Children's home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2546172 1 Registered provider: Beacon 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 privately owned home is registered to provide care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2025. He is in the process of completing a level 5 childcare qualification.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor, and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2546172 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/08/2024 Full Good 12/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/05/2022 Full Good 26/04/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2546172 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s experiences and progress are significantly hindered by ineffective care planning, persistent shortfalls in staff practice, and poor leadership and management of the home. Safeguarding arrangements are not effective. As a result, children are not consistently kept safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

One child lives in the home. Another child moved on from the home during the inspection in line with their plan. Both children shared their mixed experiences with the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children do not always experience stability in this home. Arrangements to welcome new children are weak and do not support a smooth or safe move into the home. Managers do not ensure that staff are adequately prepared to meet children’s needs at the point they move into the home. Children already living in the home, were not informed, and the lack of preparation led to disruption and heightened tensions for them within the home. All children had negative experiences and for one child, this resulted in them leaving the home more quickly than planned as staff could not keep them safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders do not ensure that positive relationships between the children are promoted. Staff are unable to manage conflict between children, and serious incidents occur when children harm one another. Children are not supported to repair their relationships. This contributes to poor experiences for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home environment is in poor condition, including a damaged front door, scuffed walls, worn stair carpets and ripped flooring. Large locks on a cupboard door make the home look and feel institutionalised. Although refurbishment work is ongoing, the overall environment remains uninviting and does not reflect a nurturing home where children feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Despite these concerns, children make progress in other areas of their lives. Children are supported to attend school and achieve academically. One child has returned to education after a 12-month absence, and another child has just passed their GCSE exams and is preparing to start college. Some children receive effective support to prepare for adulthood. One child said that they were proud of learning to cook and doing their own laundry. This has helped to build the child’s confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children enjoy a range of activities that enable them to have fun and try new things. They take part in outings, such as go-karting and theme park visits as well as day trips and holidays. These experiences help children to make memories, develop social skills and feel included. Inspection report for children’s home: 2546172 4

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

Managers and staff do not manage risk effectively, and children are not consistently safeguarded. Social workers lack confidence in how staff support children and manage risk.

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

Staff do not have the skills to keep children safe. They are unable to support children effectively during times of crisis. Staff have called the police to help them manage incidents on a number of occasions. Children have, therefore, experienced unnecessary police involvement in their lives, some of which has escalated their emotions resulting in them being arrested. Managers are not taking action to reflect and learn from these incidents that staff are not confident to manage.

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

The use of restraint does not promote the safety or well-being of children. Staff held a child for a prolonged length of time while they waited for the police to arrive to help them to support the child. This approach escalated the incident unnecessarily and contributed to the criminalisation of the child.

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

The response to children who go missing from the home is poor and safety protocols are not consistently followed. For example, staff have left a child alone in the home, at night, to collect another child who had been missing from the home. These unsafe decisions compromised the safety of both children.

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

Behaviour management is inconsistent and, at times, unfair. While children’s positive behaviour is recognised and rewarded, the consequences used in response to children’s poor behaviour are not always restorative or proportionate. Leaders acknowledge this shortfall and have planned staff training. However, current practice does not support children to learn from their actions or build trusting relationships with staff.

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

Concerns raised by children about staff practice are taken seriously and are escalated to appropriate safeguarding partners. Children and staff are well supported throughout this time and good-quality work takes place to rebuild relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders fail to operate the home in accordance with the statement of purpose. Weaknesses in leadership and management, combined with poor decision-making, has resulted in children’s safety, progress and overall experiences being negatively affected. Due to these significant concerns, three compliance notices have been issued under regulations 12, 13 and 14. In addition, Ofsted has issued a notice restricting accommodation meaning that no other children can move into the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the last inspection, the quality of children’s care has declined. There has been changes in leadership, including the appointment of a new manager, a new responsible individual and the previous manager moving into a quality manager role. Some staff Inspection report for children’s home: 2546172 5 report that these changes have been unsettling and have affected the stability of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have mixed views on the home’s leadership. Some staff do not feel safe at work and feel unsupported during times of crisis. This has lowered morale and their confidence. In contrast, other staff do feel supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The training provided to staff has not equipped them with the skills needed to care for children safely or meet their individual needs. As a result, children receive poor care from staff who are not adequately prepared to manage complex situations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders demonstrate an awareness of the home’s weaknesses and have identified many areas of development. However, the steps taken to address these issues have not led to positive change. Recurring incidents and poor practice continue to affect the quality of care and compromise children’s safety. Inspection report for children’s home: 2546172 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

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

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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

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)(iii)(iv)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff understand their responsibilities to safeguard children and manage their behaviours effectively. Staff must communicate effectively with each other, be able to recognise risks and take effective action to reduce the risk of harm to children. In addition, staff must promote positive relationships between children and take effective action to prevent them from harming each other.

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Requirement Due date

Staff must follow children’s plans consistently, including missing- from-home protocols to keep children safe and promote their welfare. 24 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2546172 7 The use of restraint must be proportionate and necessary to promote the safety and well-being of children.

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Requirement Due date

*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

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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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that their monitoring and review systems are effective and continually improve the care provided to children. Any identified shortfalls must be promptly addressed to keep children safe and promote their welfare in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, they must ensure that all of the staff are skilled and competent to meet the needs of the children and keep them safe. The registered person must ensure that staff training is embedded into practice. 24 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

* The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 24 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2546172 8 that arrangements are in place to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home;

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Requirement Due date

and plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that effective care planning systems are in place to support smooth and safe transitions. This includes gathering sufficient information about children’s risks and vulnerabilities to promote their safety and welfare. In addition, ensure that staff are prepared to welcome new children, and the views of children who already live in the home are considered.

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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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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home and furnished so as to—

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meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home is in a good state of repair. This is so children live in a comfortable, supportive and a well-maintained home. 24 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults. 24 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2546172 9 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(xi)(xii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff are skilled in de-escalating conflict between children.

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Requirement Due date

Positive relationships between children must be actively promoted, and children should be supported to develop respectful and appropriate interactions with one another.

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Requirement Due date

Staff must also help children to understand and display acceptable behaviour and provide consistent support to enable them to resolve conflict positively without harming each other.

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2546172 10

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour should be fair, proportionate and restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children and the staff caring for them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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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: 2546172 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Beacon Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Beacon Childcare Ltd, 28 Phoenix Business Park, Avenue Close, Birmingham B7 4NU

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Inspector

Amy Richards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2546172 12 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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