Children's Home run by Promoting Youth Ltd in Central Bedfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2780237 1 Registered provider: Promoting Youth 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 privately owned home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties. One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2025.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2780237 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since registration, three children have moved into the home and two children have moved out. Both children returned to their hometowns after a short period in the home. Their experiences were mixed. They moved on from the home because staff were unable to meet their needs. Information that was provided to the home lacked important intelligence that may have influenced leaders and managers’ decision-making. The child who has lived in the home for almost eight months is making good progress and was spoken to as part of this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have helped the child to settle and feel comfortable living in the home. The child said that they rate the home 10 out of 10, have no concerns and feel they have everything they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has positive relationships with staff and enjoys spending time with them. Staff spend time with child and make good use of common interests to strengthen relationships. Leaders have helped the child to find things they are passionate about. The child became a member of a local sports club soon after moving in, attends weekly training sessions and plays in weekend matches. The child has also enjoyed indoor trampoline parks, go-karting, golf and meals out with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is nicely decorated, providing warmth and comfort, with large, well-presented bedrooms and bathrooms for children to relax in and enjoy. The child has been involved in deciding the décor in the home. The dining area has mood lighting and a large blackboard where staff communicate with the child through positive messages.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the child to explore diverse cultures. As a result, the child has shown an interest in trying new foods and now enjoys new and exciting recipes as part of their regular meal planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The leaders and staff work with a highly qualified therapist who works directly with the child. The child has built a trusting relationship with the practitioner and is able to talk about things that are causing them distress. Equally, the child feels comfortable with disengaging from sessions when they do not feel ready to talk. This shows that there is a child-led approach to therapy in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and leaders work hard to ensure that the child has a good education. Plans are implemented to make sure that assessments are conducted to support the child’s needs. Temporary, alternative plans have been in place, with a programme linked to the child’s interests, which have been positive in helping them to remain educated away from their provision. A parent said, ‘[Child’s name] is making massive progress, joined a local Inspection report for children’s home: 2780237 3 football team, cooking skills are improving, has a set bedtime and is learning boundaries, I am very pleased with how [child’s name’s] being cared for.’

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

The child living in the home has made substantial progress with keeping safe. They are involved with a specialist team, who speak fondly about how far the child has progressed with their investment and engagement in sessions with them. Risks for the two children who moved on from the home after a short period of time did not significantly alter during their time at the home.

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

The child feels safe and supported by all staff in the home. The child is confident that they would be listened to if they had concerns. When the child was asked who they would go to if they had any worries or concerns, they said they would speak to all staff; there was nobody they would not speak to if they were worried about something.

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

Staff make sure that risk assessments are kept under review, read and signed by all staff. When levels of concern change due to children’s progress or new concerns arising, this is made clear to the those who need the information. This enables staff to be clear on where the children need the most support.

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

The child living at the home has not been missing. However, this was a risk for a child who previously lived at the home. When the child went missing, staff took appropriate action in response. This included searching for the child, linking with external professionals, locating the child and returning them home.

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

The staff help children to calm without recourse to physical intervention. The leaders use curiosity, which helps them to understand children’s feelings and emotions and how to respond to them. These approaches have contributed to no incidents of physical intervention being used since the home was registered.

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

Discussions with children about specific risks or vulnerabilities are not always sufficiently clear or detailed. Although this does not appear to have had a direct impact on the safety of children, the lack of clear records potentially limits the opportunities for staff, leaders and managers to identify trends in risks and vulnerabilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and is working towards her level 5 qualification. The management team is committed to giving children a positive experience of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working at the home and feel supported and valued. One staff member said, ‘The leaders are easy to talk to, always upskilling us, listen to us and take time to help and support us.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have learned from incidents where children’s placements have been shorter than originally planned. They now demonstrate additional curiosity and Inspection report for children’s home: 2780237 4 tenacity in following up information provided by local authorities. This has contributed to the positive experiences of the child who has moved in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular supervisions. In addition, they have further meetings to talk about specific topics, such as completion of their probation. When necessary, leaders meet with staff to address minor concerns and ensure that these are further explored in follow up sessions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that staff understand the importance of completing their diploma. Staff have completed online and face-to-face training that is relevant to their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A manager from an external agency said, ‘It is so helpful to have realistic conversations; together, we have concise, honest and transparent conversations and the leaders always work in the best interests of the child.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2780237 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. In particular, ensure that any discussions with children about specific risks or vulnerabilities are sufficiently clear and detailed to support the opportunity to identify trends in risks and vulnerabilities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2780237 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Promoting Youth LTD

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Phoenix House C/O Jp Accountancy Phoenix House Rosslyn Crescent, Harrow HA1 2SP

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Inspector

Dan Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2780237 7 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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