Children's home run by Bluejay Care Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2714869 1 Registered provider: Bluejay Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and run by a private company. It provides care for up to two children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a suitably qualified and experienced manager in post.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2714869 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/07/2024 Full Good 08/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2714869 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the inspection, the inspector spent time with both children living at the home and spoke with one.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a warm, welcoming and well-maintained home. The home is clean, tidy and thoughtfully decorated, with highly personalised bedrooms that reflect each child’s identity and preferences. The homely atmosphere provides children with pleasant spaces to relax and enjoy themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care that supports their progress and development. Staff use detailed care plans to guide their practice, resulting in children becoming more confident and engaged. Children have made significant progress. For example, one child has returned to education after over a year out of school and is now attending health appointments. Another child, who has lived at the home for a long time, has found stability and consistency that have previously been lacking in their life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly engage children in meaningful conversations about their well-being, safety and relationships. These interactions have led to tangible improvements in children’s health and engagement in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are mostly well supported during their moves into and out of the home. Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home, and staff provided support to make the experience positive. However, despite having concerns, the manager did not challenge the placing authority’s plan, which later proved unsuccessful and led to further disruption for the child. Conversely, a child who moved into the home on an emergency basis was welcomed with care and sensitivity, resulting in a smooth and successful transition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are mostly well met. Staff use humour and positive relationships to encourage engagement with health services. However, for one child, the manager did not challenge delays in reviewing the child’s need for medication. As a result, it remains unclear whether they require medication to manage their health condition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education outcomes are improving. Staff supported a child’s return to school through strong partnership working. However, opportunities to engage the child in structured activities during the extended period out of school were missed. Additionally, arrangements for one child’s post-16 education, training or employment have not yet been made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have multiple avenues to express their views and influence their care. The manager uses creative approaches, including technology, to ensure that children’s voices are heard. Inspection report for children’s home: 2714869 4

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

Children feel safe and secure due to the positive relationships they have with staff and the personalised care they receive. As a result, safeguarding incidents are rare. Risks to children are well understood. Children’s plans are regularly reviewed to ensure that staff have an accurate picture of risks to children and a good understanding of how to keep them safe.

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

When children raise complaints, the manager takes them seriously. He takes prompt action to ensure that everyone is safe and to fully understand what has happened. One child has made a complaint since the last inspection. A thorough investigation was carried out, and the outcome was shared with the child, ensuring that they felt heard and protected.

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

Staff are skilled in de-escalation and in building positive relationships. This means that physical intervention is rare. Since the last inspection, there has been one incident of a child having to be held to keep them and others safe. The manager’s oversight, while timely and detailed, did not identify some learning opportunities that could inform future practice. This is about additional strategies that may have prevented the incident from occurring.

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

Staff encourage children’s positive behaviour by setting clear boundaries and recognising and celebrating positive behaviour and achievements with praise and rewards. Consequences are used sparingly and proportionately.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are child focused and committed to improving children’s experiences. They have high aspirations for children and staff and maintain good oversight of care practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported through regular supervision and team meetings. They feel valued and motivated, contributing to a stable and consistent team that benefits children. Staff speak highly of the management team, particularly the registered manager, who is described as ‘supportive’, ‘approachable’ and ‘inspiring’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment practices are mostly effective; however, managers do not consistently obtain details of gaps in employment history.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership working is strong. Professionals and family members praise the home’s communication, stability and commitment to the children’s well-being. One professional commented, ‘They go far and above in helping [name of child] feel like he is home.’ A family member added, ‘I have nothing but respect for everyone there; they are all doing a fantastic job.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2714869 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that local authorities and healthcare professionals are challenged if there are concerns about plans for children or the timeliness of support. 12 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training, or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(viii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that when children are not in education, they are encouraged to engage in structured activities and routines that will support a return to education. 12 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2714869 6 Additionally, plans for children’s post-16 education must be clearly established.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should, when reviewing incidents, identify lessons learned and implement them to improve practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that during the recruitment process, they identify and account for any gaps in employment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 2714869 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 73 Francis Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B16 8SP

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Inspector

John Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2714869 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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