Children's Home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 1 Registered provider: Beacon Childcare Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with emotional and behavioural needs and/or difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a new registered manager They are registered with Ofsted and are working towards the required management qualification.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/04/2024 Full Good 10/10/2023 Full Inadequate 07/01/2022 Interim Not judged Inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 3

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improvement to be good

Four children have lived in the home since the last inspection. At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home. Both children gave feedback as part of the inspection. One child is happy living in the home and likes the food and the activities. The other child said that they are unhappy living in the home and want to leave. Both children said they did not like living with the other child. This demonstrates that children’s experiences of living in the home are inconsistent.

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress in the home is mixed. One child who previously lived in the home made good progress with their social relationships and independence and had very good relationships with staff. One of the children currently living in the home is making good progress and has positive relationships with staff. The other child is struggling to engage with staff and their behavioural incidents are escalating. They have made some progress; they are enjoying school and activities and have learned to make themselves snacks and drinks, however, they struggle to accept the rules and boundaries that are in place to keep them safe. As part of the care planning process, the manager is working with the child’s placing authority to consider the child’s placement.

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improvement to be good

Planning for a child to move into the home is not always thorough. Although the manager gathers additional information before making placement decisions, on one occasion they did not gather enough information to enable them to effectively manage the child’s behaviours and risks. This hindered staff’s ability to manage the child’s needs.

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improvement to be good

Two children have had unplanned endings to their time in the home following an escalation in behavioural incidents. One child had been settled in the home for several months when a second child moved in. There was no evidence to suggest that the children were not suitable to be placed together, however, once the second child arrived both children’s behaviour escalated, and staff could no longer meet their needs. Immediate notice was served, meaning that both children moved from the home without having an opportunity to say goodbye to people who had cared for them.

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improvement to be good

The home environment is not always well maintained. Initially, the home appears to be warm and welcoming, however, on further inspection it becomes clear that maintenance of the home is not prioritised. Furniture that has been damaged during behavioural incidents has not been removed or replaced, and staff need to spend more time on cleaning. Unfinished decorating is unsightly and the carpets on the landing and in one child’s bedroom are heavily stained. Although the manager makes requests for the work to be completed, there are delays in it being carried out. This means that the home does not feel well cared for. One child needs significant support to keep their bedroom clean and tidy; staff struggle to support the child to make progress with this. Inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 4 Peer relationships can be fractious. While the children generally get along well, situations can quickly escalate. Both children require a high level of staff support. Relationships

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improvement to be good

between children are supported by staff through activities in and out of the home. Children also eat meals together. Peer group dynamics are complex for staff to manage. Both children said they do not like living with each other.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to attend education and make good progress. Both children currently living in the home are attending school regularly, and one enjoys attending after-school clubs. One child who previously lived in the home made significant progress with their education as a result of the good support they received from staff. They progressed from not attending any education to attending full time, with good ambitions for the future.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy a range of activities and staff support their individual interests. During the school summer holidays, they enjoyed days out to a theme park and went swimming and one child went on holiday to the seaside. One child has a keen interest in skating and staff support them to go to a local skate park regularly.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing, staff search for them and report them missing in line with their care plan. Two children who previously lived in the home started going missing together and became involved with local children who were a negative influence on them. The children’s behaviour escalated, leading to two incidents involving the police. One child currently living in the home regularly goes missing. The manager is working with the child’s placing authority to manage the risks.

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improvement to be good

Staff’s behaviour management is inconsistent. Most incidents are managed well, including when physical interventions have been needed. However, on two occasions, staff responses to children were not nurturing and on one occasion, staff lacked curiosity about children’s behaviours. As a result, these situations escalated and could possibly have been avoided with a more sensitive, child-focused approach from staff. On another occasion, poor staff teamwork allowed behaviours to escalate and the police were called for assistance. The manager’s oversight of these incidents recognised how practice could be improved, and staff have had the opportunity to reflect on the incidents with the clinical team.

