Children's Home run by Blue Mountain Homes Ltd in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC464759 1 SC464759 Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Limited

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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 is operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children who may require support with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has applied but is not yet registered with Ofsted. The home has been without a registered manager since December 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC464759 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/06/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/07/2022 Full Good 22/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC464759 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The overall experiences and progress of children have significantly improved since the last inspection. All previous requirements have been met, reflecting the positive developments in the care and support provided. The children are now benefiting from more stable and consistent experiences, which are helping them make meaningful progress in various aspects of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made progress in their education. One child now attends her education provision regularly and is beginning to develop clear aspirations for her future career. Another child, following a period of instability, is currently engaging in home-based education as a temporary arrangement. Her participation has improved, reflecting both her growing motivation and the consistent support provided by staff. The team’s sustained efforts to promote attendance and routine have contributed to greater structure and stability in the children’s daily lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to take part in meaningful activities that promote their social development and confidence. One child is thriving in her chosen extracurricular interest and attends weekly practices and performance events, with staff providing consistent encouragement and practical support. Her achievements are celebrated by the team, and staff willingly join in with her practice at home. Another child, who finds it difficult to engage socially, has made notable progress in joining in with activities and outings supported by staff. The manager has worked thoughtfully with her to overcome barriers and continues to plan experiences to help build her confidence and widen her opportunities. As a result, children are developing positive relationships, gaining new experiences and growing in confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff team work collaboratively with professionals involved in the children’s lives, ensuring a consistent approach to their care. The manager has demonstrated strong advocacy for both children, ensuring they have access to therapy to support their emotional health. Although there have been challenges with the children’s commitment to attending sessions, the manager continues to explore and implement creative solutions to overcome these barriers. This persistent effort ensures that the children are given every opportunity to access the support they need to thrive emotionally and psychologically.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain meaningful relationships with their families, and effective safety plans are in place to monitor and safeguard these interactions. While the manager communicates with parents to arrange family time, there is limited ongoing communication regarding the children’s overall experiences and progress. This gap in communication was highlighted in feedback from one child’s parent, who expressed a desire for more frequent updates about his child’s well-being. Inspection report for children’s home: SC464759 4 Prior to the last assurance inspection, one child moved into the home with insufficient planning and consideration, which impacted on all children living in the home. However, this child has now moved out of the home, and their move was managed with careful planning to ensure they were well supported throughout the process. The manager has reflected on this experience, acknowledging the challenges, and has used the lessons

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

learned to inform future practice. This ensures that any future admissions are carefully considered, with thorough planning in place to meet the individual needs of each child.

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

Children benefit from stable and nurturing relationships with staff, who know them well and are attentive to their individual needs. Staff provide consistent routines, and the implementation of boundaries has improved, helping children feel safe, secure and supported. The children’s individualised care plans are detailed and regularly reviewed, ensuring that the support they receive is tailored to their specific needs.

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

Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the risks associated with the children’s behaviours, and, as a result, risks are well managed and carefully supported. For one child, there are ongoing concerns regarding her safety near the main road. During these incidents, staff are responsive and proactive in their approach, ensuring that immediate safeguards are implemented to minimise risk. The team continues to work attentively to address these concerns and to ensure the child’s safety is consistently prioritised.

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

Physical interventions are used as a last resort to manage incidents where children pose a risk of significant harm to themselves or others. As a result, there are occasions when alternative de-escalation techniques may not be utilised fully. However, when appropriate, staff use other agreed strategies, such as distraction or verbal communication, to defuse situations. All incidents involving physical intervention are carefully documented, and debrief discussions are held with both staff and children involved. Staff confidence in managing challenging situations has significantly increased, leading to more effective and robust responses to difficult incidents.

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

Children are encouraged to express their views and are actively involved in decision- making about their daily lives and future. They participate in weekly house meetings, where their opinions are valued, and take the opportunity to have one-on-one time with the manager to discuss matters that are important to them. As a result, the number of complaints made by children has decreased, reflecting a positive shift in the home’s culture. Improved communication ensures that children feel their voices are heard and that their concerns are addressed, fostering a more open and supportive environment.

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

There have been three allegations relating to staff who no longer work in the home. On each occasion, all necessary procedures were followed, and comprehensive investigations were completed. The manager has reflected on these incidents, acknowledging that they occurred during a particularly unsettled and challenging period for both the staff team and the children living in the home. The lessons learned from these experiences have been used to inform ongoing practice and to ensure the safety and well-being of the children are consistently prioritised. Inspection report for children’s home: SC464759 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate and committed to her role. She leads by example and encourages her team to continually learn and develop. The manager maintains clear oversight of the home’s day-to-day operation and, where necessary, will seek additional oversight from her manager. Staff unanimously report significant improvements in the management of the home since the last inspection and described the current team as happy, supportive and well led.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear vision for the home and has set out areas of ongoing improvement, with a plan of how this will be achieved. The manager is committed to ensuring that the children can live in a caring and nurturing environment. She has demonstrated resilience and compassion in supporting children through particularly challenging times.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are current vacancies in the staff team. The manager is actively recruiting but prioritising that the right staff are employed to ensure that the recent improvements are maintained. Temporary staff are used when necessary to maintain safe staffing levels, especially during night shifts. The manager is mindful of ensuring consistency and familiarity for the children, with careful planning around handovers and staff rotas.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team has shown determination and commitment to raising standards of care. Regular supervision discussions and team meetings have been used effectively, to reflect on practice and share learning. This has had a positive impact on driving improvements across the home. Where shortfalls have been identified, such as a recent medication error, the manager has responded swiftly and robustly, ensuring that all staff repeated medication training to reinforce best practice and maintain safe care delivery. Inspection report for children’s home: SC464759 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that staff support children to develop skills to have positive relationships with others. This particularly relates to the relationships that children have with their parents or other significant family members. The manager should support these relationships and, where appropriate, maintain contact and share information with these significant people. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.6)  The registered person must ensure they actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. This also includes ensuring that the point-in-time surveys are distributed to all relevant people so they have the opportunity to provide feedback. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: SC464759 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 20–21 Pullman Business Court Mallard Way, Pride Park, Derby DE24 8GX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Pradeep Manaktala

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Inspector

Kayleigh Spinks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC464759 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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