Children's home run by Blue Elephant Childcare Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2546960 1 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Registered provider: Blue Elephant Childcare 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 children’s home provides care and support for up to two children with emotional and social difficulties. It is part of a private organisation that owns other homes in the area.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home. No children have moved in or out of the home since the last inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2022.

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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

Date of last inspection: 19 November 2024

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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: 2546960 2 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/11/2024 Full Good 21/11/2023 Full Good 29/06/2022 Full Good 08/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2546960 3 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector spent time with both children. The children value the relationships they have with the staff in the home and have regular access to fun and engaging activities, which they are involved in planning. One child enjoyed showing different elements of their home, including their personalised bedroom and their two goats and chickens.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s sense of belonging and stability in the home is a key focus. Staff ensure the home has a ‘family feel’ to it and there are photographs of the children throughout. Staff consult children on any improvements or changes which are made to the environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the children’s histories and experiences, and the care provided in the home is based around this knowledge. Staff use creative methods to support children’s differing communication needs. Children’s access to life-story work has enhanced their understanding of their life histories, which has supported their overall emotional development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The relationship between the home and external professionals are positive; they describe communication as being good and say that they are kept informed of any specific concerns regarding the children. One social worker noted that staff effectively challenge decisions that they do not agree with and advocate on behalf of the children. Staff send regular updates to the parents of the children and communicate with them in a variety of different ways.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The team successfully supports children’s education. Both children attend full-time education provisions and are progressing well, with a clear focus on their futures. There is planning in place for children’s independence. However, this planning is not robust and is not developed around each of the children’s individual goals and progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences in the home and receive supportive and nurturing care from the staff and the wider senior leadership team. Both children are supported to undertake a part-time job, which has further enhanced their general development and confidence.

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

Staff provide clear and consistent boundaries for children. As a result, children’s behaviour is positive and there is limited use of consequences. Children feel safe in the home, and this is demonstrated through the relationships they have with the staff team.

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

Staff understand the vulnerabilities of the children and respond to any identified concerns when they occur. For example, when concerns have been raised in respect of family time they have been quickly addressed. Staff know children well and risks within Inspection report for children’s home: 2546960 4 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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

the home are low. Leaders and managers ensure staff’s safeguarding knowledge is kept up to date and relevant through regular discussions in supervisions and team meetings. Staff respond well to any incidents that occur and take action to reduce risk. However, leaders and managers did not notify Ofsted following one serious incident relating to a child.

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

Children’s plans are detailed and reflect current risks related to the children. However, staff do not always know or familiarise themselves with information in these plans, risking inconsistent approaches to care and support.

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

Safer recruitment processes are followed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have good oversight within the home. They understand the children and their progress. There is a focus on supporting their overall development and meeting their future goals. Leaders and managers are confident in enhancing the experiences of children, and this is the focus of practice in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by the manager and the team overall. Supervisions and team meetings are of high quality, with a key focus on improving practice and supporting the children in the home. However, the process for monitoring training is unclear and does not help the manager to identify when training is out of date or has or has not been completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The senior manager understands the homes strengths and weaknesses. There are plans in place to address areas of identified development, such as the general environment of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are encouraged to share their views and participate in decision-making in the home. Both children attend the organisation’s ‘children’s council’ to formally feed into decision-making across the company. Staff have developed creative ways to support children to share their likes and dislikes and what they want new staff to know about them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A complaint is currently under investigation by the organisation. They received the complaint on 19 August 2025 and have not yet reached a conclusion. Inspection report for children’s home: 2546960 5 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) 1 November 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that documents designed to support staff to manage risk and care for children clearly set out the agreed and up-to-date planning and ensure that staff knowledge on these plans are up to date. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, such as to live independently. This includes developing each child’s individual skills to enhance their ability to live independently in the future. Planning around independent skills should also be based on their individual needs and the stages of each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)

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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: 2546960 6 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blue Elephant Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 30, Chivenor Business Park, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 4AY

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Inspector

Helen Cushnie, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2546960 7 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Inspector

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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Inspector

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Inspector

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