Children's Home run by Berry Gifford Limited in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2739238 1 Registered provider: Berry Gifford LTD Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is vacant. An interim manager is in post and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home. The inspector spoke with the child.

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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: 2739238 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/05/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2739238 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved on from the home and two children moved into the home. However, one of these children subsequently rejoined their family and did not return to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education and support children to meet their academic potential. Their support resulted in improved attendance for one child, who was previously living in the home, and who now aspires to be a chef. However, another child, whose first language is not English, is not making progress with online language lessons. The manager uses a rewards system as an incentive to encourage attendance, and staff promote practical skills and learning in the home. The manager has also escalated this need with the placing local authority.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child who is living in the home is settled and receives care and support that is sensitive to their experiences of loss, separation and trauma. The child’s care plan has been written in consultation with both the placing local authority and the child. Staff encourage the child to identify how they would like to be supported, especially during difficult times. This helps the child to feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote family time as they understand the importance of this and the effect that this has on children’s emotional well-being. As the child’s parents live abroad, staff ensure that regular phone and video calls take place, which the child enjoys.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has made provision for the child’s cultural and religious needs to be met effectively, including the use of translation services. The manager employs an ethnically diverse range of staff to ensure that children can learn from different cultures and feel represented.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and modern, with ample space for two children to live comfortably. While the home feels warm and welcoming, some areas of the home need attention and repair. Children also do not have adequate seating where they can share meals with staff. This detracts from its otherwise lovely environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child moved into the home and then chose to return to their family home against the local authority’s care plan. Until a decision was made about the child’s long-term plan, the manager and staff remained committed to the child, providing practical, financial and emotional support to the child and their family. However, this was not captured in written records.

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

The child who is living in the home says that they are happy and well cared for. Staff use creative ways to have discussions with children. They take advantage of car journeys, Inspection report for children’s home: 2739238 4 and, when concerns arise, they help children to talk about their experiences and give helpful advice. Staff talk about important issues, such as education, vaping risks and criminal exploitation. Staff are committed to including children in all decision-making about their care, and the manager advocates for their views to be heard.

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

Children consent to room searches. They understand that certain items they bring into the home will be removed. Staff talk to children after a room search so that they can reflect and learn from such incidents. Staff also actively hold others to account and work, for example, with local shop owners to discourage them from selling vapes to children.

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

Professionals praise staff for their commitment to safeguarding children. They value the transparent way that staff work with children, helping them to understand how to keep safe.

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

The manager evaluates risks and vulnerabilities when children come to live in the home and records this information in an ‘impact risk assessment’, as well as children’s risk management plans. However, for the child who is living in the home, a significant known risk was not recorded. Despite that, staff are fully aware of all risks and steps to take to keep the child safe, indicating that its omission from documents does not compromise the child’s safety.

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

Staff follow protocols when children are missing from care. However, the previous registered manager did not obtain return home interview reports from the placing local authority for a child who was regularly missing from care, nor did they escalate this lack of information. This prevented the previous registered manager from understanding the reasons why the child was going missing and implementing strategies for staff to follow to improve practice.

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

External doors are locked with a thumb-lock creating a possible barrier to children and staff exiting the building quickly in an emergency. In addition, fire extinguishers stored in the garage lack the required signage noted in the home’s own fire risk assessment.

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

The manager is enthusiastic and has a clear vision for children to live in a homely place. She aspires to create a loving home and for children to feel safe and make good progress. However, a lack of rigour in the management oversight of all case records has led to widespread recording shortfalls being identified at this inspection.

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

While the manager has monitoring and auditing systems in place, including a weekly checklist and weekly managers’ meetings, they have not identified the shortfalls raised at this inspection. The manager’s quality of care report has also not been completed and shared with the regulator.

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

When children are subject to external restrictions, staff help them to follow any imposed conditions and avoid breaches. However, on one occasion, the manager did not ensure Inspection report for children’s home: 2739238 5 that the staff had charged the child’s electronic tag. This resulted in the child being detained in a police cell, which had a significant effect on the child’s emotional well- being. The manager acknowledges that this could have been avoided and has subsequently supported staff to consider the lessons learned, although these reflections are not recorded anywhere.

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

While supervision sessions are held regularly, they are not always reflective in nature and do not review previously agreed actions. This prevents staff from reflecting on their practice and making any necessary changes.

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

The manager has a proactive approach and understands the strengths and areas of development for the home. She encourages staff to participate fully in the care planning of the children. Staff speak highly of the support she gives them, as well as the induction and training that they receive. Inspection report for children’s home: 2739238 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

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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare;

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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)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the registered person must ensure that staff assess any monitoring devices and, when required, carry appropriate chargers to prevent them providing misinformation.

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Requirement Due date

Also, specifically, that when children go missing from home, return home interviews are requested to help staff to understand the reasons that children go missing. 31 December 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— 31 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2739238 7 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 the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(b)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all children’s case records, including staff meeting minutes, children’s transition plans, key-work discussions, risk assessments and daily records, are kept up to date.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must also ensure that supervision sessions are reflective and consider the individual needs of the child. They should include a review of previously set actions.

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home; and 31 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2739238 8 provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire;

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of

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Requirement Due date

the home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all doors are fitted with thumb-locks, in line with the home’s fire risk assessment.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there is appropriate signage for the fire extinguishers stored in the garage, in line with the home’s fire risk assessment.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report")

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1) (3) (4)(a)) 31 December 2025

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Recommendation

The registered person should ensure that the home is a homely and domestic environment for children to live in. This includes being maintained to a good standard, Inspection report for children’s home: 2739238 9 clean and free from hazards. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2739238 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Mercury Park, Amber Close, Tamworth B77 4RP

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Inspector

Tenji Wesa, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2739238 11 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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