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improvement to be good

Allegations are not always well managed. On most occasions, the correct process is followed, however on one occasion, the manager failed to wait for the outcome of a strategy meeting before taking the child for a medical check and involving the police. The manager lacked a clear understanding of how the process should have been followed. On three occasions, allegations were not reported to Ofsted.

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improvement to be good

Staff are recruited safely. All required checks are completed and references are verified. Staff complete an induction and benefit from a probation period when they have Inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 5 additional supervisions. This helps to ensure that they are safe to work in the home and feel confident in their roles.

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improvement to be good

Complaints are managed well. Children know how to make a complaint. When they do, complaints are investigated and the outcome is shared with the child. When issues occur between children and staff, the manager takes steps to help to repair relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A new manager has taken over day-to-day running of the home since the last inspection. They were previously the deputy manager, so they know the home well. This is their first registered manager role, and they are still learning, which has contributed to some of the shortfalls found. This suggests that more oversight and support is needed from the responsible individual.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager’s monitoring has not always identified gaps in children’s documents. For example, one child’s risk management plan had not been updated with recent incidents and the risk level had not been reviewed, even though incidents were becoming more frequent. The manager provides good analysis of incidents but there is a lack of evidence that the monitoring is being used to improve practice. For example, there is no routine review after unplanned endings, which is a missed opportunity to reflect and learn when things did not go well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Feedback from external professionals and families was mixed. While some were happy with the home and the care that children receive, there were also concerns raised about communication. One parent said they had not been kept updated when their child went missing, which caused them additional anxiety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff do not always receive regular supervision in line with the provider’s own policies. There is also no system in place to ensure that agency staff receive supervision. In addition, two staff members are now out of timescale for their appraisals. This limits the support and oversight that staff need to do their jobs well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff complete a wide range of training to ensure they can meet children’s needs. They also receive ongoing support from a clinical team. Although most training has been completed by staff, systems to monitor training are not effective. As a result, two staff are out of timescales for behaviour management training, two staff have not completed a specific training course related to a child’s needs and only the manager has completed allegations training, despite children in the home having made allegations. The manager has no system in place to check what training bank staff have completed and assumes that they have completed it unless told otherwise by head office.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is adequately staffed for the children currently placed. The home makes use of company bank staff when needed, which means that agency staff have only been used occasionally. Staff are happy to work extra shifts when needed to provide consistency for the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 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

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

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that communication with placing social workers and children’s families is effective, to keep them informed about the child’s care and resolve any queries without delay. 12 November 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; and

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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. 12 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 7 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)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that sufficient information is gathered to enable a suitable arrangement for managing risk. It also relates to ensuring that there is effective working with the child’s placing authority to avoid immediate notice being served on children’s placements.

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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 the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(vii)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home environment is warm and welcoming for children and that it is well maintained, with any damage being repaired without delay. 12 November 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.

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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

that staff— 12 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 8 meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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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

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have the skills and experience to manage complex behaviour, and that they work as a team to manage incidents. It also relates to supporting children to build positive relationships with peers and with staff. It also relates to staff using a consistent nurturing approach towards children, to avoid behaviours escalating.

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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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vii)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s level of risk is understood by staff and kept under review. It also relates to following relevant policies and procedures when safeguarding matters arise. 12 November 2025

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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 12 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 9 promotes their welfare.

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they check the training and skills of any bank workers before they work with a child, and that these staff have read and understood the child’s plans. It also relates to using monitoring information to improve practice.

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Requirement Due date

Also, the manager should maintain oversight of the training needs and skills of all staff, including bank or agency workers, to ensure the needs of children in their care can be met. Staff must read and understand each child’s plans before working directly with them, to ensure consistency, safety and personalised care.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure all staff receive regular, high-quality supervision in line with the provider’s policy. This includes having systems in place to supervise agency staff. All staff must also receive an annual appraisal to assess performance and support development. 12 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 12 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 10

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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: 2620698 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

Vicky Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 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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