Children's home run by Beaufort Care Group Ltd in Barnet

Inspection report for children’s home: SC046480 1 SC046480 Registered provider: Beaufort Care Group 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 home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional needs. The home is operated by a private organisation that operates several other homes in the area.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 14 May 2025. The former registered manager was registered since 25 October 2023 and left their role two days before the inspection.

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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: 3 February 2025

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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: SC046480 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/02/2025 Full Good 17/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/01/2023 Full Good 21/07/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC046480 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are positive about living at the home and about the staff who care for them. They said they feel able to talk to all staff members and believe they will be listened to. Staff work to build positive relationships with children. Children generally get on well with each other, although they sometimes struggle when staff have to split their time. Staff understand this and effectively manage these situations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to make progress at the home. Staff care about the children and talk with pride about children’s progress and achievements. Children enjoy spending time with staff, who provide children with nurture and care. The most recently arrived child in the home spends extended time in their room. Staff support for this child is inconsistent, and strategies to address this are not clearly outlined to staff in plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to participate in a variety of activities, using their enthusiasm and strong relationships with the children to motivate them. While some children find it challenging, particularly when it comes to joining youth groups or clubs, staff continue to offer support and encouragement. Children’s talents include art, music and crafts and staff praise and celebrate their abilities and achievements. Many children have strong friendships and relationships outside of the home, including with family members. Staff are aware of these connections and actively support them. Staff work with other professionals to ensure that this is done in a safe and positive way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two of the children who have lived at the home for longer are doing very well in their education. One child has been successfully supported in moving to secondary school. The other child is progressing well at their alternative education provider and is expected to take exams next year. The child who recently moved into the home receives some input from an alternative education provider. However, the manager has identified that this provision is insufficient, particularly as the child has expressed a desire to sit exams. The manager is working with the placing authority to secure a suitable school placement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the previous inspection, one child has successfully returned to their family. Although this initially followed the child refusing to return home after a visit, a return home had always been the planned outcome. Staff effectively supported and advocated for the child, resulting in a positive ending to their time in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s healthcare needs are appropriately met. Both children and staff benefit from therapeutic input provided by the organisation’s therapist, as required. The therapist also attends staff meetings to support the review and development of staff practice and approaches.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have undertaken excellent work with one child around their cultural identity. This involved collaboration with a staff member from another home operated by the provider Inspection report for children’s home: SC046480 4 who shares the same cultural background, alongside input from the therapist. Together, they have helped the child explore and better understand their culture.

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

Children feel and are safe at the home. Staff understand safeguarding processes and robustly follow these in practice. The manager oversees and understands safeguarding in the home. However, there were delays in their review and completion of one incident that occurred. Leaders and managers effectively use safeguarding concerns as learning tools to support the development of the staff team.

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

Staff support children to manage their behaviour. There has been no use of restraint since the previous inspection. Staff understand how children’s behaviours are linked to their past traumas and the impact these experiences have on them. Meaningful conversations are held with children following incidents, helping them to develop an understanding of their behaviours and the impact these have on themselves and others.

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

Staff are highly skilled at managing incidents of self-harm. Their approach enables children to talk openly about their self-harm and work with staff to explore supportive and self-management strategies.

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

Staff manage risk well and are not risk averse. This work is supported by detailed, up-to- date risk assessments. When necessary, leaders and managers hold high-risk strategy meetings in response to significant changes in a child’s behaviour, such as an increase in missing-from-home episodes. While the risk assessment for children living in the home considers the risks of the newest child in relation to the others, their potential risks to the new child are not sufficiently explored.

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

Staff respond appropriately when children have been missing from the home. While return home interviews take place, leaders and managers do not consistently ensure they obtain feedback from the individual conducting the independent return home interviews. As a result, they do not understand new information that can be used to reassess risks and inform arrangements to better protect each child

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management changes in the home have been well managed. A second manager registered to support a planned absence of the other manager and has now taken sole leadership of the home. Managers understand the home and children well, demonstrating an in-depth knowledge. They have a clear vision for the home and are aspirational for the children, the staff team and the overall development of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is well established, with many staff working at the home for a number of years. Some new staff have joined and have been warmly welcomed into the team. The staff group is a well-balanced mix of gender, age and experience, with a shared focus on achieving the best outcomes for the children. Staff morale is good, and they have a Inspection report for children’s home: SC046480 5 positive view of the home. They speak positively about the management, as well as the support and training they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision is robust, reflective, supportive and regular, with children at the core of these discussions. When necessary, managers hold difficult conversations with staff, holding them to account in a supportive and developmental way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The team holds regular meetings where the children and the development of the home are discussed. The organisation’s therapist attends some of these meetings, supporting staff to review and develop working strategies and approaches. These meetings also serve as opportunities for team training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Parents and professionals are positive, praising staff for their care and commitment. Professionals also commented that the team’s communication and joint working are of a good standard. Inspection report for children’s home: SC046480 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 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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that children’s plans contain clear information and guidance on leaders’ and managers’ expectations and the strategies to be used by staff when children are spending a lot of time in their bedrooms. 31 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC046480 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records of safeguarding concerns are closed in a timely manner once completed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.8)  The registered person should ensure that information from an independent return home interview is shared with them so they can take account of this when reassessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should ensure when assessing the potential risks a new child may pose to the existing group, they should also assess the risks the existing group of children may pose to the new child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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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: SC046480 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Beaufort Care Group Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Hollygrove Business Park, Ringwood, Dorset BH24 2DB

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Inspector

Wendy Anderson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC046480 9 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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