Children's Home run by Beacon Childcare Ltd in Staffordshire

Assurance 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 4 children with emotional and behavioural needs and/or difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home’s registered manager has been in the role since March 2025 and is working towards the required management qualification.

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Inspection date: 13 January 2026

Date of last inspection: 2 September 2025

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Inspection date: 13 January 2026

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 13 January 2026

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

At the time of the inspection, there were 2 children living in the home; both have lived there since the full inspection. Both children were seen and spoken to as part of this inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Children have been supported to improve their relationships with each other. Staff have implemented strategies to manage the time the children spend together, and they now engage in individual quality time with staff each day. This has contributed to an improvement in children’s behaviours. As a result, children have a more pleasant experience of living alongside each other.

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Findings from the inspection

There have been improvements to the home environment. New carpets have been fitted and a shower has been repaired. Staff are now more proactive in supporting one child to keep their bedroom tidy. Some damaged furniture remains but steps have been taken to source replacements.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are not being supported by staff to lead a healthy lifestyle. Although staff plan healthy meals, they are allowing children to choose what they want to eat on the day, without any boundaries in place. This means children rarely eat full and healthy meals and instead they are eating a lot of snack foods. This practice does not help to educate the children about how to remain healthy and is resulting in them not eating a healthy balanced diet.

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Findings from the inspection

There has been a reduction in incidents since the last inspection. Staff have developed a more nurturing approach and are generally able to de-escalate situations well, through improved teamwork.

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Findings from the inspection

Risk management plans remain poor. Plans are not always updated following incidents, and when there is learning from incidents it is not used to develop new strategies to manage risks. For example, the risks associated with one child seeing their family have not been incorporated into their plans and staff lack understanding of how to manage the risks.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager has failed to improve communication with placing social workers and parents when incidents occur. Incident forms are not always shared, and weekly progress reports do not contain accurate information about the severity of incidents. On one occasion, a child assaulted a staff member, resulting in a physical intervention being used, but this information had not been shared. This limits the placing social worker’s oversight of the care the child is receiving and the ability to work together with the home to manage risk. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 3 There has been insufficient action to meet the requirements raised at the previous inspection. An action plan was written, but the actions have not all been completed. Progress has been impacted by staffing difficulties, meaning that some requirements are restated.

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Findings from the inspection

Staffing is a significant concern. Due to staff shortages, agency workers are present on most shifts, and the manager is also covering shifts. The children find it difficult when unfamiliar staff are in the home. The inconsistent staffing is impacting their behaviour and their ability to build relationships with the adults who care for them. On one occasion, senior managers had arranged for a bank worker and an agency worker to be on shift without considering the impact on the children. An incident occurred which possibly could have been avoided if a familiar member of staff had been working with the children.

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Findings from the inspection

Monitoring remains ineffective. Not all monitoring checks are completed as regularly as they should be, and the manager is not overseeing all important documents. Actions raised by the independent visitor have not always been acted on. This means that managers do not have full oversight of staff practice and the care that children are receiving.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff are still not receiving adequate supervision and support. Despite the previous inspection highlighting that the manager needed more support, this has not improved. There has been a change of responsible individual since the previous inspection. However, they have not yet visited the home and are not providing any support for oversight of the home. Oversight is being provided by another senior manager, but they have not held supervision with the manager for 3 months and there has been a lack of oversight of the actions needed to improve the home. Staff have also not all had supervision because the manager has not had time due to working on shift, and there is still no system in place to ensure that agency and bank staff are supervised. Appraisals have still not been completed.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/09/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/04/2024 Full Good 10/10/2023 Full Inadequate 07/01/2022 Interim Not judged Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 4

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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 should 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.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 24 March 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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 24 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 5 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

The registered person should ensure that all staff, including bank and agency workers, have the appropriate training and skills before working with a child, and that they understand each child’s plans. The manager should maintain oversight of staff training needs and competencies to ensure children’s needs are met and use monitoring information to strengthen and improve practice.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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 registered person should ensure the manager and 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.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 24 March 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;

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Requirement Due date

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— 24 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 6 that staff help each child to—

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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.

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff provide children with a healthy diet. Staff must have the skills needed to guide children’s understanding of a healthy diet and instil appropriate boundaries in relation to mealtimes. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 7

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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 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2620698 8 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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