Children's Home run by Blue Elephant Childcare Limited in Devon

Inspection report for children’s home: 2793592 1 Registered provider: Blue Elephant 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

This home was registered in July 2024 and provides care for up to two children who experience social and/or emotional difficulties. It aims to provide short-term assessment placements of around 28 days.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a local private organisation that operates several other homes in the area. At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has registered with Ofsted and was present throughout the inspection.

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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: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2793592 2

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improvement to be good

The experiences of children who live in the home are mixed. Support from staff and good-quality planning led to one child being able to think more about their actions and the impact of them. Staff have begun to form relationships with another child. However, they are unable to meet this child’s complex needs. Therefore, planning for this child to move to a new home where their needs can be met has commenced.

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improvement to be good

Children’s educational needs are met. Staff work closely with schools to share information and ensure that planning for children is up to date. One teacher said that the home is proactive and dynamic in meeting a child’s needs and that the child expressed that they feel safe at the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff prioritise children’s mental health and behavioural needs. Children have access to therapy sessions. The registered manager has commissioned a psychological assessment of one child. This has led to staff having a deeper understanding of the child’s future care needs and is informing the search for a home that can meet their needs. The implementation of advice from the psychologist has led to more trauma-informed practice fewer incidents.

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improvement to be good

Staff acknowledge the importance of family relationships for children. Sensitive and supportive conversations allow children to explore the dynamics in their relationships. However, on two occasions staff did not step in to protect a child during time with their family. This led to managers making the decision that they could not supervise family time safely. These concerns were reported to the social worker.

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improvement to be good

The quality of planning for children to move into the home is mixed. Initial information is gained and considered, as is the impact of children living together or near one another. However, there is limited evaluation and analysis of children’s known behaviours in relation to the skills and experience of the team and ability to manage these. Strategies on how the needs and safety of one child would be met are not documented. Planning for one child to move out of the home was focused on their need for stability and safety.

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improvement to be good

Staff spend time with children getting to know their likes and dislikes and what is important to them. Children’s bedrooms are personalised. Children’s views are sought in relation to food choices and what activities they want to do. Children are encouraged to play games inside and outside the home. This provides them with essential mental and physical stimulation. One child said that they felt unsettled by their move into the home. To combat this, staff from the child’s previous home remain part of their support team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2793592 3 Staff have a good knowledge of risks that children are exposed to. Planning to reduce the frequency of a child going missing from home is thorough and effective. Missing- from-home episodes gradually reduced and then ceased. Staff worked with the child to support them to understand the risks and overall impact of their decision-making. Two

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improvement to be good

professionals said that the home shares important information with them, which supports ongoing risk management and decision-making.

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improvement to be good

Serious incidents, often lasting several hours regularly take place in the home. Recent changes to care planning have reduced the number of incidents. However, they are more severe in nature. The strategies identified in plans are not effective in managing incidents due to the highly complex behaviours and needs of the child. Three staff voiced concerns about the safety of the child due to the extent of incidents, burnout of the team and deficits in the team’s skill set. Plans are in place to support the team and therefore keep the child safe, but they are not yet embedded.

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improvement to be good

Restraint has been used 33 times. While it has been used appropriately, it has rarely been successful in supporting the child and ending incidents. On one occasion a child was restrained in their bedroom. Given that the child struggles at bedtime and with their sleep, this does not promote the room as a calm and safe space.

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improvement to be good

Staff talk to children following incidents. They are inquisitive and provide children with warmth, reassurance, knowledge and guidance. They support them to reflect on their actions following incidents. When children choose not to talk about their actions or are unable to, staff do not try other, more child-focused and imaginative ways of supporting them to express their feelings and reflections.

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improvement to be good

Concerns about the practice of staff are thoroughly investigated. This leads to effective and child-focused outcomes. When necessary, information is shared with external professionals, and additional advice and guidance are sought.

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

The home is led by an experienced registered manager. He knows the children who live in the home and aspires to achieve the best possible outcomes for them. However, the home is currently in crisis. There is significant pressure on the home due to the care and support needs of a child, carer sickness and staff vacancies. Deputy manager and senior care worker posts have been filled and start dates for these staff members are awaited. There is a level of miscommunication within the leadership and management team. Staff feel unsupported. Leaders and managers recognise that improvements are needed. They have devised a plan to address this, but it is not yet embedded.

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

Staff provide differing views on what it is like to work in the home. Two staff said that they did not feel supported by leaders and managers and have not been supported to gain the experience and skills needed to care for children with complex needs. Three staff said they do not feel listened to. Three other staff said that they feel supported and have the skills and training required to do their job. Leaders and managers have Inspection report for children’s home: 2793592 4 recognised that staff are feeling pressured and have provided and offered additional support. Leaders and managers acknowledge that staff require further support. They have devised a plan to address this but have not yet put it into practice.

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

Leaders and managers do not provide staff with regular, well-documented supervision. Recordings of these meetings do not show reflection or a focus on safeguarding or the development of skills. Following one carer’s request for support, planning was put in place to provide it. Staff attend regular team meetings. During meetings, staff verbalise their concerns.

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

Reflective management oversight is present on documents about children. The manager has devised a simple but robust tool that considers risk. Clear analysis brings this information together to aid decision-making and planning for children’s future care needs. One professional said that the manager was child focused and advocated for the best interests of a child.

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

Planning to meet children’s needs is not always up to date. While documents detail children’s experiences and needs and how their needs will be met, they are basic. This has led to new staff or staff supporting the home from a different home not having access to crucial information and guidance in relation to meeting children’s needs and safeguarding. When they are up to date, chronologies detailing children’s experiences are useful documents.

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

Given the complex needs of the child living in the home and the use of staff from other homes to provide support, it is imperative that documents contain all the relevant information. Some plans for children need to have more detailed information in relation to their care and support needs. When up to date, the use of chronologies in documents about children provides a good narrative.

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

Recruitment practice ensures that checks necessary to determine whether staff are safe to work with children are completed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2793592 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

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

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

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

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

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understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iv)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they only provide accommodation and care for children’s whose needs the staff team can meet. 28 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2793592 6 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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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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help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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

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understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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

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are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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In particular, the registered person must ensure that clear and up-to-date risk assessment, safety planning and care planning is in place. This should include planning and guidance for staff when they supervise family time. 28 March 2025

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The care planning standard is that children—

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

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

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)) 28 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2793592 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that robust evaluation and analysis of the needs of individual children and how these will be met are completed before a decision is made for a child to move into the home.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that plans designed to support staff to meet children’s needs and to safeguard them contain all relevant information and are up to date.

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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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helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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

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lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff are provided with the training and support and have the experience needed to meet the needs of children. Where new training and support needs are identified, this must be planned for immediately and provided as soon as possible.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that there is effective communication between leaders and managers. 28 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2793592 8 In addition, the registered person must ensure that staff are provided with good-quality, reflective supervision that covers all elements of their practice, well-being, training and support needs.

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Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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injury to any person (including the child);

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serious damage to the property of any person (including the child).

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Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b) (2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that restraint of a child in their bedroom is used only as a last resort. 28 March 2025

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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: 2793592 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blue Elephant Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 30 Chivenor Business Park, Banrstaple EX31 4AY

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Inspector

Carla Simkiss, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2793592 10 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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