Children's home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd in Cheltenham

Inspection report for children’s home: 1230415 1 Registered provider: Beacon Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and is registered to provide care for up to 4 children who experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living in the home. Both children were spoken to during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the home in August 2025. A new manager has recently been appointed and started their role the day 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 requires improvement to be 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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1230415 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/07/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/01/2024 Full Good 22/02/2023 Full Good 17/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1230415 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff, who know them well. Children say that they are happy, that they like the adults who care for them and that they feel safe. One child said that it was the best place they have lived.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves in and out of the home are positive. One child who moved into the home had a well-planned move that meant they were positive about moving in. This helped them to settle quickly. Two children moved out of the home in a planned way. One had a very well-planned move to a semi-independent setting, and the other moved internally to another of the provider’s homes that was better suited to their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend their education provisions and make good progress from their starting points. Both children completed their exams in the summer and have progressed to college courses. Staff have supported one child to improve their attendance and engagement with school. Another child, whose first language is not English, has benefited from additional tutoring, which has helped them to progress in their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain relationships with their families and people who are important to them. Staff have positive relationships with family members, which helps them to feel informed about their child’s care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop independence skills in preparation for adulthood. Staff consider the skills and understanding that children will need and help them to learn at a pace that is appropriate for their needs. While progress in this area is generally good, staff have not taken supportive action for one child who chooses to regularly spend their allowance on takeaways and rarely eats in the home. A better balance is needed between independence and support to ensure that staff are confident that the child is eating a healthy diet.

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

Positive behaviour is encouraged through praise and discussion with children. When incidents of negative behaviour occur, staff help children to reflect on what happened and the impact of their behaviour. On one occasion, all children living in the home at the time were involved in an incident that staff found difficult to manage. Staff called the police for support. Managers reviewed the incident and supported staff to reflect on whether anything could have been managed differently.

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

Children have safe and appropriate access to the internet. Clear boundaries are in place that all children are aware of. Reflective discussions take place with children when they are unhappy with the boundaries to help them understand why they are needed to keep them safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 1230415 4 Staff understand how to raise concerns about colleagues’ practice, and any concerns raised are taken seriously and followed up appropriately. On one occasion, this led to an unsuitable person no longer working in the home.

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

The home environment has been improved since the last inspection. The internal areas of the home are clean and well maintained, and work is due to be completed shortly to rectify a leak above one child’s bedroom. In contrast, a low fence in the rear garden was damaged during an incident several months ago but has not been repaired. This could pose a risk to children.

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

Children’s plans detail strategies to keep children safe. However, on one isolated occasion, staff did not follow a child’s missing-from-home protocol, which means that staff did not search for the child or call the police quickly enough. The child was found shortly afterwards and did not come to any harm. Managers identified the shortfall and took action to ensure that the staff understood the importance of following the agreed plans.

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

Since the last inspection there have been changes in the management of the home. The registered manager and the responsible individual both left in August. The deputy manager stepped in to the manager’s role temporarily and has been supported by the quality assurance manager. A new manager and responsible individual have recently been appointed, but there has been a lack of consistent management oversight due to the changes.

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

Having sufficient staff has been an ongoing challenge. There has been some staff turnover, and 3 vacancies remain unfilled. While the provider tries to avoid using agency staff, shifts are regularly being covered by a high number of different staff from other homes and bank staff. There has not always been a permanent member of staff on shift, which does not provide stability and consistency for children.

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

Managers have taken action to learn from incidents. For example, following one isolated medication error, the staff involved completed refresher training and medication workbooks, and had individual supervision discussions to ensure that they have the required skills and understanding to administer medication safely. Learning has been shared in team meetings so that all staff are well informed, and no further errors have occurred.

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

Managers have taken robust action when staff practice has fallen below expectations. Concerns have been fully investigated, and disciplinary action has been taken when necessary. Despite this, leaders and managers have not always notified Ofsted when allegations have been made about staff, which limits the external oversight of the actions taken. Inspection report for children’s home: 1230415 5 Leaders and managers complete a range of monitoring as part of their oversight of the home. There is clear and constructive oversight of incidents and children’s documents, which helps managers to understand the care that children are receiving. Managers complete regular reviews of the quality of care, which are submitted to Ofsted. However, there is no evidence of consultation with staff or children. Evidence of consultation was seen during the inspection. However, this is not considered as part of the review report,

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

which means that it is not completed in line with the regulations. Inspection report for children’s home: 1230415 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

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 premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(1) (2)(a)(v)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff understand and follow children’s plans for when they are missing from home. They must also ensure that any repairs to the home environment are completed without delay. 5 February 2026

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 5 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 1230415 7 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;

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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)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home has sufficient staff to care for the children in the home and that there is always a permanent member of staff working to provide consistency for children. In addition, they must ensure that their review of the quality of care reports include and evaluate feedback from children and staff.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40(4)(c) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure to notify Ofsted of all serious concerns about staff without delay. 5 February 2026

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met; 5 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 1230415 8 children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 10(1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are supported to eat a healthy diet, that staff have a good understanding of what children are eating outside of the home and that children are supported to understand the importance of good nutrition.

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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: 1230415 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Beacon Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 155 Bromford Lane, Erdington, Birmingham B24 8DJ

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Inspector

Vicky Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1230415 10 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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Inspector

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