keep the child safe.

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

On occasions, the child does not return home at the agreed time, which compromises their safety. While staff know where the child is likely to be, they are reported as missing from home in line with their plan. Effective liaison with safeguarding partners, including the police, brings them home safely. This is a good safety net for the child. Inspection report for children's home: 2695206 4 Staff understand what action to take when the child is missing from home. However, their responsibilities need to be clearer in the child’s plan to ensure that practice is consistent. The manager evaluates the incidents to identify potential shortfalls in practice and any follow-up work that is needed to support the child. The child’s unsupervised time away from the home has recently increased. As a result, the frequency of incidents is reducing, and the child is becoming safer.

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

Staff have important discussions with the child about keeping themselves safe when they are away from the home. This work has helped the child to make safer decisions and is improving their life chances. The child’s use of illegal substances has significantly reduced, and they are more aware of how the use of substances impacts negatively on their health.

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

Direct work with staff supports the child to gain a greater understanding of acceptable behaviour and the child is encouraged to take responsibility for their actions. This has led to progress because the child is managing their feelings and emotions much better. Consequences for negative behaviour are rarely used. However, when used, they are not always scrutinised to ensure that their use is fair. The manager gave assurances that this shortfall will be addressed.

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

Staff use a therapeutic approach and are confident in defusing incidents quickly. This means incidents do not escalate. Restraint practice is used as a last resort, and the child has been held on one occasion by staff to keep them safe. The manager has reviewed the incident to ensure that the restraint was necessary and proportionate. The child’s views on being held were gathered and the relationship with the staff who held them was quickly repaired.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a confident leader, and the child is at the heart of his practice. The child likes the manager and staff hold his leadership in high regard. Staff say that he is approachable and his support and guidance help them to provide good-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager feels supported by the dedicated deputy manager. A key strength of the home is the teamwork and the inclusive culture that the manager promotes. Staff say morale is high and they enjoy their jobs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A range of effective monitoring tools and audits ensure that the management team has effective oversight of the child’s day-to-day care and all aspects of the home. The manager understands the strengths of the home and is committed to continually learning and adapting ways of working to support the child’s progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about their regular supervisions. Supervision meetings support their ongoing development and provide an opportunity to reflect on their practice and the home’s values and therapeutic model of care. Staff who have worked at the home for more than 12 months receive an appraisal to assess their performance, as required. Inspection report for children's home: 2695206 5 The manager has ensured that staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to meet the child’s needs. This is achieved through a robust induction and an ongoing training programme. Inspection report for children's home: 2695206 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from home are clear, so that they understand all the actions they need to take to support the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)  The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control and discipline are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)

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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: 2695206 7

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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: 2695206 8 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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