Children's Home run by Bedford Borough Council in Bedford

Inspection report for children’s home: SC409502 1 SC409502 Registered provider: Bedford Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides short breaks and respite care for a maximum of five children at any one time. Children may have physical and/or learning disabilities and complex health needs. The home currently supports a total of 26 children.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were staying at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2016.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC409502 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/08/2023 Full Outstanding 22/11/2022 Full Good 20/07/2021 Full Good 12/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC409502 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children were spoken to by the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff know the children well and understand their individual needs and communication styles. All the children have targets that are individual to them. Children are progressing towards these targets, and monthly reviews take place. New targets are set when children reach those they have been working towards.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One staff member took some time away from the job to go travelling. He remained in contact with the children by sending postcards and photos of his journey. Other staff planned activities and discussions with children to learn about new cultures and countries alongside this. This gave children new experiences and information in an interactive way by following the staff member’s journey. This enabled children to maintain a relationship with the staff member while he was away.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are clear plans to support children when they first start accessing the service and when they move on. Staff use home and school visits to spend time getting to know children who are referred to the service. The child then has day visits before their first overnight stay at the home. This helps the child to get to know the home and gives reassurance to parents and carers that the staff know the child and understand their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff work closely with adult provisions to support children who are approaching adulthood. Staff from adult provisions visit children during their stays to get to know them and support the transition between short breaks and adult respite provision. The manager also holds coffee mornings for parents of older children to attend, where transition workers are also present, to discuss the transition to adult services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Many of the children who access the service have complex health needs. Staff receive training on how to support children’s specific health needs. There have been three medication errors. One child received an incorrect dose of medication, but staff did not seek medical advice. During the inspection, it was confirmed that the error was more extensive than the provider had identified. Poor management investigation and oversight into this meant that this had not been identified. This could have placed the child at risk of not receiving the correct dose of medication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff consult regularly with children. There are consultation forms and discussions in voice group meetings. However, it is not always clear whether the views are directly from the child or if a staff member has written them on the child’s behalf. There is not enough detail about which communication aids have been used to obtain children’s views.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming. Photos, displays and information are presented on the walls and in ways that children understand. However, the children who use mobility Inspection report for children’s home: SC409502 4 aids are unable to use the small kitchen due to space. This limits opportunities for them to develop their independence skills during their stays.

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

Incidents are infrequent, and staff do not use restraints. Children’s care plans are detailed and provide strategies for staff to follow when supporting children. Following one incident with a child, staff spoke to them to explore what happened. They developed a plan together for the child to be given warning time before being asked to come off his computer. This plan was implemented, and no similar incidents have occurred since.

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

Regular meetings take place with children. Staff and children discuss relevant topics to support the children’s development and knowledge. They have covered topics including exploitation, diversity, and road safety, among others, to support children’s awareness of these matters.

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

Safer recruitment processes are followed for new members of staff. Staffing levels have been low, but recent recruitment has been successful. Occasionally, temporary members of staff are used, but the rota is usually covered by the team of staff themselves. This enables children to be cared for by familiar staff.

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

On two separate occasions, there has been a delay in staff reporting safeguarding concerns to managers. For one of these concerns, there was also a delay in telling the child’s parents about a medication error. The manager has not spoken to the staff member about these concerns. The other concern was not reported to a manager and was identified during the inspection. This means that the manager has been unable to investigate the concerns that a child raised. These delays mean that potential poor staff practice and safeguarding concerns have not been investigated and addressed promptly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is registered and qualified. She is committed and aspirational for the service and the children. She is supported by an equally dedicated deputy manager. Staff feel supported by the managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive relevant training. There is a clear training offer for staff. New staff follow a clear induction and spend several months shadowing other staff. This helps staff to feel confident in their roles and get to know the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents and professionals speak positively about the support provided. There is regular communication between staff, families and carers. Staff attend meetings about children to ensure that they remain up to date with any changes in their lives. A newsletter is created several times a year for children and families, which includes photos and information about activities and updates about the home and staffing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions and team meetings take place regularly, which gives staff opportunities to discuss the children. Team meetings are used to discuss incidents and Inspection report for children’s home: SC409502 5 concerns, which allows staff to reflect on what happened and identify any learning. Supervision sessions provide opportunities for staff to discuss what is and is not going well. This gives staff an opportunity to reflect on the previous month and discuss areas of improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Appraisals take place with staff; however, the manager has not received an appraisal since 2022. Appraisals do not include feedback from professionals, colleagues or children. This limits staff’s ability to fully reflect on their practice and identify areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is not always management oversight recorded following incidents. The manager is aware of incidents. However, due to staffing shortages, she has been covering shifts. This limits her ability to provide reflective oversight and identify patterns, trends and lessons learned. Inspection report for children’s home: SC409502 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, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff report safeguarding concerns promptly in line with the home’s policies. 11 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all medication errors are fully investigated and have management oversight. 21 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC409502 7 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

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; and

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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)) 16 May 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is designed in a way for children to access all areas. This specifically relates to ensuring that adaptations are made to allow all children to access the kitchen. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.24)  The registered person should ensure that children who cannot or choose not to verbalise have their views, wishes and feelings heard and respected in the same way as other children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.24)  The registered person should ensure that all staff, including the registered manager, have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should consider, when reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year

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Recommendations

and children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5) Inspection report for children’s home: SC409502 8

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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: SC409502 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bedford Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Borough Hall, Cauldwell Street, Bedford MK42 9AP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christian Weatherley

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Inspector

Leanne Lyon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC409502 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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